How do I convince my administration to allow me to supervise student clinicians? What are the cost benefits of supervising student clinicians?
ASHA developed Frequently Asked Questions on What Administrators Need to Know [PDF] that can be used to frame discussions with health care administrators about supervising student clinicians. The main issues have to do with personnel shortages and staff development. If a student is exposed to speech-language pathology services in hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, home care, or private practice, they may become part of the pool of appropriately-trained, qualified professionals from which facilities can recruit when they have open positions. In 2007, ASHA conducted a focus group with SLPs on the topic of externship supervision. Participants generally agreed that externships influenced a student’s thinking about job choice and that graduate education programs can be used as a recruiting tool.
