Addressing SLP Shortages

ASHA Forum on Strategizing Solutions to Personnel Shortages in Speech-Language Pathology

Current Strategies to Resolve SLP Shortages in Minnesota:

• Minnesota’s five universities with SLP graduate programs are accepting more graduate students. *Links to these programs appear further on in this page.
  • The universities have increased their graduate programs over the past 10 years—some more than doubled their graduate student admissions—without increasing their faculty size. Further increases could jeopardize the university’s accreditation because it affects the quality of the program.
• Alexandria Technical and Community College (ATCC) offers an ONLINE associate degree program for Speech-Language Pathology Assistants, and a Certificate program for Bachelor’s level CSD graduates. The program began in Fall 2013.
  • Students in the ATCC program are asked to determine their own clinical placement to obtain the required 100 supervised clinical hours.
  • SLP Assistants are not licensed in Minnesota (licensure bill is currently in it’s 3rd committee hearing), but are recognized under Minnesota statute.
    • Minnesota Statute 148.5192 outlines the duties that are allowed and not allowed, for SLP Assistants to provide. They may not assess, diagnose, develop goals, or consult with families.
  • SLP Assistants would continue to be employed in educational settings, even though they are not eligible for Tiered licensure.
• A dozen or so universities around the country are offering online coursework to individuals pursuing a master’s degree in speech-language pathology.
  • Some programs allow students to secure practicum placements in their hometown, whereas others require that students travel to the university to obtain their clinical experience.
  • The closest online programs to Minnesota are at: the University of South Dakota and the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire (offers a 3-year, part-time online program to obtain a Masters’ degree in Speech Language Pathology).
• According to the U.S. Department of Education, individuals filling speech-language pathology vacancies may be eligible for student loan deferment or forgiveness.
• Hiring qualified, professionals from other agencies (clinics, staffing agencies, and telepractice) is successfully used by many school districts to manage staffing of vacancies, long and short term leaves and mid-year caseload fluctuations. This strategy allows licensed and certified SLPs to provide speech-language therapy to eligible students, while continuing to allow the District to post the position and attempt to hire a qualified professional.

 
SLPA: https://www.asha.org/policy/SP2013-00337/
SLP: https://www.asha.org/policy/SP2016-00343/