SCHEDULING

• Who decides the student's practicum schedule?

  • The supervisor!  The student is expected to meet Emerson College's minimum requirement of three full days a week, for whatever a full day looks like for the supervisor(s).  However, if you would prefer that the student is there more than three days a week, you should have a conversation directly with the student about this plan. We try to discourage five days a week because our students are concurrently taking graduate level coursework.  It is important for the supervisor(s) and student to talk about scheduling before the placement start date to work out an appropriate schedule that incorporates both Emerson and the site's expectations. 

• Can my student extend their placement?

  • Yes.  If it would benefit the student's clinical learning and/or opportunity for additional clinical clock hours they are welcome to extend their placement for up to two weeks post end of placement.  If you or the student is considering extending the placement, please reach out to placement_ops@emerson.edu to let us know of your plans.  Notably, the final evaluation will still be due on the orgininally stated last day of placement in order to submit grades on time to the registrar.  

• What's your absence policy?

  • Students must attend placement a minimum of 3 full days per week, reflecting whatever a full day looks like at the site, for the entirety of the semester (week 2 through week 14). Students will accommodate their supervisor’s schedule and understand that sites/supervisors may require students to attend hours or days over and above Emerson College’s minimum.

  • The semesters are short so consistent attendance is crucial to clinical learning and growth. Students are not permitted to take time off during placement for personal matters. Time off for extenuating circumstances must be discussed with and approved by the placement team. Student vacations are not permitted during the semester.

  • Emerson College does not have a specific policy for students who are ill during their time at placement and need to miss a day. Students are expected to follow the sick policy of their sites. This should be discussed and indicated on the Student Supervisor Contract that is completed within the first few weeks of placement. If not required by the site to do so, students should offer to make-up any missed time.

• Can my student attend placement during the week of comprehensive exams?

  • Students in their final semester of the program who are taking comprehensive exams are not required to be in placement week 7, as this is the week graduating students are preparing for and completing their comprehensive exams. 

• Can my student stay another semester at my site?

  • Speech@Emerson's goal is to provide four robust and diverse clinical experiences across a student's graduate career.  Therefore, our team typically provides four separate placement opportunities for students so that they can receive varied and diverse clinical experiences across settings, diagnoses, populations, and clinical supervisor styles.  

• How do I sign up for a Virtual Site Visit?

  • An email will be sent to all supervisors with instructions for signing up for a Virtual Site Visit.  Each supervisor will be provided with a link to a calendar of available site visit times (within your time zone) so that the supervisor and student can pick a time that is most convenient for their schedule.  When signing up, please add both student and supervisor email to the invitation. Additional availability will be added on a rolling basis as needed through the end of the semester. So if you can't find a day/time that works for you initially, please continue to check the calendar. 

PAPERWORK/DUE DATES

• Where do I send the completed student/supervisor contract?

  • The student is responsible for uploading the completed contract to their Clinical Practicum course site on Canvas.

• When in the Evidenced-Based Project (EBP) Assignment due?

  • The EBP project is typically due at the end of Week 11 of the academic term. It is the student's responsibility to make sure they are meeting EBP project requirements and deadlines. For more information about your mentorship role in this project, please refer to the document here.

• When is the midterm evaluation due?

  • The midterm evaluation is typically due at the end of Week 8 of the academic term. Please refer to Emerson's "Welcome to Placement" email at the beginning of the term for the exact due date. We will send a friendly email reminder around midterm evaluation time.

• When is the final evaluation due?

  • The final evaluation is typically due at the end of Week 14 of the academic term. Please refer to Emerson's "Welcome to Placement" email at the beginning of the term for the exact due date. We will send a friendly email reminder around final evaluation time. Due to strict grading deadlines at the college, we cannot grant extensions for the final evaluation.

• Where can I find the midterm and final evaluations?

  • The midterm and final evaluations are located on CALIPSO. To review evaluation benchmarks or to complete the midterm and final evaluation, please refer to page 4 of the CALIPSO step-by-step instructions.

CLOCK HOURS/CALIPSO

For additional information about clock hours and CALIPSO please review the CALIPSO tab on the S@E Supervisor Hub

• Where can I find my student in CALIPSO?

  • Once logged into CALIPSO, please make sure you have selected the correct student cohort (e.g. 2027 August S@E 5T) from the drop down menu at the top of the page.  (If you do not know your student's cohort, please review the "Welcome to Placement" email that was send at the beginning of the term to locate your student's cohort.)  Click the "change" button to the right of the cohort list to ensure that the page has updated.  You should be able to find your student in the drop down menu. 

• How many hours does my student need?

  • Per ASHA, students need a total of 375 clinical clock hours over the course of their four community placement to meet graduation requirements.

  • Emerson encourages students to try to attain a minimum of 90 clinical clock hours per semester to best ensure they are working towards graduation requirements.

