Clinical Education Placements – MS-SLP

The Vanderbilt Bill Wilkerson Center and the Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences are part of the Vanderbilt Medical Center complex and consequently offers a variety of clinical settings. Students will be placed for educational experiences in clinical sites located away from the Vanderbilt University campus. Students should be prepared to travel up to 60 miles from the Vanderbilt University campus to reach off-site placements.

The Vanderbilt Bill Wilkerson Pediatric Speech-Language Clinic – Comprehensive diagnostics and management of disorders in the preschool and school-age populations including individuals with speech and language delay/disorders, fluency disorders, feeding and swallowing problems, autism, developmental delays, velo-pharyngeal insufficiency, and those who require augmentative and alternative modes of communication. Available throughout the graduate program.

Doctors Office Tower – Assessment and management of medically based speech disorders in a pediatric population. Focus on velo-pharyngeal insufficiency as well as feeding and swallowing disorders in children. Available beginning in the second semester of enrollment but preferred placement for students with Summer I enrollment in craniofacial anomalies class or after completion of the class.

The Pi Beta Phi Rehabilitation Institute – Comprehensive assessments and management of speech, language, and cognitive communication disorders as a result of brain injury or neurologic disorders. Available Summer I after students have begun the adult neuro coursework. All students assigned to PBP also work in Aphasia Group. Aphasia Group – A program within the Pi Beta Phi Rehabilitation Institute treating adults with aphasia in a social setting. Students serve as conversational partners and engage in Book Club activities in a structured setting one half-day per week. Available to all students with preference to second-year students who have not had a previous placement in Aphasia Group.

The Vanderbilt University Hospital – Acute Speech & Language Services Unit – Bedside assessments and treatment of adults in the acute care setting who are referred for speech, language, cognitive, or swallowing disorders. Includes modified barium swallow studies conducted in the radiology division. Some opportunities for trach and vent management. Available during Summer I after some neurological coursework and dysphagia have been completed.

Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital – Speech, language, and swallowing assessments for neonates and children with medically based disorders in the acute care setting. Limited opportunity for placement. Available Summer I and later after the dysphagia course has been completed.

Vanderbilt Bill Wilkerson Center Voice Center, Department of Otolaryngology – Assessments and treatment of outpatients experiencing voice disorders of a physical or psychogenic nature. Available Summer I and afterward when Voice Disorders course has been completed.

Vanderbilt Satellite Clinics – focus on pediatric speech and language assessments and treatment in medical environments, includes clinics in Franklin, Hendersonville, and Lebanon. Available to all students.

NCCDFC (The National Center for Childhood Deafness and Family Communication) Hearing School/ Mama Lear Hearing School – Assessments and treatments of children with hearing loss. Available to all students with preference given to students on the pediatric hearing loss specialty track.

In addition to the programs within the Vanderbilt Bill Wilkerson Center, opportunities for clinical training exist in:

Local public and private school programs – Collaborating with clinicians employed by a school system or served through a departmental contract; individual assessments and treatment and group therapy for disorders of speech and language. Available beginning Spring I.

Vanderbilt Stallworth Rehabilitation Hospital – Inpatient rehabilitation assessment and intervention. Limited to one student per semester. Available beginning Fall II after adult neuro coursework and dysphagia are completed.

Veterans Hospital (Murfreesboro and Nashville)– Inpatient and outpatient assessment and intervention in an adult population with a variety of disorders of speech, language, voice, cognition, and hearing. Limited to one student per semester. Available Fall II after adult neuro coursework and dysphagia are completed. Preference is given to extern students.

Tennessee Rehabilitation Center – Inpatient treatment for short-term residents, generally young adults, who have suffered brain injury, to assist with community re-entry. Some assessment possible. Available from Spring I.