JCPSLP Vol 23 No 3

Creative clinical education

Speech pathology student perspectives of telepractice literacy placements during COVID-19 Lisa Furlong, Tanya Serry, Kerry Ttofari Eecen, and Sharon Crosbie

Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) have an important role in the literacy domain because of the relationship between oral language and learning to read. This study explored the practicalities of student-led telepractice literacy placements in Australia during COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020. Data were collected from eight participants via an online qualitative survey. Participants were either studying to become an SLP or were new graduates, i.e., had completed their final year of study to become an SLP in 2020; and they had completed a placement experience where they saw at least one client for assessment and/or intervention for literacy via telepractice. Eight complete survey responses were analysed using thematic analysis. Findings identified that SLP students’ usual practices for literacy were modified in a telepractice environment; there was a heightened focus on communication skills for telepractice; and SLP students’ preparedness was mostly facilitated by practical learning opportunities with peers and supervisors. W hile the first pioneering applications of telepractice in speech pathology occurred in the 1970s (Houston & Ebsco, 2014), adoption of telepractice by speech-language pathologists (SLPs) has been slow (Grogan-Johnson et al., 2015). However, due to work-from-home requirements, social distancing and school closures during COVID-19, many SLPs rapidly adopted telepractice to maintain clinical services (Furlong & Serry, under review; Speech Pathology Australia, 2020). Likewise, many SLP students transitioned to telepractice clinical placements during COVID-19 lockdowns. This has occurred on the assumption that telepractice is pedagogically appropriate to supplement or replace onsite student placements (Bridgman, et al., in press). There is minimal evidence around how to prepare students for telepractice or what to include in training programs (Overby, 2018). A rapid review by Bridgman et al. (in press) identified only three studies evaluating the perspectives of allied

health students engaged in telepractice clinical placements; one involved SLP students (Bridgman et al., in press). The authors concluded that student perspectives of telepractice placements were generally positive. Students acknowledged benefits of telepractice, including access to services for clients in remote locations or with health or lifestyle conditions ordinarily preventing them from accessing onsite services. Students also identified barriers relating to observation and interpretation of the client’s face and body in telepractice sessions, differences in building rapport over telepractice, and technological limitations that impacted on assessment practices (Bridgman et al., in press). It has been reported that professional and interpersonal skills taught and developed over the course of students’ undergraduate training may not translate easily to telepractice (Overby & Baft-Neff, 2017). Additional interpersonal, clinical, and professional skills unique to telepractice include rapport building, non- verbal communication, and the technical skills required for providing assessment and intervention across web- conferencing platforms. Furthermore, there has been an identified need to be more animated in telepractice sessions, particularly when working with children (Overby & Baft-Neff, 2017). Recent SLP graduates placed value on being exposed to the literature associated with telepractice delivery and being taught about non-verbal communication in telepractice, how to solve technological issues, and how to address clients’ questions about telepractice (Overby & Baft-Neff, 2017). For many SLP students, the COVID-19 pandemic has provided their first experience of telepractice; however, as telepractice is a contemporary and emerging model of health care delivery, it is important that students receive sufficient education and practical experiences in telepractice so that they can provide clinical services in a future workforce that will most likely include evolving telepractice service delivery options (Grogan-Johnson et al., 2015). Exploring student experiences may help to identify the conditions that facilitate a successful telepractice placement which may inform student education and enhance student learning opportunities. In contrast to other areas of SLP practice, the evidence for telepractice literacy services is in its infancy in terms of both the quantity and quality of the evidence. The combined results of a small number of studies indicate that telepractice delivery of literacy services can be equally as effective as onsite delivery, and that children can make gains in their reading and spelling ability (Furlong et al.,

KEYWORDS CLINICAL PLACEMENTS

LITERACY SPEECH-

THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN PEER- REVIEWED LANGUAGE PATHOLOGY STUDENTS TELEPRACTICE

Lisa Furlong (top) and Tanya Serry

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JCPSLP Volume 23, Number 3 2021

Journal of Clinical Practice in Speech-Language Pathology