Speech-Language Pathology Undergraduate Internship Requirements: A Comprehensive Guide

An internship is a crucial part of becoming a speech-language pathologist (SLP). It allows you to apply what you've learned in the classroom to real-world situations, working with patients and experienced professionals. This article provides a comprehensive overview of SLP undergraduate internship requirements, opportunities, and what to expect from this valuable experience.

The Importance of Internships in Speech-Language Pathology

Speech-language pathology is a clinical practice profession, so practical, on-the-job training is essential. Every graduate SLP program includes some kind of internship arrangement for practical experience. The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology (CAA) requires that accredited programs include supervised clinical experience of sufficient depth and breadth to fulfill the standards expected in knowledge and skills. This clinical practice is almost always only accomplished through internship rotations.

An SLP internship helps build the skills needed to succeed in the industry and will shape your entire career as a speech therapist. Most schools include more than one rotation as a part of the typical master’s program. This gives you not only the breadth of experience, but also a chance to sample the potential specialization areas within the field. It also exposes you to different work settings, so you can decide what kind of patients and what sort of jobs you are interested in pursuing after graduation.

Securing an SLP Internship

Requirements for Admission

While direct internships in speech pathology are not usually available to undergraduate students, there are still ways to gain experience in the field. The kind of work that SLP internships involve really require that you have at least started your graduate education in the field. Even senior undergrad students just don’t have the kind of skillsets required.

For admission to an internship at Mayo Clinic in Phoenix, Arizona, for example, you must be enrolled in a graduate-level affiliated, accredited speech-language pathology program and make arrangements through your program advisor according to the application process.

Application Deadlines

Summer internship (Northern Arizona University and University of Arizona only): Nov. 1-Dec.
Summer internship: Jan. 2-Feb.
Spring internship: July 1-Aug.
Spring internship: Sept.

Additional Requirements

Applicants whose primary language is not English must submit results from the Test of English as a Foreign Language Internet-based test (TOEFL iBT). Scores from the speaking portion of the exam are given particular consideration in admission decisions. If coursework was completed outside the United States, applicants must provide an official transcript and its course-by-course equivalence by an accredited credential evaluation service company prior to submission. Please refer to the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services for a list of qualified companies.

Financial Aspects of SLP Internships

There is typically no cost to participate in the internship at Mayo Clinic. Tuition is paid to your college or university during your internship.

Learning Schedule

Your learning schedule includes four to five days per week of 8-10 hour days, and will follow the schedule of your designated supervising speech-language pathologist.

Alternative Experiences for Undergraduates

Even if you are majoring in SLP or audiology for your bachelor’s, direct internships in speech pathology are not usually available to undergraduate students. But that doesn’t mean you can’t find volunteer or sub-clinical employment opportunities as an undergrad that can serve as a sort of shadow internship in SLP. Or you can find non-clinical internship opportunities in organizations that offer speech language therapy, working as an office assistant or in caregiver positions. Any of these options help you get exposure to the field and boost your chances of being accepted into a graduate program in SLP.

Types of Clinical Experiences: Internships, Externships, and Fellowships

Internships are important learning mechanisms, but they aren’t the only kind of clinical placement you will find in the world of speech pathology. One of the more popular options you will hear about is the externship. Externship placements give you observational positions in hospitals, clinics, schools, or other environments where SLP services are offered. They give you a short-term exposure to the realities of SLP therapy work without completely immersing you for long periods. That makes them a great choice for getting an idea of what type of specialization you might be interested in pursuing in SLP. Externships offer a preview of what life is like in a particular kind of SLP position without actually putting you in that position.

Read also: Comprehensive Internship Guide

An SLP clinical fellowship is an option after graduation, but it is not the same thing as an externship. Fellowships are a type of time-limited job that are designed as a way to get highly specialized training in a particular area of SLP. Examples include:

Intensive Care
Neurological Rehabilitation
Acute Care
Pediatric Care

Fellowships typically last a year. You are paid for your work there, but it’s as much a learning and training experience as a functional position. Instead, it’s just a longer and more intensive kind of on-the-job training than an internship, at a more advanced level.

Internships vs. Externships: Key Differences

An SLP internship is designed to deliver practical, on-the-job experience working with patients as a speech-language pathologist. An externship, on the other hand, is built to offer you an overview of the position. Externships may last only days or weeks while internships are months or more. You have no real responsibility and possibly no patient contact in an externship position, where an internship gives you genuine tasks and responsibilities to complete as part of the learning experience.

Finding Speech Therapy Internships

Your career in speech language pathology will get a big boost from finding the right internship opportunities early on. So it’s important to start consulting these resources and getting familiar with the options as soon as possible. Internships for SLP students aren’t all that easy to find, however. Your first stop in internship searches should be your master’s program. Since internships are a required part of the program, you can be sure they have worked out arrangements with various local providers to place students in a variety of positions. Odds are, they have a good working relationship with most local SLP employers and probably even trained some of the staff at those organizations, so there is already an inside track set up for you.

