Practica Experiences
Year 2 Fall placement: Ella
At the Royal Victoria Hospital Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology Department, I have had the chance to work with patients with head and neck cancer to assess and treat their dysphagia (difficulty swallowing). My amazing supervisor and the other S-LPs and Audiologists here have helped me learn so much during my 10-day placement. I have had the opportunity to provide counselling sessions before, during and after radiation treatments, provide swallowing exercises and strategies, help patients phonate (produce speech sounds) for the first time after a laryngectomy (surgery in which larynx is removed), assess patients鈥� swallowing via FEES (Fiberoptic Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing), and more!
SCSD students Eleni Borondy (left) and Grace Hobby
Year 2 Fall placement: Grace and Eleni
Our practicum at the association qu茅b茅coise des personnes aphasiques (AQPA) has given us amazing hands-on opportunities to work with and alongside people with aphasia. Whether running conversation groups, implementing one-on-one intervention, or advocating for our clients behind the scenes, we鈥檙e constantly finding meaningful ways to support communication. We collaborate with clients to come up with functional goals, and use research supported intervention techniques (Verb Network Strengthening Treatment (VNeST), Response Elaboration Training (RET) etc.) to help support speech and language. Our amazing supervisor and the wonderful clients have made this such an invaluable learning experience. Some of the clients we work with have been coming to the AQPA for over 10 years, and are really the aphasia experts themselves. We鈥檙e so grateful to have had the chance to learn in such a supportive community
SCSD student Abbie McLellan
Year 1 Spring placement: Abbie
My placement with the Cree Board of Health and Social Services of James Bay provided the opportunity to work with a diverse caseload while learning about the realities of serving northern and Indigenous communities in Canada. I was welcomed into life in Waswanipi, participating in community activities such as Bingo Night, shared meals, and weekend volleyball and hiking.
This placement also allowed me to put into practice concepts we have been learning around decolonizing Speech-Language Therapy, deepening my understanding of both the challenges involved and the importance of ongoing learning and humility in this work. I am deeply grateful for the warm welcome, meaningful learning experiences, and supportive feedback I received, which will continue to inform my clinical practice.
