FSU Off Campus Clinical Supervision Handbook

• We’ve put together a short handbook for distribution to all off-campus field supervisors in order to: facilitate consistency in supervision practices across clinical settings; specify requirements and responsibilities of both field supervisors and students; and, enhance communication/feedback between supervisors, students, and FSU practicum coordinators. We hope that you find the information contained in the handbook useful to you as you work with our students.

Community Placement Expectation Worksheet

• Document to assist in setting mutual expectations between the supervisor and the student. Use this at the beginning of each semester to set clear expectations for Communication, Logistics, and Clinical Learning

Frequently Asked Questions 

How long are the students required to be on site each semester?  

• Fall and Spring semesters, students are required to be on site about 15 weeks. During the summer semester the TLH campus students are on site for about 12 weeks while the DL students are on site for 8 weeks. 

How many hours should my student earn each week/semester?   

• Students should aim to be on site for at least 12 hours per week (for DL Students) or at least 3 days on site (for TLH students) with an 80% productivity rate. We recognize this productivity rate is not always achievable for many varied reasons.   

How fast should my student take over my caseload?  

• Gradual Release of Responsibility Students are expected to move at your pace. We trust your professional judgment with regard to how fast you and your student progress. Here are a few things to consider as the semester progresses: 
  • Weeks 2-5: Slowly start to give the student more responsibility: You may feel more comfortable with some students than others. Students’ competence and confidence will vary...you will need to gauge how much responsibility your student can handle. Your feedback and instruction are heavy during this period. Students need lots of encouragement and guidance during these early weeks. 

• • Weeks 6-8: Continue to increase responsibility: 

• • Week 9 is the midterm. By the end of week 9, your student should have taken over at least half of your caseload for the days they are present (many will have much more responsibility by then). Start to slowly decrease the amount of feedback given. Ask the students questions and expect more independence, planning and problem solving from your student. Please contact the practicum course instructor ASAP if your student is not making progress by week 9. 

• • Weeks 9 – 16: Maximum responsibility and independence: Students should be responsible for the majority of your caseload on the days they are present. You should see improved skill and confidence. The student should be responsible for planning and implementing sessions. 

Special Note:  For the Summer Semester, this gradual release takes place across 12 weeks (for TLH Students) and across 8 weeks (for DL Students).   

What if a student needs more than one supervisor?  

• Students can have more than one supervisor. The additional supervisor must meet all of the supervision requirements (see ASHA Supervision Requirements tab) and is able to approve clock hours. Each supervisor signs off on the clock hours he/she supervised; Each supervisor completes a midterm and a final evaluation.   
• If the additional supervisor is at a different location from the primary source of clock hours, students are limited to earning no more than 10 clock hours.  (Students typically use this option when striving to earn hard-to-find clock hours in one or more of the Big 9 areas to become a more well-rounded clinician as well as meet specific FSU clock hour requirements for graduation.) 

What counts as a clock hour?  

• Direct client contact interacting with a client in treatment, evaluation or counseling 
• What activities fit into this? 

• • Screenings (includes formal and informal observations of clients/patients) 
  • Evaluations 
  • Treatment 
  • Counseling with caregivers and family 

• YOU must be working with the patient/student, not observing 

Up to 5 hours a semester can be counted for activities that include:  Interpreting, integrating, and synthesizing core concepts & knowledge; Critical thinking & decision making skills while engaged in identification, evaluation, diagnosis, planning, implementation or intervention. Time spent in meetings with the patient/family present, when the student is actively reporting evaluation results, treatment plans, progress, etc., can be counted since that is considered advising, educating, and training caregivers and family. However, activities such as planning, paperwork, consulting with allied professionals in the absence of clients/family, cannot be counted. 

What fits into this when patient/family is present, and the student is actively participating? 

• IEP meetings 

• Parent Meetings 

• Interpreting Evaluation Results 

• Treatment Planning based on Evaluation Results 

• Evaluation Report/Treatment Plan 

When students log these particular clockhours, they will log the hour as evaluation or treatment (whichever makes the most sense given the situation) and do so in the area most closely related to the BIG 9 area being focused on. They will then write a note in the text box at the bottom of the page (i.e., "IEP meeting- 1 hour"). 

My graduate student is employed at this site. Can he/she receive pay for the time spent earning clock hours?  

• If a student's practicum placement is also his/her place of employment, please know, as far as FSU is concerned, the student can continue to earn money while earning clock hours.  Keep in mind, to count the student's time with a client/patient as a clock hour, he/she must receive the appropriate level of supervision as outlined by ASHA for graduate students (commensurate with the student's knowledge, skills, and experience; must not be less than 25% of the student's total contact with each client/patient; and must take place periodically throughout the practicum; supervisor must remain on site during non-supervised time). 
• For DL students, FSU asks that the graduate student tries to focus at least 12 hours of his/her work week each week on earning clock hours.  We recognize this may not be possible due to limited access to supervision as well as caseload variations, cancelations, holidays, illness, etc.. 

Can you clarify what is meant by "Time On Site" vs "Clock Hours"? 

• Time on site (time spent on site whether you are engaged in therapy/diagnostics or not) will be documented by the student and approved by the supervisor via EXXAT.  (The supervisor is emailed a simple link to verify the time on site via EXXAT, each week.)   
• Clock hours (time with patient/client/student engaged in therapy/diagnostics within our scope of practice with at least the minimum level of supervision as outline by ASHA by a qualifying SLP supervisor) will be documented by the student and approved by the supervisor via their assigned clinical platform (Exxat Prism or Calipso, depending on the Cohort) 

Can students earn clock hours for teletherapy sessions?  

• Students wishing to earn clock hours for teletherapy sessions should first seek permission from their course instructor.  This ensures the student is well versed in the differences associated with teletherapy clock hours. 
• Students cannot count clock hours unless time spent in online session is supervised at least 25% of the session AND during the unsupervised time, the student has easy access to the supervisor (via telephone, virtual platform, etc.).  We ask supervisors to use their professional judgment as to any supervision necessary above the minimum. Please also keep in mind, the minimum requirements are ASHA’s recommendation for a student to count clock hours.  Insurance companies may require a higher level of supervision (i.e., Medicaid & Medicare require 100% supervision).  No more than a total of 125 teletherapy clock hours can count toward the graduation requirement of at least 400 clock hours.  See Chart.  

Can I supervise my student(s) remotely?  

• ASHA does NOT allow TELESUPERVISION for IN-PERSON sessions.  This applies to situations where the client/patient and graduate student are together in-person while the qualifying SLP is supervising the graduate student remotely.  Please do not engage in this practice.