Independent Internship Searches

Sometimes, though, you may be interested in interning in a type of setting that your program hasn’t dealt with before, or outside the local area. Your counselors and professors are likely to be supportive, but you are going to be left to do a lot of footwork on your own if that’s your goal. Many clinics are happy to have the extra set of hands around at a low cost that an intern represents. But they aren’t always familiar with the process of hiring and managing interns. If they aren’t marked as such, it’s sometimes useful to just look for organizations hiring entry-level SLPs. That tells you they are in the market for someone at a beginner level and maybe not wanting to pay a lot-perfect candidates to talk into an internship offer.

Read also: A Guide to Social Work Internships

Making the Most of Your Speech Language Pathology Internship

An internship is always a time-limited opportunity. So, you need to be prepared to make the most of that experience starting on day one. And the single most important factor you can control is your attitude toward learning. Your goals need to be an asset that is low-maintenance and high-value… the person who brings the coffee and donuts in the morning and doesn’t complain about the hours. No one at your placement owes you anything. You need them to want to ask you to sit in on the most interesting cases, to chat with you over lunch about the tips and tricks that have made their careers a success.

Winning Techniques for a Successful Internship

Learn everyone’s name on day one
Be excited about what you are seeing and learning
Be respectful and don’t overstep your bounds
Go to work with goals for what you want to learn every day
Be flexible about what you are willing to take on
Prepare for both your cases and for professional interaction and communication

Although it can be intimidating to show up for the first day of an internship placement, keep in mind that everyone at your placement went through the same thing. They are going to understand your challenges and help you through. You’ll fit in in no time at all.

Examples of Clinical Experiences at Universities

Many universities offer a variety of clinical experiences for students in speech-language pathology programs.

Auburn University Speech and Hearing Clinic (AUSHC)

The Auburn University Speech and Hearing Clinic (AUSHC) is located in the heart of campus and operates year-round. Students collaborate with clinical faculty to provide approximately 80 sessions per week for individuals across the life span. Four full-time clinical faculty and one clinical instructor support the students in implementing their treatment plans. Therapy is provided primarily face to face; however, telepractice is available when appropriate.

The Auburn University Speech and Hearing Clinic offers evaluation and treatment services for individuals through the lifespan who are referred for voice disorders, resonance disorders, chronic cough, inducible laryngeal obstruction, swallowing impairment, and gender affirming voice care. This clinic is nationally recognized for expertise in the areas of professional voice rehabilitation and upper airway disorders.

Off-Campus Practicum

Students have practicum opportunities available at a variety of off-campus sites organized by the external placement coordinator. Students are typically placed for one semester two to three times weekly at an off-campus site to meet the minimum practicum requirements established by ASHA prior to the internship. An off-campus internship is an essential component of the graduate training program in speech-language pathology. Students typically enroll in this full-time field experience during the last semester of their program, after they have completed all the academic requirements for the master’s degree.

Interprofessional Collaboration

Nursing Simulation: The department collaborates with the School of Nursing to plan and organize the diagnosis and treatment of a simulated patient. These simulations focus on aphasia and dysphagia and collaboration in diagnosis and treatment.
Interprofessional Education Course with Audiology: Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology graduate students collaborate to earn clinical hours across a variety of disorders and ages.
Simulations: Simulations are completed throughout the fall, spring and summer semesters of the program’s first year.
TBI Camp: Auburn University hosts the Bright Ideas TBI Camp annually. This therapy-based camp is offered through the Alabama Head Injury Foundation and is designed to help survivors and caregivers learn new strategies and gain awareness of potential resources in their area.
Outreach Screenings: Graduate students collaborate with other disciplines to provide hearing and language screenings in surrounding communities.
EAGLES Program: Auburn University is home to the EAGLES (Education to Accomplish Growth in Life Experiences for Success) program, which is a comprehensive transition program for students with intellectual disabilities.

What Comes After Your Speech Pathology Internship?

Internships for SLP students aren’t the end of the road in your education. You might look for a fellowship opportunity, but most new SLP graduates are likely to put in a few years on the job before making such a serious decision. After you complete your internship, you’ll need to find a full-time role. Here’s how to prepare for an SLP interview. Even after your master’s degree and internship experience, almost no employer is truly going to consider you to be fully trained in your first full-time position. You can expect to aim for entry-level positions that are going to include a lot of basic cases and mentorship from other staff while you get up to speed. But don’t forget what you learn in your internship placements, either. You should treat them as a full dress rehearsal for the reality of day-to-day work in speech therapy.

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