Thomas J. Long School of Pharmacy and Health Sciences

Clinical Experience

National accreditation standards require that all graduate students complete

• A minimum of 400 clock hours of supervised clinical experience in the practice of speech-language pathology. At least twenty-five hours must have been spent in clinical observation and at least 375 clock hours must have been spent in direct client/patient contact.
• At least 325 of the 400 clock hours must be completed while the applicant is engaged in graduate study in a program accredited in speech-language pathology by the Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology.
• Supervised practicum must include experience with client/patient populations across the life span and from culturally/linguistically diverse backgrounds. Practicum must include experience with client/patient populations with various types and severities of communication and/or related disorders, differences, and disabilities.

Pacific students obtain these hours in a variety of clinical placements.

They begin their clinical experience in the on-campus Pacific Speech, Hearing and Language Center and the nearby Scottish Rite Childhood Language Disorder Center.

Each of these Centers is housed in state-of-the art, professional health care facilities.

Undergraduate Clinical Experience

Starting in the junior year, students obtain their observation hours in our Stockton centers.

During the senior year, students participate in clinic in both diagnostic and therapy sessions to supplement their academic preparation.

A Pacific student typically receives 70 hours of clinical experience as a senior clinician.

Pacific is a national leader in undergraduate clinical education and one of the few speech-language pathology programs in California to offer undergraduate clinical experience.

Graduate Clinical Experience

At the graduate level, students are assigned both child and adult clients in our Stockton centers.

Graduate students also complete a fieldwork experience with children in local Northern California public school districts.

During their final semester, graduate students participate in a full-time, four-month externship in medical centers across the country to obtain experience with adult clients.

Medical Centers where Pacific graduate students have been placed: