When requested, speech pathologists may be required to make arrangements for the shadowing of students, new SLP employees, volunteers, other allied-health professionals or persons in other roles.
PRINT-ABLE/PDF VERSION: HANDOUT-ABLE: Shadowing Guidelines
The target is to undergo first-hand knowledge/observation of the SLP experience, including evaluations, treatments, and supportive tasks during employment tasks.
This resource lists important information for shadowers and shadowees — so that expectations of the experiences are laid-out, in advance.
Clinician Shadowing Guidelines:
- Be respectful, please. You will be sharing the workspace of an SLP clinician.
- Patients will need to consult to allow your presence in shadowing. If not approved by the patient and /or power of attorney – the visit will not be observed and you will need to respect this decision by yielding/stepping out of the treatment room.
- Take care to not interfere with communications and interactions which will occur during sessions. Please be mindful that you are an observing guest in the services and tasks.
- Dress code: (circled one is the suggested apparel):
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- Please restrict cell phone or other electronic access to emergencies only. If you absolutely need to take an important call – you need to step aside from the treatment room so to avoid it impacting the visit.
- Be friendly – the clinician will introduce you and state your role.
- Bring your lunch or money for lunch, if indicated.
- Bring a pen and notepad to write down questions as you think of them during visits, and pose the questions at a later time in the day, when the patient is no longer present.
Other: ________________________________________________________________________
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Current Employee Guidelines:
- Be welcoming.
- Ensure the space for the shadower is comfortable.
- Make sure to inform your patients in advance that you will be having an observer accompany you to the visit. If this is not possible for any reason, you must obtain consent prior to initiating the visit with the shadower. If you have been asked to accommodate a person to shadow, and it is clear that certain patients will not consent, change the time of those visits to the start or end of the day so to allow a larger run of time that the observer can be accommodated for shadowing.
- It is always the patient’s right to not consent to an observer present, and it is your clinical judgment which patient would be appropriate for a shadower.
- Plan the day to allow for restroom breaks for the observer.
- Encourage your observer to ask questions outside of the visits.
- Be a good example; model all required precautions, including hand hygiene before/after each patient visit, equipment sanitizing techniques, and the need for personal protective equipment.
- Thank you so much for your willingness to accommodate observers. Please remember that you underwent your shadowing experience yourself once upon a time and that you benefitted from it. It is a professional courtesy that you are providing. If this is a cross-shadowing experience, educate the shadower on speech pathology as a profession.
- Please call your supervisor if there are any questions or concerns.
- Again, thank you so much for your willingness.
Other: ________________________________________________________________________
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Wilson Nice, SLP, is the owner of Nice Speech Lady, a medical SLP platform for functional, practical and evidence-based SLP clinical resources.
Nice has been publishing complimentary tools for SLPs since February of 2018.
She is a hybrid outpatient clinic owner — serving adults and children, in Socorro, New Mexico.
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