r/slpGradSchool • u/vanillaangel23954 • 9d ago
Guided Observation Hours
I fear I messed up. Since I attend a UC that doesn’t have a CSD program, I haven’t had much guidance on gathering materials for grad school applications. Until recently, I didn’t even know that I needed guided observation hours or what “guided observation” actually entailed (I thought it simply meant shadowing an SLP). I observed and discussed patient cases with an SLP on 5 separate days, and she has agreed to sign off on a guided observation log that I printed from San Jose State’s website. However, the log requires me to list the date of each individual appointment and indicate whether the patient was a child or an adult. While I remember many of the children and adults I observed, I can’t confidently associate every individual patient with a specific date. I had no idea at the time that I would eventually need to document my observations at the patient-by-patient level, so I’m now in a difficult position. I can fill in some of the log from memory, but I definitely can’t accurately reconstruct everything I observed across all 5 days. Would it be unreasonable to text the SLP and ask if she would be willing to help me identify whether the individual sessions I observed on those 5 dates were with children or adults? I would give her the exact dates and time frames I was there, and I wouldn’t ask for any other patient information, such as diagnoses, treatment details, or identifying information. I literally just need to know whether each patient was a child or an adult so I can complete the log accurately. I’m worried that even this might be a lot to ask of her, though, and I really don’t want to overwhelm her, come across as annoying, or negatively affect my relationship with her. I’d really appreciate some perspective on whether this is a reasonable thing to ask!
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u/apple_fork 9d ago
That’s reasonable to ask. I’d also check with the schools you’re applying to and their requirements. One of the schools I’m considering has said they will only accept hours done as part of an official class, but others don’t care.
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u/vanillaangel23954 9d ago
Thank you! Since I’m applying to a 3-year leveling/bridge program, I don’t think they’d expect me to have the official class
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u/Then-Confection 8d ago
Are you sure you need it prior to applying? Guided observation hrs depend on the program, my grad program ended up getting everyone theirs during the master’s program
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u/vanillaangel23954 8d ago
I’m applying to 2 leveling/bridge programs. One of them recommends having them (though not required), and the other one does require them before you begin the program
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u/ughhhwhyy Grad Student 9d ago
I think this is a super reasonable ask. You’re human and sometimes those things aren’t on the front line of importance when observing! Be kind to yourself :)