Abstract
This study surveyed university clinic directors of audiology and speech-language pathology programs throughout the United States, and identified the content and risk management (RM) practices embedded into graduate curricula. One hundred and two (102) respondents provided information, via an electronic survey, about their campus and departmental RM practices. More than half of the programs reported embedding RM concepts into at least one graduate course yet only slightly above half of the programs assessed students’ RM knowledge. Pre-professional students were most often trained in protecting patient’s privacy and fire drills. Approximately one-third participated in university-wide programs, and 11 of the 102 programs reported a freestanding RM committee. In contrast, the clinic directors reported frequent RM monitoring activities, including yearly updates to policy and procedure manuals, equipment and documentation audits, and monitoring of fire drill and in-service attendance records. University clinics are only somewhat invested in RM topics and pedagogy. Thus, pre-professional students may not be fully informed about RM in work settings. University clinics, American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and the American Academy of Audiology are encouraged to further evaluate the content and breadth of candidates’ knowledge and experiences to ensure that RM coursework and resources address this contemporary and critical topic.
Recommended Citation
Neave-DiToro, D., Vogel, D. A., Wortsman, S. E., & Cascella, P. W. (2018). Risk Management Practices at University Clinics in Communication Sciences and Disorders. Teaching and Learning in Communication Sciences & Disorders, 2(2).
