Education & Training

The Department of Speech, Language and Swallowing Disorders & Reading Disabilities is involved in the clinical education of future speech-language pathologists through teaching and clinical supervision of graduate students and clinical fellows. Our clinical education program accepts students from some of the most respected educational institutions who participate in clinical observations interprofessional experiences internships and clinical fellowships (CF) in a dynamic, challenging and supportive learning environment.

Our goal across all educational opportunities is to provide an experience that is grounded in the Mass General mission, our department values and the essential elements of high quality patient-centered care. The role of clinical educator is highly valued; training and support are provided to assure that our staff have the skills to effectively work with the evolving educational needs of students. Several Mass General SLPs hold adjunct faculty positions at graduate programs throughout the greater Boston area, including the MGH Institute of Health Professions and Boston University.

The Department supports a variety of learning opportunities, including:

• Undergraduate Interns exploring our field, observing clinical care, and providing volunteer support to our department
• Graduate Student Clinicians completing clinical practica during the Fall, Spring, or Summer semesters
• Clinical fellowship (CF) opportunities for newly graduated master’s level clinicians with exceptionally strong backgrounds

The Mass General Department of Speech, Language and Swallowing Disorders & Reading Disabilities offers student clinical experiences in a variety of settings and with a range of disorder types throughout the hospital, in outpatient medically-based clinics and at our two health centers. These include opportunities with our adult inpatient team, pediatric inpatient/outpatient feeding team, adult cognitive-linguistic outpatient team, outpatient swallowing team and our pediatric speech and language practice. Under the direct supervision of a licensed speech-language pathologist graduate student clinicians are challenged throughout these experiences with the goal of preparing them to meet diverse patient needs within a complex and changing interprofessional health care and academic environment. Our clinical educators have a minimum of two years of clinical experience following their clinical fellowship.

We select graduate student clinicians equipped with a strong foundational knowledge base and coursework, excellent written and verbal communication skills, flexibility, compassion and professionalism.

• Graduate SLP programs or individual students may contact the department seeking opportunities for placements
• If interested in applying for a placement, students should be prepared to provide a resume, cover letter and current transcript, and will be asked to complete an interview with prospective supervisors
• Initial requests usually take place approximately 3-6 months prior to the start of the placement
• Clinical placements at Mass General require a contractual arrangement between the academic institution and Mass General

Our department fosters a distinct relationship with the Communication Sciences and Disorders Program at the MGH Institute of Health Professions (IHP). Mass General staff support the clinical education of students in the IHP Medical SLP Concentration and many of our inpatient clinicians are practice instructors for IHP’s Interprofessional Clinical Experience (IPCE) on the Interprofessional Dedicated Educational Units (IPDEU) at Mass General.

The Mass General Department of Speech, Language and Swallowing Disorders & Reading Disabilities offers numerous professional development and continuing education (CE) opportunities for our staff, both within the department and throughout the Mass General Brigham. Ongoing educational opportunities include:

• Monthly case presentations
• Weekly swallowing rounds with VSS and FEES review
• Quarterly Boston-area Dysphagia Grand Rounds
• Boston-area Pediatric Dysphagia Grand Rounds
• Guest lectures
• Educational team meetings
• Partner’s HealthCare System continuing education forums
• Hospital-wide lectures and presentations