How do you decide where to do your CFY?
Anonymous
I was talking with a friend who said that she is considering doing her CFY in the medical setting because it's easier to transition from medical to the schools than the schools to the medical field. Is there a strategy like this that we should be aware of? Does it really matter which direction we take?
Melanie Y. Evans CCC-SLP (Pediatric Speech Sister) 21 days
Bilingual Speech Pathologist
Hi! I personally had my CFY in a school setting because of my experience; but some pros to school settings is that I was guaranteed clinical clock hours. If you are interested in the medical side of things AND schools, you could work with a contract company that has multiple settings as an option OR work at an outpatient facility so your two passions can merge. I hope this helps!
Samir 21 days
CEO
@Melanie,
This is a fantastic response! In my previous experience with my staffing company, we used to recommend that Clinical Fellowship Year (CFY) participants prioritize working in schools initially. This approach allowed them to collaborate with their supervisors and fulfill their required supervision hours. After therapists became fully licensed, we would offer those who were interested the opportunity to work a few hours in schools for assessments, while also pursuing part-time positions in rehabilitation homes.
However, I've heard from numerous therapists that transitioning from schools to acute care settings might be more challenging compared to the reverse. I'm eager to hear the perspectives of other therapists on this matter.
Sophie-Anais Renois 16 days
Speech-language pathologist
I have also heard this; I'm starting my CF in two weeks. I have multiple settings because I have two jobs. My main job (W2) is EI (mainly home care, but some cases will be in daycares/preschools, and my private pay clients will be in the clinic). My second job (part-time for extra cash) is 1099, depending on the cases available, but it could be telehealth, SNF, group homes, or clinic. I wanted a medical setting, but I live in NY, and it is tough to get a medical setting as a CF unless you have connections.
I would take the medical CF position, but I am biased because that is what I would have wanted. However, other things should factor into the decision: pay, benefits, caseload, etc. Typically (CF position or not), SLPs get paid better in healthcare settings than in schools. If the position is salary-based, you get paid the same whether you have five or nine patients in a day; in the schools, you have to do make-ups (this doesn't impact your pay, but it can affect the number of sessions per day). If the position is hourly/fee-for-service, that's something else to consider. However, some school CFs are hourly/FFS, too, if they aren't a direct hire in the school district; if you are hired through a contracting company, that's the position you might be in.
What population do you prefer: PEDs, Adults, Acute care, outpatient rehab, etc.?
The schools will always be there, but medical opportunities, unfortunately, aren't always an option.