Adaptation of Systems Thinking by Academic and Clinical Educators in the Field of Communication Sciences and Disorders Following the Pandemic

Introduction

This chapter will provide readers with how a systems based approach was established and implemented during and post pandemic to maintain educational and clinical services for graduate students majoring in communication sciences and disorders (CSD) who are studying to become speech-language pathologists (SLPs) and the clients they provide care. Achieving a master’s degree is essential to becoming a licensed and certified speech-language pathologist (SLP) and includes educational coursework in addition to hands-on clinical experiences. The unprecedented nature of the COVID pandemic impacted approaches used to meet student learning outcomes as well as provision of clinical SLP services. Information will be provided on how educators in a board certified CSD program used systems thinking and implementation of a systems approach to transition and adapt academic and clinical education during the pandemic. The key take aways identified will inform future efforts and provide useful insights across educational and health care fields.

How can educators who teach graduate students studying for their master’s degree in communication sciences and disorders fulfill all of the knowledge and skill requirements necessary to be competent professionals during a pandemic? The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic tested previously effective models of systems thinking which were implemented by service providers. It forced individuals to build an awareness of the interconnectedness of systems and identify where adaptations and change could enhance and progress current practices. The complex nature of educating graduate students in a clinical domain cannot be understated. While the pandemic imposed unforeseen challenges, it provided opportunities to enhance models of systems thinking. This is particularly true for an area of study, communication sciences and disorders, that trains students to practice primarily in a clinical capacity as speech-language pathologist.

The qualifications and areas of expertise of a speech-language pathologist, also called SLP, are often underextended. Although it is assumed that SLPs are experts in communication, this is a limited scope of its knowledge and practical realm. The field of study for which an SLP has competency is vast and led to a push over the last decade for educational programs to develop experts in the field of study, while not limiting or assuming those experts would become clinical practitioners. SLPs work with individuals across ages from infants to older adults who present with a variety of diagnoses in the areas of communication and swallowing. These areas include but are not limited to speech sound disorders, language disorders, literacy skills, social communication, voice disorders,fluency disorders, cognitive-communication skills, and feeding and swallowing disorders (Who Are Speech-Language Pathologists, and What Do They Do? (asha.org)).

In March 2020 while many institutions of higher education were on its spring break hiatus, the world shut down due to the pandemic. Faculty within the department of Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD) at a small state university were faced with the task of figuring out how to provide the clinical opportunities needed by the graduate students to meet the knowledge and skill competencies set forth to program accredited by the Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology (CAA). The CAA serves as the American Speech-Language and Hearing Association’s (ASHA) stamp of educational excellence for programs designed to educate individuals seeking to become clinical speech-language pathologists (SLP). As the unprecedented events and subsequent impacts unfolded, 30 second year graduate students, scheduled to graduate in August 2020, were in the midst of either a medical or school based clinical externship (i.e., off-campus) experience and 28 first year graduate students were performing their first semester of advanced clinical practicum working with clients at the university’s on-campus speech-language and hearing clinic. Throughout academia, educators were faced with the challenge of maintaining high quality teaching, scholarship pursuits, and service commitments to the university, students, and community at large. The CSD department has always strived to implement a systems based approach to student learning outcomes. In this capacity, service learning is a fundamental means of providing early exposure to many of the more abstract and complex standards students need for future success as a clinician. This includes development of skills in such areas as interdisciplinary practice, behavior management, working with at-risk populations, adaptation of services to meet cultural and linguistic distinctions, continuum of care and prevention, as well as providing mentoring opportunities.