For many, the end of this Spring 2014 semester, is the end of the first year as a graduate, but in the Communication Disorders program, the end of the first year of graduate school is at the end of the summer semester. As a first year graduate student in this program, you are able to take your first Clinical Practicum in either the first spring semester, summer semester or your second fall semester. I decided to take it in the summer so I was able to space out my classes and also leave time to work as a Graduate Assistant and additional hours in the Graduate Admission Office.
This semester I completed an additional 9 credits in the MSCD program. The classes included: Diagnostic Methods, Neurological Bases of Communication Disorders and Language Disorders in School-Age Children. Working five days a week and completing classes at night and all the other assignments out of class was difficult, but manageable.
This summer, I will have two jobs while taking 9 credits again. I plan on completing my first graduate level clinic as well as two other graduate courses. It will be hectic, but I know all of my hard work will pay off.
At the end of the summer semester, I will be eligible to work as a Speech-Language Specialist in a NJ school under my "Emergency Certification". To be eligible for this certificate, an applicant must have 18 graduate level credits in a Speech-Language Pathology/Communication Disorders field program as well as 1 graduate level clinic completed. Because I chose to complete Clinic I in the summer, I will not be eligible until after my summer semester, but this is not stopping me from applying. I am very excited about having this opportunity to work as an SLS in a school while attending a graduate program and when I think about it, I am so thankful I chose Stockton College for this reason.
Stockton's MSCD program allows their students to be working professionals while also completing the required classes for their certificate. I am very thankful for this option, as are most of my peers. It gives the students the availability to build their resume and increase their experience in and out of the SLP field. If I accept a job position in the fall as an SLS, it will be an extremely difficult semester, but definitely worth the stress. I will gain experience as a working SLS, begin to learn how to manage an extensive school caseload, and be able to add this experience to my resume.
