Abstract
The purpose of this project was to explore the impact of participation in simulation-based learning (SBL) with standardized patients on graduate speech-language pathology students’ clinical experiences in healthcare externships. This study aims to understand how students perceive the impact of prior SBL participation during clinical practice and how this perceived impact changes over time. Students chose to participate in SBL experiences centered on conducting a clinical swallow evaluation (CSE) with adult standardized patients prior to completing full-time medical externship placements. During their externships, students participated in two structured interviews and completed three anonymous critical incident technique (CIT) questionnaires over eleven weeks, each asking them to reflect on the impact of their participation in SBL on their clinical externship experience. Results showed that students reported increased confidence and comfort, changes in behavior, and perceived impact on independence in their clinical placement that they attributed to previous SBL experiences. Students also identified times when they were unable to connect their prior experience with their clinical work. Findings from this work contribute to knowledge about students’ perception of SBL with standardized patients and the impact on clinical performance, emphasizing the importance of the design of simulation experiences in supporting transfer of learning.
Recommended Citation
Villanueva, K. D.,
Mandulak, K. C.,
Stead, A.,
&
Walden, P.
(2026).
Transfer of Learning From Simulation to Clinical Practice: SLP Graduate Student Experiences in Medical Externships.
Teaching and Learning in Communication Sciences & Disorders, 10(1).
DOI: https://doi.org/10.61403/2689-6443.1457
