Issue III- The New Standards: Impact on Practicum in Speech- Language Pathology and Audiology Elena M. Kleifges, MA CCC-A Clinic Director Gallaudet University Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology Department

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Issue III- The New Standards Impact on
Practicum in Speech- Language Pathology
and AudiologyElena M. Kleifges, MA
CCC-AClinic DirectorGallaudet
UniversityAudiology and Speech-Language
Pathology Department
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Hearing and Speech Center

• Year-round clinic serving members of the
  Gallaudet Community and the members of the D.C.
  metropolitan area (and more)
• All ages birth to
• Speech and language services therapy, diagnostic
  evaluations, screenings
• Audiology services audiological evaluations,
  hearing aid dispensing program (evaluation,
  fitting, orientation), OAE, ABR and cochlear
  implant mapping (under construction)
• Aural Rehabilitation services communication
  therapy, speech reading classes, pronunciation
  classes, undergraduate courses

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Clinic Supervisors

• Four audiologists - diagnostic
• Two audiologists aural rehabilitation
• Four speech-language pathologist also do some
  aural rehabilitation

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Clinical Experiences

• Practicum - four semesters of diagnostics and
  three semesters of aural rehabilitation in our
  clinic
• Internship - three semesters in outside
  placements (one of these may be an aural
  rehabilitation experience)
• Externship - fourth year experience

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Clinic Practicum

• First year
• One diagnostic slot for an hour and a half AA
• Walk-in service one hour
• Clinic lab
• Staffing

• Second year
• Two diagnostic slots for an hour and a half each
  AA, HAE, HAC, HAF, ALD
• Walk-in service one hour
• Clinic lab
• Supervisory meeting

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New Standards What Weve Done So Far

• Analyzed Knowledge and Skill areas listed in the
  new standards
• Compared the knowledge and skills in new
  standards to the knowledge and skills in our
  clinical practicum evaluations
• Formative assessment - ?

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What we found

• Not many holes in our curriculum
• Clinically, all of the skill areas seem to be
  covered, but not necessarily evaluated
• We have an appropriate formative evaluation
  system in place for clinic practicum for the
  first two years

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The New Standards do they match up with ours?

• Most of the standards are fairly general
• Our evaluation forms are much more detailed

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For Example

• Standard IV D3
• Obtain case history

• Skills we evaluate
• Diagnostic plan includes discussion of questions
  that will need to be asked
• Initial interview preparation reflects
  flexibility based on possible outcomes of
  responses
• Interview is comprehensive, systematic and
  structured
• Questions are clear and concise
• Level of language modified based on
  needs/abilities of client
• Client-clinician interaction facilitates
  interview

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Another Example

• Standard IV-E7
• Perform assistive listening device assessment

• Skills we evaluate
• Recognize need for assistive and/or alerting
  devices
• Conduct communication needs assessment
• Plan and prepare, based on communications needs,
  appropriate devices to be considered
• Determine best coupling methods between hearing
  aid and ALD
• Conduct assistive device assessment
• Communicate impressions, recommendation and
  provide appropriate resources for obtaining
  assistive devices

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The New Standards do they match up with ours?

• Most of the standards are fairly general
• Our evaluation forms are much more detailed
• Competency of the skills listed What does
  competent mean?

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Competencies

• Need to have clear understanding of what
  constitutes competent
• Skills on our forms divided into two types
• Competency student not aware to well developed
  (5 point scale)
• Level of independence requires constant
  supervision to knowledgeable on all phases and
  works independently (5 point scale)

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Pending Issues

• Keeping track of skills and knowledge -
  documentation
• Whose responsibility is it? Students? Faculty
  and Staff? Outside placement supervisors? All?
• Continuity of formative assessment throughout the
  fours years
• Setting competency levels

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What we need to do Ideas

• Add specific skills and knowledge areas for
  experiences not obtained in our clinic (but
  somewhat in their classes) to the evaluation
  forms used by internships and externships

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Experiences Obtained in Our Clinic

• Basics of audiology
• Case history
• Routine evaluation pure tone air and bone
  conduction testing, speech audiometry,
  immittance, OAE
• Counseling and recommendations
• Amplification - evaluation, fitting and
  orientation
• Aural rehabilitation
• Assistive devices technology
• Experience with deafness and sign language

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Experiences Expected During Internships and
Externships

• Basic audiological skills
• Amplification experience
• Specific pediatric experience
• Special testing
• ABR, EcOG, etc
• Vestibular testing and treatment
• Other intra-operative monitoring, etc.

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What we need to do Some Ideas

• Add specific skills and knowledge areas for
  experiences not obtained in our clinic (but
  somewhat in their classes) to the evaluation
  forms used by internships and externships
• Develop a formative evaluation system that
  provides continuity through out the fours years
  for outside placement supervisors
• Develop form that reflects clinical progress (and
  academic) for achieving knowledge and skill areas
• Decide what we consider competent

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• Review board Audiology program members review
  all students each semester to monitor student
  progress and and provide feedback
• Portfolio currently developing for aural
  rehabilitation
• Practical evaluation before internship to have
  explicit criteria for entry into internships and
  externships
• Have students set goals for themselves before
  internships and externships
• Elaborate knowledge and skill areas to include
  strengths specific to our program

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After the Fourth Year Experience We want our
graduates to be able to do or to bewhat?