Practicum Opportunities
Clinical practicum is an essential part of training in both Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology. At Auburn University, the academic and clinical faculty work closely with students to develop knowledge and skills needed to function as independent clinicians.
Audiology
The clinical training program progresses from minimal involvement in practicum to a full-time clinical residency at the end of the curriculum. During the first two years of the program (The Clinical Clerkship), students will be exposed to clinical work in the heavily supervised training environment of a university clinic. Both Auburn University and Auburn University at Montgomery operate full-service hearing clinics and dispense hearing instruments to children and adults with hearing impairments. The university clinical setting provides a sheltered and supportive environment for students as they begin their clinical work. Early in the first year of the program students will observe clinical work and become familiar with the operation of the university clinic. The students will be expected to master specific clinical competencies outlined in four levels of performance. As students master the four clinical levels they are responsible for increased competency in all areas of audiology. Ultimately, when Level IV is mastered, the student is capable of performing most common procedures in the field of audiology. During the first year in the training program the student masters levels I and II. Concurrently with clinical work, the academic program provides a specific seminar for each level that provides a scientific rationale for each clinical procedure and reviews the current literature on the clinical techniques. During the second year of the training program the student masters levels III and IV with the help of clinical practica and seminars focusing on the higher clinical levels.
In the third year of the clinical program students must rotate through three different clinical off-campus sites working a minimum of 20 hours per week. This experience is known as the Clinical Internship. Students are expected to return to campus for participation in advanced practice-related seminars and work on their capstone projects with senior faculty. The clinical internship allows students to gain experience in a less sheltered setting than the university clinic while stiff being supervised by a certified audiologist. Accreditation guidelines require that students in training be supervised by certified audiologists a minimum of 50% of the time. Auburn University has developed an impressive network of local facilities over the past 25 years of training masters level audiologists. These sites include the Veterans Administration Medical Center, a regional rehabilitation hospital, a local retirement home, area schools, and offices of cooperating otologists.
In the final year of the program students will participate in a Clinical Residency during which they will work full-time for a period of nine months. Clinical Residencies may be done at any facility in the United States where a certified audiologist agrees to supervise the student within ASHA guidelines.
Speech-Language Pathology
Students majoring in Speech-Language Pathology have practicum opportunities available at a wide variety of sites. This variety of sites allows students to meet the minimum practicum requirements established by ASHA yet still focus their experience in the area they wish to pursue after graduation. The University Speech and Hearing clinic provides speech and language treatment and evaluations to approximately 100 clients each semester ranging in age from preschool to geriatric. Off-campus practicum sites include preschools, headstart centers and public schools. Child and adult rehabilitation centers, extended care facilities, a local community hospital, a VA hospital, and Martin Army Hospital at Fort Benning, Georgia also provide practicum sites for students at Auburn University. Specialty clinics dealing with accent reduction and assessment of high-risk infants add to the variety of practicum opportunities.
Externship
An off-campus externship is an essential component of the graduate training program in both Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology. Students typically enroll in this full-time field experience during the last semester of their program, after they have completed all the academic requirements for the Master’s degree. Students may apply to a variety of agencies in which they may complete this externship. Many students choose to do the externship in the geographic area which they plan to seek employment after graduation.