Frequently Asked Questions for SLP Off Campus
Supervisors
1. Is there a minimum number or type of clock hours the
student needs to accrue during their placement?
a. NO  The students rarely have a situation where they
are in need of a specific number of hours or a specific
type of hours. It is the university’s responsibility to
place them where they are likely to get what they need
and it is the student’s responsibility to monitor what they
are accruing and discuss it with the university.
b. One caveat: For students completing a placement to
meet the requirements for the state of CT educational
certification (aka Student Teaching), they need to
accrue 100 hours. It is very rare for students to have
difficulty meeting this requirement in a three day/week
placement over 15 weeks or a full time placement over
8 weeks.
2. Do all students come to placement with the same level of
experience or ability?
a. No, students at UCONN complete three separate and
distinct off campus placements. When the student
comes to you in the first of those placements, they will
be less independent and less experienced than if they
are coming in the second or third. Additionally, all
students progress at their own pace and with their own
strengths and weaknesses. One student may be a
natural at documentation and exceed expectations
early in this area, while others will struggle to achieve
competency by the third placement. What matters is
that they all achieve minimum basic competency across
all areas by the time they are ready to graduate.
3. Does that mean we shouldn’t be concerned if a student is
not performing well?
a. No, it is much more productive for the student to
receive our support in areas where they struggle than to
practice poor skills for long periods of time before they
are addressed. Call us as soon as you have a concern
and we’ll help you determine what you should expect
from a student at a certain point in their development
and also brainstorm how we can help you to provide the
support the student needs.
4. Why doesn’t the university always come to visit the student
while they are in their placement?
a. UCONN believes that the ASHA CCC and the CT state
license verify that the supervisor meets the minimum
competency requirement necessary to supervise a
student. As ASHA and CAPCSD develop new
programs in coursework and potential certification in the
art of supervision, UCONN will work to roll out and
support those initiatives. Eventually, we would like to
see all off campus supervisors undergo some additional
education in the area of supervision.
b. Visits to off campus placements are made under the
following criteria:
i. The student or supervisor calls with a concern and
a second opinion or a conference with the parties
is the agreed upon next step.
ii. The supervisor has never been a supervisor
before and does not have resources at their facility
for more experienced supervisor guidance.
iii. The facility is new to the university and sufficient
information about the nature of the caseload to be
expected has not determined.
iv. The facility has had changes in its structure,
service provision, or management and asks the
university to visit in order to facilitate student
assignments that meet the new demands of the
workplace.
v. The staff of a facility would like to discuss and
problem solve how the university and the facility
can best work together to optimize student and
supervisor experiences.
vi. The facility requests a continuing education
opportunity provided by the university through onsite education. Some examples of the modules
available include:
1. Basics of supervision (1 CEU)
2. Updates to accreditation and student
competencies from CAA and ASHA (1 CEU)
3. What students are taught in Dysphagia
course these days (1.5 CEU)
5. What do I do if I have a problem with e*value?
a. Call the Program Assistant, Sirrah Laughery 860 4862817.
b. Call the Director of Clinical Education, Wendy Chase
860 486-2629, or 860 486-3265.
c. Ask your student intern.
d. Don’t panic, there is nothing we can’t help you figure
out and the student will still get their clock hours
approved, even if it is not today.