Carly Homler, a second-year master's student in the Speech-Language Pathology program at SHRS.
The University of Pittsburgh Department of Communication Science and Disorders (CSD) is home to the #5 Speech-Language Pathology program in the nation as ranked by U.S. News and World Report. The master’s degree is a two-year program that includes extensive experience in real-world clinical settings from day one.
Carly Homler (SLP ‘25) is in her second year of the program and shares what made her choose Pitt and what the clinical experiences have meant to her professional development.
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Why did you choose the Pitt SLP program?
I chose the Pitt Speech-Language Pathology program over other schools because of its vast opportunities for clinical experiences. Pitt immediately involves its students in clinical experience, which allows for the students to be placed in different types of settings each semester. The clinical education team places the students into clinical placements across Western Pennsylvania. It allows the students to give back to the community and gain experience in real-life settings such as outpatient clinics, hospitals, private practices, skilled nursing facilities and more. I am so glad that I chose the Pitt Speech-Language Pathology program and have gotten to be a part of the clinical opportunities I have had.
Please describe what clinical experiences are like in the Speech-Language Pathology program.
During the course of the program, I will have had several different clinical experiences! For my first-year placements, I was at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh – North, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh – Lawrenceville, Therapy Works, LLC, and the UPMC Center for Assistive Technology. These diverse practice settings prepare students for future careers by providing experience across various areas of our scope of practice. This hands-on experience allows us to apply classroom learning to real-life scenarios on a weekly basis. We work closely with our clinical instructors, who are great sources of knowledge to improve upon our clinical skills and practices, ensuring we are well-prepared for when we get to practice independently.
Do you get to choose your placements?
Students provide input to help create a sequenced plan of clinical placements. I have had multiple meetings with Dr. Erin Lundblom, who is the director of clinical education, to discuss my interests and even at times areas of concern. During these meetings, she asks insightful questions to learn more about me, which helps to identify what types of settings or clinical instructors would suit me best. We also discuss the nature of different settings and the experiences I would gain there. After these discussions, Dr. Lundblom assigns placements. She is incredibly understanding and works hard to ensure everyone is placed in environments where they will gain valuable knowledge across the spectrum of speech-language pathology services.
Please share what your current clinical experience is like.
At Therapy Works, my day consists of seeing around 10 clients for home-based services. My caseload at this placement consists of treatment with augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices, speech-sound disorders, mixed receptive-expressive language disorders and more. I am mostly working with neurodiverse children who use AAC devices to communicate. My workload for this placement includes writing daily progress notes and writing lesson plans for treatment activities that target specific client goals.
Client at Therapy Works using their PRC Accent 1000 AAC device to communicate.
At the UPMC Center for Assistive Technology, I see two to three clients a day in the AAC lab. At this placement, I work with a diverse caseload providing treatment and training on different AAC devices. A lot of the work I do involves making modifications on client’s devices and making sure I am setting them up to successfully use them independently. It also involves providing caregiver/client training on how to modify the device so that they are able to navigate them once they are at home.
All of the different devices that are used in the AAC lab at the Center for Assistive Technology (CAT). The CAT has multiple different types of devices (PRC, Talk To Me Technologies, Tobii Dynavox, Lingraphica) to allow clients to find the best fit for their needs.
How do you feel the Pitt Speech-Language Pathology program has prepared you for this experience?
The University of Pittsburgh's Speech-Language Pathology program does a great job in preparing its students for their clinical experiences. Prior to starting our first placements, the program organizes a series of informative meetings that outline what to expect and how to be best prepared. These sessions cover topics such as necessary materials, important questions to ask clinical instructors, and recommended pre-reading articles. Additionally, our professors integrate potential clinical scenarios into the coursework and make sure that we are well-equipped for real-word experiences.
Have you had any “aha moments” that make you excited to be doing speech-language pathology?
What I find most rewarding about my placements this semester is the opportunity to work with a diverse population. My clients range in age from 2 to 50 years old, presenting with a variety of disorders and treatment goals. Observing their progression and growth throughout treatment and seeing firsthand the improvement in their quality of life is immensely gratifying. There is nothing more rewarding than seeing clients achieve the goals they have worked so hard towards over the semester. This makes me most excited to be doing speech-language pathology because it shows how I can truly make a meaningful impact in my client’s lives. It is an honor to get to work with such a wide array of clients throughout the course of my clinical experience and makes me excited for the career path I have chosen.
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Want to learn more about our Speech-Language Pathology program? Check out our website or contact an enrollment specialist at enroll@shrs.pitt.edu.