BSc Speech and Language Therapy / Course details

This course unit runs across both semesters of the second year of study. The unit includes six weeks of block clinical placement learning in the first six weeks of semester two. Prior to placement learning students will have had opportunity to gain skills in clinical linguistics and phonetics, and knowledge and understanding of developmental speech and language disorders, a range of developmental disabilities, and acquired communication and swallowing disorders.

The course unit will provide an understanding of the role, responsibilities and clinical skills required of a speech and language therapist and will prepare students for the directed clinical practice required on their second block clinical placement. The unit will provide the student with skills to adapt to the needs of a range of service users, including knowledge of multi-disciplinary teams and the wider workforce, through clinical placement learning.

The unit aims to:

• Provide students with a variety of opportunities to gain an understanding of the roles and responsibilities of a speech and language therapist and an ability to demonstrate these under supervision.
• Utilise the care pathway to map student's clinical skills and plan appropriate approaches to client care.
• Enable students to employ a range of communication styles and modalities to meet the needs of people with speech, language and communication disorders.
• Ensure students are embedding professional standards as defined by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) into their professional and clinical practice.
• Facilitate students to compile evidence of continuing professional development (CPD) in their Professional Clinical Portfolio.
• Provide students with opportunities to develop their communication skills and reflect on skills needed for accurate and clear information-sharing with other disciplines/agencies for protection of vulnerable people and also proactive collaboration for therapeutic purposes; clinical reasoning skills; presentation skills; handling sensitive information.

Students will be able to:

Knowledge and understanding

• Organise and use appropriate clinical skills at each stage of the client journey through care using a defined care pathway.
• Identify, critically evaluate and apply a range of therapy approaches which have been shown to be effective through rigorous research to form evidence-based practice.
• Embed professional standards for a speech and language therapist, including conduct, ethics and performance in to their own supervised practice.
• Critically evaluate and apply recognised frameworks to evaluate the client's baseline needs and outcome of therapy in relation to speech, language and communication disorders and dysphagia. These may include the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (World Health Organisation, 2001), Therapy Outcome Measures (Enderby, 2006) or Care Aims (Malcomess, 2005).

Intellectual skills

• Demonstrate critical appraisal skills necessary to evaluate and apply clinically evidence-based practice.
• Demonstrate social and cultural awareness, adapting their clinical practice to accommodate differences and needs of others.
• Profile the client's speech, language and communication skills and/or dysphagia, relating this to diagnosis, prognosis and appropriate support and therapy, and client's perspective/wishes.
• Use reflective practice to constantly improve own clinical skills and collect evidence of this in a Professional Clinical Portfolio.
• Use clinical reasoning skills to inform care planning, including the ability to discuss appropriate therapy aims with the client and incorporate evidence-based practice and a person centred approach.

Practical skills

• Use knowledge of normative data, a range of supportive techniques, evidence-based therapy and person centred therapy to identify, plan care and select appropriate treatments for clients with speech, language and communication disorders and/or dysphagia.
• Use a range of communication styles and / or modalities to interact, support and intervene with clients, their carers and the wider team of professionals, including joint MDT working where appropriate.
• Compare, contrast and apply evidence-based therapeutic approaches in real clinical contexts, taking into consideration resources and the needs/preferences of the client and carers.

Transferable skills and personal qualities

• Prepare and deliver an oral presentation to effectively communicate information, reasoning and analysis.

Learning and teaching processes will include UoM SLT simulation clinics facilitated by clinical educators, and tutor led lectures and placement preparation/de-briefs, direct clinical experience with practice educator supervision and directed and self-directed individual independent learning.

Independent learning will include completion of documentation for an online Professional Clinical Portfolio.

1. Maintenance of a Professional Clinical Portfolio including: reflective documents, clinical skills development activities, care plans and reflections; student-Practice Educator mid-placement review and end of placement report (including Clinical Educator assessment of the student's clinical competencies*) (30%*)
2. Clinical examination and client case presentation (1000 words, 45 minute presentation and viva, 70%*)

*NB: Practice Educator assessment of 'COMPETENT' in all areas must be achieved as a requirement for the awarding of course unit credits. No compensable fail mark will be available for this course unit.

Written practice educator feedback on clinical skills will be provided in the form of student-practice educator mid-placement review and end of placement report.

A mark and individual, detailed tutor written feedback will be provided on Professional Clinical Portfolios.

A mark and individual, detailed tutor written feedback will be provided following the client case presentation examination and viva. This feedback will provide guidance to students on their clinical, oral and presentational skills for future assessments.

Throughout the unit, verbal practice educator and clinical educator/ facilitator feedback will be provided. During UoM SLT simulation clinics students will have opportunity to discuss their clinical reasoning with peers and their clinical educator/ facilitator and actively reflect on their learning.

Communication Trust (2015). What Works? Communication Trust. Available at: http://www.thecommunicationtrust.org.uk/whatworks

Health and Care Professions Council (2010). Guidance on conduct and ethics for students. London: Health and Care Professions Council. Available at: http://www.hpc-uk.org/assets/documents/10002C16Guidanceonconductandethicsforstudents.pdf

Health and Care Professions Council (2010). Standards of proficiency - Speech and language therapists. London: Health and Care Professions Council. Available at: http://www.hcpc-uk.org/assets/documents/10000529Standards_of_Proficiency_SLTs.pdf

University of Manchester (2015) Code of professional conduct and fitness to practise for healthcare students. Manchester: University of Manchester. Available at: http://www.psych-sci.manchester.ac.uk/sltsp/guidance/CodeOfPractice.doc

Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (Forthcoming). Communicating Quality Live. Professional standards for speech and language therapist. London: Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists. Available at: www.rcslt.org

World Health Organisation (2001) International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF). Available at: http://www.who.int/classifications/icf/en/