Are internships or clinical rotations part of speech-language pathology programs?
Speech-language pathology master’s degrees are typically two years in duration, the first year and a half consisting mainly of didactic coursework and the last semester consisting of clinical rotations. Typically several different clinical settings, such as hospital and school, are required. Students typically spend 10-12 weeks in each clinical rotation. Each program varies but most require an SLP student obtain a set number of clinical hours working with both adults and children, and covering a variety of speech and language impairments. Upon graduation from an SLP master’s degree program, the first year working in the field is referred to as the Clinical Fellowship Year (CFY) and requires extra supervision. The CFY is a paid position and one must submit a resume and interview for it like they would any other job, but since the individual is newly employed in this field, a supervisor or mentor must be assigned to monitor their work and offer support.