My SLP Program Replaced Our Final Externships With an In-House Clinic Due to Placement Shortages
I’m currently in a Speech-Language Pathology graduate program and just got an email about our Summer 2026 externships that honestly left me feeling blindsided and frustrated.
Apparently, due to “limited site availability,” a group of us were unable to secure traditional external placements for our final externship semester. Instead, the school is placing us internally at the university’s Speech and Hearing Center in what they’re calling a “reimagined summer externship program.”
On paper, they’re saying this fulfills graduation requirements and gives us “broad-based” experience. But a lot of us expected actual external placements in schools, hospitals, private practices, etc. — especially because this is supposed to prepare us for employment after graduation.
What’s making this harder is:
We weren’t really given a choice
It feels like the burden of placement shortages is falling entirely on students
Some of us are worried employers may view an in-house university clinic differently than a true externship placement
We’re basically being told this is happening after months of waiting and uncertainty
I understand placements can be difficult to secure, and I know this may not be entirely the program’s fault. But after investing so much time, money, and effort into grad school, it’s hard not to feel disappointed that our final externship experience is being completely restructured at the last minute.
Has anyone else in SLP, counseling, nursing, social work, OT/PT, etc. dealt with something similar? Did it affect job prospects or clinical preparedness afterward?