SLP CFY

SLP CFY is short for Speech-Language Pathology Clinical Fellowship Year. This is a 36-week program that helps you transition from being an SLP student to a full-time SLP working independently. Your clinical fellowship year is a requirement by the American Speech and Hearing Association (ASHA) to receive your Certificate of Clinical Competence, a certification that is a prerequisite for being an independent SLP.

SLP Clinical Fellowship Year Requirements

During your time in a clinical fellowship year, you will have a mentor that has already received their Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology (CCC-SLP). Once you have your mentor set up, you will need to obtain 1,260 working hours under their supervision. You can achieve this through full-time or part-time work weeks, however, you cannot shorten the 36-week program by working overtime. During this supervision period, 80% of your time has to be dealing with students and patients directly, performing the same responsibilities you would as if you were working independently.

Before the completion of the CFY program, your mentor will have to complete an evaluation of your performance. There are four categories that your mentor will grade on a scale from one to five. The four categories are accuracy, consistency, independence, and supervisory guidance. You must obtain a score of three or higher on these core competencies.

By the end of your 36-week program, your primary goal is to be able to successfully incorporate the knowledge you learned in school into the clinical setting. Additionally, your communication skills with patients should have improved, as well as recognizing areas that you still need to work on.

Expand your mind and take the next step to being an SLP by applying to our SLP CFY jobs below.