BSc Speech and Language Therapy / Course details

This course unit runs across both semesters of the second year of study. It follows on from CPP1 and aligns with teaching delivered in clinical linguistics and phonetics, developmental speech and language disorders, 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.  

The unit aims to:

• To enable students to consolidate what they have learnt, both academically and clinically, and for this to inform thinking regarding the reality of practice as a speech & language therapist
• Ensure students are embedding professional standards as defined by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) into their professional and clinical practice.
• 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 proactive collaboration for therapeutic purposes; clinical reasoning skills; presentation skills; handling sensitive information. 

Learning and teaching processes will include UoM SLT simulation clinics facilitated by clinical simulation educators, tutor led lectures and workshops and directed and self-directed independent learning.  

• 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.
• Relate the principles of evidence-based practice to clinical practice and individual client management.
• 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). 

• Profile the client’s speech, language and communication skills and/or eating, drinking and swallowing (EDS), relating this to diagnosis, prognosis and appropriate support and therapy, and client’s perspective/wishes.
• Understand the value of reflective practice and the need to record the outcome of such reflection to support continuous improvement
• 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. 

• 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 eating, drinking and swallowing (EDS)
• Use effective and appropriate verbal and non-verbal skills to communicate with service users, carers, colleagues and others
• Understand and interpret the results of speech and language therapy assessment procedures in terms of psychometric properties
• Make use of current research by evaluating it and applying it in clinical practice 

• Identify anxiety and stress in themselves and recognise the potential impact on their practice and understand the importance of their own mental and physical health and wellbeing strategies in maintaining fitness to practise
• Begin to recognise the need to manage their own workload and resources safely and effectively, including managing the emotional burden that comes with working in a pressured environment
• Prepare and deliver an oral presentation to communicate information accurately and reliably, and in a structured and coherent way.
• Assimilate and analyse a range of data and information 

• Formal feedback from presentations and assignments. This feedback will provide guidance to students on their clinical, oral and presentational skills for future assessments.
• During UoM SLT simulation clinics, students will have opportunity to discuss their clinical reasoning with peers and their clinical simulation facilitator and actively reflect on their learning.
• Whole group discussions in lectures/ workshops 

CORE TEXTS:

• Communication Trust (2015). What Works? Communication Trust. Available at: http://www.thecommunicationtrust.org.uk/whatworks
• What Works?  Updated in 2021. Available at: https://ican.org.uk/i-cans-talking-point/professionals/tct-resources/what-works-database/
• Health and Care Professions Council (2016). Guidance on conduct and ethics for students. London: Health and Care Professions Council. Available at: https://www.hcpc-uk.org/resources/guidance/guidance-on-conduct-and-ethics-for-students/
• Health and Care Professions Council (2023). Standards of proficiency - Speech and language therapists. London: Health and Care Professions Council. Available at: https://www.hcpc-uk.org/standards/standards-of-proficiency/speech-and-language-therapists/
• 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. 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/