FAQ's for Students

This is a very full two-year professional program. Two part-time introductory placements, or practicums, occur in the spring/summer term of year one and the fall term of year two. Students are also in academic courses during these terms. Three full-time externship placements, or practicums, occur beginning in winter term through spring/summer term of year two. All academic courses must be completed prior to these three externship placements. 

The Clinical Education Sequence quick glance provides further information. Note that this is the typical practicum sequence for the course-based program. Students who are in the thesis track or MScSLP/PhD combined track programs complete the third/final placement in the fall term of year three or later.

Practicums are full-time. Most students need time outside placements in the evenings and on weekends to manage caseloads, workloads, and placement deadlines. Though the introductory practicums are part-time, students are also simultaneously in academic courses, equating to a full-time commitment for the student. August at the end of year one is the only break in the program. The Clinical Education Sequence quick glance provides further information.

August at the end of year one is the only break in the program. The Clinical Education Sequence quick glance provides further information. Requests for time off during part-time or full-time practicums are only occasionally considered for certain reasons such as medical or bereavement. Requests for days away for personal reasons such as weddings or reunions are not typically approved. Too much time away from placement may result in a disruption to the placement, resulting in repetition in a subsequent term.

Clinical countable hours are obtained in placements throughout the program. Clinical hours must meet accreditation standards and supervision requirements, and practicums must occur at approved sites. A minimum of 350 supervised clinical hours across the whole program are required. Category minimums include: 50 adult hours; 50 pediatric hours; 50 assessment hours; 100 treatment hours; and 20 hours in the SLP minor area of Audiology. The program designs the clinical education sequence and tracks students' hours to ensure they meet minimums before graduation. The ACSLPA Summary of Clinical Practice Hours provides further information.

Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) is a regulated health profession. See the Alberta College of Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists (ACSLPA) website for more information. Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs) are health care workers and serve clients in a variety of settings. Expect to complete a placement in a hospital or other medical setting, such as long-term care, home care, or a community outpatient clinic. SLPs bring expertise, client care, and service to educational settings. Educational settings are a primary place of employment for SLPs. Expect to complete a placement in schools or at an early learning program/centre. Private practice is a growing service area in SLP and another setting where many students complete practicums.

To meet graduation, competency, clinical hours, and accreditation requirements, students complete three full-time externship practicums as follows: at least 1 adult population-focused placement and at least 1 pediatric population-focused placement in a typical SLP setting. The other placement may be a mixed-population placement or a second adult- or pediatric-population-focused placement. This provides the variety (in setting, clinical educators, experiences, diagnostic/clinical areas, etc.) required to determine entry to practice and meet requirements. 

Students must meet clinical practicum course prerequisites prior to participating in placements. This requires completing all program academic courses. Within these required courses, students complete an Introduction to Clinical Practice course and the two introductory clinical experience courses. 

There are also required clinical prerequisites for placements. These include, but are not limited to, immunizations, a police information check with vulnerable sector clearance, mandatory modules (e.g., privacy and confidentiality), an Alberta child intervention record check, Basic Life Support (BLS with CPR) training, and N95 mask fitting. Deadlines for clinical prerequisites are firm and essential to participating in clinical experiences early in the program and any practicums.  

See Essential Skills and Attributes (PDF) for further information on what to further expect when working in the SLP profession. This information may be useful for some applicants to SLP programs, students, faculty, staff, accessibility advisors, health professionals, and the public about the essential skills and attributes (ESAs) related to SLP entry-to-practice.

You will not be permitted to start your placement or participate in program or course clinical experiences.

No. Placements occur throughout the entire province. Be prepared to move and complete at least one placement outside the greater Edmonton area and outside other urban areas such as Calgary. Our large urban cities cannot supply the number of placements and experiences that we need at any one time. Students are responsible for all planning and costs related to relocation for practicum placements.

No. Placements occur throughout the entire province. Be prepared to move and complete at least one placement outside the Camrose area. No single rural community can provide the number and type of placements and experiences we need at any one time. Students are responsible for all planning and costs related to relocation for practicum placements.

The department does not require students to have a vehicle to complete the program. However, many employers in the field of SLP require a vehicle in order to work in that setting or as part of a position. Therefore, many placement sites require a vehicle as part of a student placement. This usually means travelling between sites during the workday. SLPs and/or students may be travelling to different schools, long-term care centres, client or patient homes, daycares, etc. throughout the day. Students must arrive at each site on time without disrupting client care. Therefore, relying on bus schedules, for example, may not be feasible. 

Placement options are completely dependent on offers from individual sites and SLPs. Students may be assigned a ‘vehicle required’ placement whether or not they have a vehicle, a driver's license,  or access to a vehicle for that placement. If you do not have a vehicle for a ‘vehicle required’ placement, you must make other travel plans (e.g. taxi, ride share) while maintaining time management (i.e. be on time at each site/appointment) and without disruption to service on a daily basis. Students are responsible for all planning and costs related to travel and vehicles for placements. 

If travel within the day is not expected, then the placement will not typically be described as ‘vehicle required’. Further, if transit is available to and from a site, even if far from campus (e.g. Sherwood Park), that is considered a non-vehicle site. This type of placement will not typically be described as ‘vehicle required’ regardless of the time on transit.

Students must register and pay associated tuition for each fieldwork course (placement/practicum). Students are responsible for all costs and planning related to clinical prerequisites such as CPR BLS, immunizations, and police information checks. All planning and costs related to placements such as housing, vehicles, travel, parking, meal expenses, clothing/uniforms/PPE, and all other costs are the responsibility of the student.

No. All communication, requests, and placement planning with sites and SLPs must go through the Academic Coordinator of Clinical Education (ACCE) and the clinical education team. Students can pass on new site and/or contact information to the clinical education team. 

Secured placement offers are entered into a tracking database and placement assignment software system. Students review all possible placements. They then select a specified number of placements from the total pool of offers. An algorithm runs to match as many students as possible to one of their selected placements. Students who do not get one of their selected placements then get a second opportunity to rank remaining offers in order of preference. Matching occurs again to assign as many students as possible in their top preferences. Matching may be adjusted to ensure placement plans meet program requirements for graduation, consider fairness across the cohort, and account for site-specific considerations. This process occurs about three months before the placement start date. Placements are confirmed approximately six weeks prior to the placement start date. This is when you learn where you are going and who your clinical educator is.

International and interprovincial placement spots are quite limited or not possible. Interprovincial and international placements follow an application process and/or international and national procedures. Academic standing and professional performance while in the program and in placements are considered for international and interprovincial opportunities. Availability changes year to year, and details will be provided at key points during the program.

All costs and planning for placements are the responsibility of the student. The department does its utmost to share any potential financial support for placements as they become aware of them (e.g. Northern placement bursary).

Under exceptional circumstances (e.g. approved medical leave), a placement may be deferred. This must be discussed with the department, and some types of leave or pauses in the program require an application and approval. Students who defer a placement for an approved reason must realize that they will lengthen their program, resulting in a graduation delay.

Sometimes students notice they may need to meet technical standards or competencies required for graduation and entry to practice in the profession, in different ways. Students can develop their own strategies and supports to effectively meet expectations and competencies. Students can also contact the department for more information. Ultimately, it is the student’s responsibility to determine how they best demonstrate technical, professional, and clinical standards and competencies. Students can refer to Essential Skills and Attributes and the SLP National Competency Profile for further information and resources. Students can also reach out to the Academic Success Centre for support and to apply for accommodations if needed.