Administration: Opportunities for Enhanced Clinical Experience Through Regional Stewardship

Understanding the community in which one practices is equally important to the clinical skills and applications of knowledge acquired by a graduate student in speech-language pathology in clinical settings. Shifting political and economic landscapes that are the backdrop for service delivery necessitate that university supervisors help students recognize the influence of local and state community issues. In this article, the authors explain how a service-learning model was used to create a regional outreach activity to benefit stakeholders of a university speech and hearing clinic and members of the regional communities. Specifically, the clinical experience was designed to prepare Kentucky citizens to meet the unique needs of children with Down syndrome and their families.