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From: Charlie Osborne
Date: 16 Oct 2007
Time: 15:08:37 -0500
Remote Name: 143.236.35.203
I don’t feel that standards have decreased in our training institutions per se. In fact, I see the changed ASHA standards, with more emphasis on providing specifics regarding knowledge and skills in the “big 8” areas, as a positive move. The reality is that the scope of practice for SLPs has broadened considerably in the past two decades, making it a considerable challenge to provide students a comprehensive education. Each university program is responsible for providing a student the knowledge and skills to be at a beginning level of practice, but there is no uniform, specific procedure used by universities to achieve this goal. ASHA oversees all university programs through its accreditation process. However, as mentioned in our article, there is the possibility that a fluency course may not be in a school’s curriculum (and that is unfortunate). My hope as an educator is that students recognize that they have a BASIC knowledge and skills base and understand that in our profession it is necessary to adopt the role of a life-long learner in order to further develop clinical skills and continue add to ones’ knowledge base.