For Students
FAQ's for Students
The CSD program consists of 4 clinical placement courses (CSD 532, 533, and 540/541). Typically, the first 2 placements (CSD 532 and 533) are 8 weeks each and the final placement is often a combination of 2 courses (CSD 540/541) completed over 12 weeks at one or more sites (or 2 shorter placements combined to equal 12 weeks). Externship placements are full time and all professional hours must be attended/completed. A minimum of 350 supervised clinical hours are required and must include 50 adult hours, 50 pediatric hours, 50 assessment hours, 100 treatment hours and at least 20 hours in the SLP minor area of Audiology. Please refer to the following resources for additional information:
SLP students must complete at least 1 adult population focused placement and at least 1 pediatric population focused placement. The other placement can be pediatric or split adult/pediatric. Placements occur in a variety of settings across the province. The types of placements available to students depend on offers from SLPs/sites and vary from year to year. Settings include acute care hospitals, rehabilitation hospitals, long term care and supportive living, schools, preschools, community health centers, and private practices. Students will also complete CSD 530 (Introduction to Clinical Practice) course and 2 introductory clinical experience courses (CSD 524 & 525) as prerequisites for externship placements.
No. Placements occur throughout the entire province. Be prepared to complete at least one placement outside the greater Edmonton area and outside of other urban areas such as Calgary. Edmonton and Calgary cannot supply the number of placements and experiences that we need at any one time. Therefore it may be the case that you will need to travel to other communities in the province in order for you to get the experience you want and need to meet your requirements for graduation.
Students must register and pay associated tuition costs for each fieldwork/placement course. All costs related to clinical prerequisites such as CPR BLS, immunizations, police information checks and N95 mask fit testing are the responsibility of the student. All planning and costs related to placements such as accommodations, travel, parking, meal expenses, clothing and use of a vehicle are the responsibility of the student. Travel includes to/from the community in which the placement occurs, travel to/from the main site each day and travel between locations throughout the day (e.g. to multiple schools, long term care centers, client homes). Many sites require a vehicle to travel between locations as do many employers in the field of SLP.
You will not be permitted to start your placement.
International and provincial placement spots are quite limited. They follow an application and/or lottery process and follow international and national procedures. Academic standing is considered for international placements. Availability changes year to year and details will be provided at key points during the program.
Bursaries are sometimes available, most often for rural/remote or northern locations. The clinical education team shares funding opportunity information with students as they become aware of them.
Secured placement offers are entered into a database about 3 months before placements begin. You must rank a predetermined number of placements (e.g. 6) from the pool of offers, based on where you can go. These offers are then randomly allocated to students via a computerized matching system. Students are not guaranteed their first choice and some students will go unmatched each session. Unmatched students will be prioritized in a subsequent matching session for one of their top ranked choices.
No. All placements and communication with sites must go through the Academic Coordinator of Clinical Education (ACCE) and clinical education team. If you are aware of a new site that might be interested in supporting a student placement, please talk to the ACCE.
Yes, but letter grades are not used. Your grade will either be credit (CR) or no credit (NC). Your clinical educator will recommend a grade which the ACCE will take into account when assigning your final grade.
If you fail, you will receive a No Credit (NC) grade on your academic transcripts. A student who fails a placement must repeat the placement course-typically in a similar type of service and setting and will be required to re-register for the course and pay course fees. Needing to repeat a placement course could lengthen the program and you may not graduate at the same time as the rest of your class. Should a student fail two clinical courses, that student will usually be required to withdraw from the program.
Under exceptional circumstances (e.g. approved medical) a placement may be deferred. This will need to be discussed with the ACCE. Students who defer a placement must realize that they will lengthen their program and may not graduate with the rest of the class.
Due to requirements for graduation, time missed while on clinical placement typically will need to be made up. Time missed can be made up either on the current placement or may need to be completed after other placements when time in the schedule allows. If there is difficulty securing offers for supplemental clinical experiences to make up time, the program could be lengthened and graduation delayed.