  • If students meet or exceed the 90 clinical clock hours before the end of the semester, they are still required to complete the placement in full, as indicated on the student/supervisor contract, to gain a meaningful and robust clinical experience.

  • Of the four community-based placements, one must be in a school-based setting. Emerson College is considered an educator preparation program by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. In order for the Director of Clinical Education to officially certify end-of-program documentation stating that the DESE requirements were met, all graduate students must participate in at least one school placement for their community-based placements. This requirement must be met by all students regardless of state of residence. DESE requires that all students be “onsite” and actively participating in school-related activities for a minimum of 100 on-site hours. A minimum of 75 clinical clock hours in a school will satisfy this requirement. Keep in mind that other states may have additional requirements for educator licensure.

• How often should students be logging CALIPSO hours?

  • Students should be logging their hours in bulk on a regular basis (e.g. 1x/week or 1x/every 2 weeks).  Please document and/or refer to the Student Supervisor Contract when you as the supervisor(s) would like your student log their hours (e.g. Every Thursday by 5pm). 

• What counts as a clinical clockhour?

  • A clinical clock hour is defined as any form of active, clinical engagement with the client.  Please review the Clinical Clock Hours tab for additional information and examples. 

CLINICAL GROWTH

• What if I have concerns about my student clinician?

  • Please email placement_ops@emerson.edu with your concerns as soon as possible.  A Speech@Emerson director from the placement team will arrange a time to speak with you over phone or zoom to listen, support, and help problem solve.  Given the situation, there are a number of steps the directors can take to help support you and/or the student.  

• What can I expect during the Virtual Site Visit?

  • Speech@Emerson site visits are 20-30 minute zoom meeting with the student, supervisor, and a director from Speech@Emerson in attendance. Our program uses site visits as a way to check in on the student’s clinical performance and progression, develop goals for the remainder of the semester, and as an opportunity for the program to receive feedback from both students and supervisors.  Site visits do not replace midterm evaluation meetings between supervisors and students. Site visits do not include observation of work with a client. 

  • For additional information to help to prepare for the site visit, including a pre-site visit checklist and list of site visit topics, please use this resource.

• What if my student is earning below a B- at midterm?

  • Please contact placement_ops@emerson.edu if you have concerns for and/or your student is receiving a C+ or lower.  At the graduate school level, a grade below a B- is considered failing.  The S@E directors would like to support both you and the student, if this is an area of concern, to develop a goals  collaboratively to best ensure that the student has a plan for improvement in the back half of the semester. 

• How many clients should my student be responsible for?

  • There is no specific number. The goal in all placements is for the student to demonstrate independence in all clinical areas at least 75% of the time. Each student will likely have a different road to this end goal depending on the placement site, supervisor, complexity of clients served and student experience. There are many models of supervision but the most common ones used (including the Anderson Model) allow for observation of the supervisor first and then gradual release of responsibility over to the student clinician. For some students, there may be a steeper learning curve and they may need more time to prepare for sessions and to reflect on changes they may want to make each week. Students can and should take on more responsibility as they demonstrate the ability to do so. Please understand that the expectations for independence and clinical competence often change as you move through your placements.  Many supervisors release responsibilities to students faster when a student is in their last placement as they prepare you to enter the workforce.  

SUPERVISION

• Can my colleague supervise my student in my absence?

  • Yes, as long as that colleague has submitted the proper documentation to Emerson College prior to supervising the student.  If you or your colleague would like to be in Emerson's system of approved supervisors, please reach out to our placement specialist team at placements@speech.emerson.edu and a placement specialist will guide you through the necessary next steps.

• Can I supervise my student remotely while the student is onsite and in person with a client?

  • No, the student and supervisor should be participating in the same modality for the placement.  In other words, either both the student and supervisor are onsite and in person or both the student and supervisor are engaging in telepractice.

• What does a minimum of 25% supervision mean?

  • If in-person, ASHA states “the amount of direct supervision must be commensurate with the student’s knowledge, skills, and experience; must not be less than 25% of the student’s total contact with each client/patient; and must take place periodically throughout the practicum.”

  • Per ASHA/CFCC guidelines, for sessions that are conducted via telepractice, supervisors must be directly supervising a minimum of 25% of the time and must be available by phone (call or text) and/or be in the actual videoconference (Zoom) room (but could have camera off) for 100% of the session. However, per Emerson College placement policy, it is expected that in addition to the 25% direct supervision, supervisors are in the video conference room 100% of the time.

• I know an SLP colleague who is interested in hosting a Speech@Emerson student. Where should I direct them?

  • Please reach out to our placement specialist team at placements@speech.emerson.edu and a placement specialist will guide you through the necessary steps to become a Speech@Emerson supervisor.