SLPA Program InformationDr. Heather Thompson, CCC-SLPSLPA Program Coordinator

Purpose of the SLPA Program

• To build knowledge, fieldwork experience, and core technical skills needed to practice within the field as a Speech-Language Pathology Assistant

• To fulfill educational requirements for registration and licensing provisions in the State of California for Speech-Language Pathology Assistants

• To train students for employment as Speech-Language Pathology Assistants by meeting the state of California registration requirements for Speech-Language Pathology Assistants

• To promote and support professional standards of the individual to meet the requirements of the State of California and the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association Code of Ethics

Purpose - Continued

• The SLPA program is intended for students who are not attending a graduate program to start in the Fall 2020 or Spring 2021 school year, and who are not planning on attending a graduate program of any kind for one calendar year after the start of the SLPA program.

• Due to the number of applications received for this program, students admitted to a graduate program and who intend to attend graduate training according to the dates above are not eligible to enroll in the SLPA program.

• We expect that students who are admitted to, and who plan to attend a graduate program, notify the SLPA program coordinator to withdraw his/her application to the SLPA program upon receiving notification of acceptance into a graduate program.

SLPA Program

• The SLPA Program is composed of 2, 3-unit classes:– CSAD 140 – Methods class– CSAD 140L – Practicum clinical experience

CSAD 140 – Clinical Methods Course

• Meets three times a week (Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday) for four to six weeks on the CSUS campus.

• Class dates and times are TBD, but the class is generally held from the last week of May until the first week of July.

• 3 units.

CSAD 140L- Fieldwork Experience

• Times and dates will be arranged and will occur at an off-site location, either in a public school or private clinic setting within the greater Sacramento area.

• The SLPA student is expected to be at their assigned practicum site, as arranged by the program coordinator.

• For public school placements, the start/end date of the clinical practicum is based on the length of the school district’s regular academic and extended school year program (summer, special educational program).

• 3 units.

Prerequisites

• Graduated from CSUS with a degree in CSAD• Pass all medical requirements including:

– TB (PPD) Test (available through The Well) https://www.csus.edu/student-life/health-counseling/health/immunizations-and-vaccines.html

– Hepatitis B Immunization (available through The Well) https://www.csus.edu/student-life/health-counseling/health/immunizations-and-vaccines.html

– Complete the Department’s authorized background check. https://www.csus.edu/campus-safety/police-department/units-functions/live-scan-fingerprinting-services.html

Application Requirements

• The completed checklist • A description of your experience working with K-12 populations • A personal statement about why you wish to be accepted to the

SLPA program• A recommendation to the SLPA program from a faculty member of

CSUS (sent separately)• A current resume detailing your educational, work, and volunteer

experiences• A transcript from CSUS• CSAD 146 is not required for the SLPA program

K-12 experiences

• Looking for evidence of your interest in being an SLPA

Personal Statement

1. Why are you interested in being a Speech-Language Pathology Assistant?

2. How have your background and experiences to date prepared you for a Speech-Language-Pathology fieldwork placement?

3. What skills do you possess to support your interest? 4. If admitted, you will complete the program in between

the end of July and the beginning of September, 2020. Describe your plan for how you will go about finding an employment position as a SLPA once you have finished this summer program.

Recommendation

• Recommendation required to apply to the program

• Recommendation can be completed by a part-time instructor or full-time faculty person from the CSAD department at CSUS

Resume

• A current resume detailing your educational, work, and volunteer experiences

Application

• Application materials must be emailed as a single pdf attachment to csad-slpa@csus.edu between the dates of:

• 04/08/20 at 6:00am PST • 04/20/20 at 5:00pm PST• Links to documents uploaded on cloud software such

as Dropbox or Google drive are NOT permitted. • Failure to adhere to these directions will result in an

ineligible application.

Licensing

• Admission into programs leading to licensure and credentialing does not guarantee that students will obtain a license or credential.

• Licensure and credentialing requirements are set by agencies that are not controlled by or affiliated with the CSU and requirements can change at any time. For example, licensure or credentialing requirements can include evidence of the right to work in the United States (e.g., social security number or tax payer identification number) or successfully passing a criminal background check.

• Students are responsible for determining whether they can meet licensure or credentialing requirements.

Licensing - Continued

• The CSU will not refund tuition, fees, or any associated costs, to students who determine subsequent to admission that they cannot meet licensure or credentialing requirements.

• Information concerning licensure and credentialing requirements are available from the Dean of Undergraduate Studies, Sacramento Hall 234, (916) 278-5344.

Prior to starting the program

• What you must do after being admitted to the program but prior to starting class:– Contact the assigned SLP master clinician via email

to arrange an initial meeting date/time – Review the policies and procedures outlined in the

2020 SLPA Clinical Handbook

Other Information

Timeline of Support Personnel

1960

1970

GuidelinesASHA created the first set of guidelines (1969)

1981

1988

1995

Position Statement

2000

2002 & 2004

2011

ASHA Associate’s Program

2015

ASHA Associate’s Program Revised

2020

ASHA’s Assistants Certification

Program

18

Revisions to Guidelines

Outlined training, credentialing and use of support personnel

Revisions to Guidelines

Voluntary Registration for SLPA & Legislative Council

SLPA and AUD Assistants work with supervision

(SLP must have CEUs and follow Code of Ethics)

Legislative Council passed additional documentation –

position statement, technical report, guidelines

and curriculum content

SLPA Scope of Practice

2013

Heather Thompson, Ph.D., CCC-SLP

Assistants Certification Program (ACP) (ASHA, 2019)

The goal of the ACP is to: • Establish standards for assistants on a national level• Create guidelines for the scope of practice for audiology assistants

and refine those for SLPAs• Establish a systematic review and maintenance for assistants• Enhance ethical guidelines for assistants and for the supervision of

assistants • Institute steps for the reimbursement of services for assistants by

clarifying roles and scope of practice for audiology assistants and SLPAs.

• https://www.asha.org/associates/assistants-certification-program/

Heather Thompson, Ph.D., CCC-SLP

Questions?