Brianna Patterson, a second-year student in the Speech-Language Pathology program at Pitt.
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. Pitt’s two-year master’s degree in speech-language pathology (SLP) includes extensive experience in community based clinical settings from the beginning of the program.
Briana Patterson (SLP ‘25) is in her second year of the program and shares what her experience has been like so far!
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“The students and faculty at Pitt have truly made my experience worthwhile. I can’t imagine completing my master’s degree anywhere else.”
Q: Why did you choose the Pitt Speech-Language Pathology program? What made it stand out over other similar programs?
Briana: I chose Pitt because I knew that the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences’ (SHRS) Communication Science and Disorders faculty were dedicated to providing the best education possible.
When I was looking for a graduate program, I wanted one that would provide exceptional academic and clinical preparation. Pitt’s Speech-Language Pathology program provides me with course content grounded in evidence-based practices to support clinical reasoning, as well as experience in a broad range of clinical settings.
I’ve been able to explore my research interests as a graduate student and complete a master’s thesis under the mentorship of experts in our field.
Q: What do you like most about the program’s clinical education?
Briana: I chose Pitt because I knew that the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences’ (SHRS) Communication Science and Disorders faculty were dedicated to providing the best education possible.
When I was looking for a graduate program, I wanted one that would provide exceptional academic and clinical preparation. Pitt’s Speech-Language Pathology program provides me with course content grounded in evidence-based practices to support clinical reasoning, as well as experience in a broad range of clinical settings.
I’ve been able to explore my research interests as a graduate student and complete a master’s thesis under the mentorship of experts in our field.
Q: What do you like most about the program’s clinical education?
Briana: Pitt’s clinical experiences are all based in the community where we gain hands-on experience with well-trained speech- language pathologists who provide clinical instruction. Since my first semester, I gained hands-on experience at community clinical sites ranging from outpatient services in a private practice to acute care services in a hospital to inpatient treatment services in a rehabilitation setting. Pitt’s clinical education program immersed me quickly allowing me to develop foundational clinical skills, and through my placements, I gained experience with varying clinical populations across a range of ages.
The clinical education team carefully plans clinical placements based on the desires and needs of each student.
Patterson at one of her clinical placements at UPMC Presbyterian Hospital assisting with a patient’s modified barium swallow study (MBSS)
Q: How do the clinical experiences in the program prepare you for future practice as an SLP?
Briana: My clinical placements have all been tailored to my clinical and research interests. For example, I have had the opportunity to work with adults with neurogenic communication disorders, acquired brain injury, aphasia, dysphagia, and augmentative and alternative communication needs.
While each student’s clinical journey looks different, the clinical education team, led by Dr. Erin Lundblom, work meticulously to guarantee that each student meets the clinical requirements for certification by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) as well as state licensure and teaching certification as applicable. Each term, the speech-language pathology students complete questionnaires detailing our placement preferences. We also have one-on-one clinical advising meetings to discuss our goals and what areas or settings we’d like more experience in. While placement availability can always change, our clinical team carefully crafts a clinical journey that is unique for each student.
There is a wide variety of clinical placements and experiences that students can have at Pitt, including:
- Inpatient acute care
- Inpatient rehabilitation
- Home health
- Specialized clinics (e.g., ALS clinic, augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), cleft lip and palate, pediatric feeding and swallowing clinic, voice centers)
- Outpatient treatment
- Schools
- Early intervention services
I wholeheartedly believe that I will be well-prepared to begin working as a clinical fellow speech-language pathologist by the time I graduate.
Q: What is your current clinical experience like?
Briana: Currently I am working at the UPMC Mercy Hospital Rehabilitation Institute in the Stroke Rehab Unit. It is four days a week for the entire summer semester (12 weeks).
Under supervision, my day-to-day consists of evaluating and treating speech, language, cognitive and swallowing disorders. This involves completing comprehensive assessments, setting patient-centered goals, building rapport, planning functional treatment activities, tracking progress and writing assessment summaries and progress notes.
I love forming relationships with my patients and being able to see their progress. It brings me joy helping them achieve their goals and reminds me of why I applied to this program in the first place.
Q: You mentioned an interest in research earlier. What interests you and what are you doing in the program now that involves research?
Briana: I work as a research assistant in the Communication and Cognition Lab, led by Speech-Language Pathology Program Director and Professor Sarah E. Wallace. I was initially interested in learning more about research methods and how research findings can impact patients clinically. Over the past three years in this role, I’ve had the opportunity to work on both qualitative and quantitative research studies that aim to support the quality-of-life for people with aphasia and to better understand the experiences of people with acquired brain injuries. As a result of this work, I am a published co-author of a peer-reviewed research article in the American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology. I also presented our work as poster presentations at multiple professional conferences. I am now completing a master's thesis under the advisement of Dr. Wallace and Dr. Mike Dickey, associate dean for Graduate Studies, that aims to understand how the factors of word length and word frequency impact eye gaze patterns when people with aphasia read with and without text-to-speech technology.
Patterson at the 2024 ASHA convention where she presented a research poster about a study she is working on in the Communication and Cognition Lab.
Q: What are some of your goals/plans for after you graduate?
Briana: After passing the Praxis exam, I hope to begin my career as a clinical-fellow speech-language pathologist. I would love to work in a clinical setting with adults, preferably in an inpatient rehab unit. I may also pursue a PhD in communication science and disorders someday, as I’ve always loved science and asking questions.
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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.