Placement Expectations

• You will have 4 community-based clinical practicum experiences over the course of the program

• 3 of the 4 clinical practicum experiences are encouraged to be in different settings.  One MUST be in a school-based setting.  

  • • All students must participate in a school placement as Emerson College is an educator preparation program and during that placement, students must earn a minimum of 75 clock hours.

• ASHA requires that students gain experiences across the lifespan (pediatrics through adults).  Everyone must engage in some sort of clinical learning with adults either through the Simucase platform or through a placement site.  

• Clinical placements are selected to ensure that students have experience with a variety of:

  • • Ages

    • Severity levels (mild-severe)

    • Disorders

    • Evaluation and treatment

    • Cultural/linguistic diversity

    • Interprofessional practice (i.e., collaborating with OTs, PTs, school psych, etc.)

• Medical sites are not a requirement, but sufficient clinical opportunity with adult clients is required.  If you have an interest in this type of setting, please express that through the Interest Form or with your Student Success Advisor.

• Once a placement has been identified for you, these are your next steps.

• Students confirmed with a placement will start at their placement during the second week of academic term, unless otherwise instructed by the site.

• Students are expected to remain at their placement from Week 2 to Week 14 of the term, unless otherwise instructed by the site. 

  • • Students can request a 2-week extension to remain at placement. If an extension is granted, students must be finished at the site prior to start of the next semester.

• Students are expected to attend placement at least 3 full days per week, reflecting whatever a full day looks like at the site.

  • • Students should accommodate the supervisor’s schedule.

    • Students understand that sites/supervisors may require students to attend hours or days over and above Emerson College’s minimum.

    • Supervisors and students must engage in the placement using the same modality.  In other words, either both the student and supervisor are onsite and in-person or both the student and supervisor are participating in a telepractice session.  Supervisors can not supervise students remotely, while the student is onsite and in person. 

• Student should prepare for their initial meeting with their supervisor.

• Students should discuss their class schedule with their supervisor.

  • • Students cannot miss synchronous session for class due to a conflicting placement schedule.

    • Supervisors understand students are completing coursework and placement simultaneously.

    • Students should be proactive in coordinating their placement schedule to accommodate for class times.

Moving during your time in the program? You must notify your Student Success Advisor and complete the Relocation Form at least 15 weeks prior to relocating in order to ensure your placement is near your new location. The Relocation Form is available on the Digital Campus.

Cold Calling

The Placement Team is working hard to find and secure community-based clinical practicum experiences for all students.  We encourage you not to reach out to any sites on your own, as this can cause unexpected consequences (i.e., the site already said no, we may not want to partner with the site, etc).

• What is cold calling?

  • • Cold calling is an unsolicited call made by a student to a potential supervisor/community placement with whom they have had no prior contact with the goal of securing a placement. Cold calling includes but may not be limited to: phone calls, email, social media outreach, etc.

• Policy:

  • • Students are expected to never cold call sites.

      • • Students are welcome to send a list of sites they wish to be considered for placement through the Interest Form, which can be found on the Digital Campus.

        • Students are welcome to provide a referral for a site they have an established connection with using the Referral Form, which can be found on the Digital Campus.

• Implications:

  • • Should the Placement Team or Emerson staff learn of a student cold calling a site, a meeting will be conducted with the Placement Manager and Director of Clinical Education to determine consequences.

Simucase Considerations

• At this time, we’re offering Simucase as a placement on a case-by-case basis based on your clinical trajectory throughout the program and other factors.

• This is a different experience than CD 611 but similar to a community based clinical placement. You will be with a supervisor from Simucase who will manage the debrief sessions for the assigned cases. We offer a set curriculum that you will be assigned to- typically two rounds are required (for a total of 40 clinical clock hours)

• Some students will also be invited to participate in Simucase as a part time supplement to their community based placement opportunity.  If you have questions about whether or not you’d benefit from a Simucase supplement, please reach out to your Student Success Advisor or one of the Directors for more information.

• If you are participating in a round (or two) of Simucase for the semester, and your membership has expired,  you are responsible for renewing your Simucase membership for the semester.

Helpful Placement Resources

Placement Related Forms 

Below links are samples. Please complete the form in the Digital Campus.  You can find these forms within the Placement Portal in the Digital Campus by clicking on the upside down tear drop (or "map pin") in the left hand navigation column.

Semester at a Glance Calendars

Comprehensive Placement Related Information