Students in the Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) program in the College of Nursing and Health Professions (CNHP) on Drexel University’s Elkins Park campus are offered a unique and valuable perspective not found in all SLP programs. They have the opportunity to train and interact with students and faculty from other graduate programs in audiology, physician assistant studies, occupational therapy, orthotics and prosthetics, among others.
The goal is to educate and train graduate-level students to become exemplary professionals in the SLP profession who provide excellence in service delivery to individuals with communication and swallowing disorders. These students also engage in and promote interprofessional education and practice, lifelong learning and the prevention of communication and swallowing disorders.
SLPs treat a variety of disorders that impact:
- Articulation
- Voice and resonance
- Fluency (stuttering)
- Receptive and expressive language (speaking, listening, reading and writing)
- Feeding and swallowing
- Cognition – affecting memory, attention, reasoning, problem solving, orientation, judgment, or executive functioning
- Social communication – affecting one’s ability to use and interpret language in social situations
- Alternative and Augmentative Communication (AAC)
“My entire time there (formerly Salus University), from being in class to the hands-on experiences in the Speech-Language Institute (SLI), to my externships, all prepared me for my job,” said Casey Heffelfinger, MS ‘20, CCC-SLP. “I can compare a lot of the patients I saw at SLI to the patients I have now, so that really helped prepare me.”
One of the many advantages a new SLP graduate has over peers from other institutions is early and continual exposure to the clinical side of the profession. An emphasis on early clinical skills has been a hallmark of the program since its inception.
In addition:
- Students have their first clinical experiences, referred to as an internship, during their first three semesters at the Speech-Language Institute (SLI), the program’s no-charge on-campus clinical facility. During this time, faculty and clinical educators supervise the master’s students during assessment and intervention sessions for individuals and groups, across the lifespan.
- Students then go off-campus in the fall and spring semesters of their second year to work in authentic sites such as hospitals, rehabilitation facilities, nursing homes, schools (public/private/charter/specialty), outpatient centers and private practices.
- The speech-language pathologists who spend time at off-campus sites receive training and support on how to supervise these students, including the required grading and signing off on their clinical hours.
- Students receive at least 400 clinical practicum hours during their graduate program, to fulfill certification and licensure requirements post-graduation.
“We keep ourselves fresh by making sure not only that we’re checking all the boxes on what we’re supposed to do, but really staying ahead of the curve in the profession and making sure our students have not only the book knowledge but hands-on clinical training,” said Robert Serianni, MS, CCC-SLP, FNAP, SLP chair and program director. “When students look back at their time here in the program, they almost always point back to their time in the clinic. This is what they’re going to miss most when they leave it. But it’s the people that make it an exceptional experience for our students.”
For additional questions or concerns, students can contact the Office of Admissions at 800.824.6262 or email graduateadmissions@drexel.edu
