Join Robert Serianni, MS, CCC-SLP, FNAP, the chair and program director of the department of Speech-Language Pathology at Salus University, as he moderates a podcast that focuses on the Traumatic Brain Injury Group at the Speech-Language Institute. He is joined by one of its members as well as the supervisor and two students who have had the pleasure of working within that group.
Sal LaValle:
I had a quadruple bypass five years ago and I had a stroke on the table. The doctor told me that for a few seconds, I was a goner. So, I'm glad to be here. And I got to where I am now thanks to Salus. Because I was actually without any speech; I couldn't remember things. When they asked me the date, I thought it was 1970.
Bob Serianni:
After your stroke, you had trouble communicating? Tell me a little bit about that.
Sal LaValle:
Communicating, I always had trouble. I’m Italian — they had me strapped with my hands, so I really couldn't talk.
Bob Serianni:
How has Salus helped you with your talking?
Sal LaValle:
It helped me a lot, I do have to say. Now, my mind was a little confused. In fact, I'm very good on direction, I was very good on direction. Take me anywhere you want, I was able to come back home. But after the stroke, I went for a walk (that's what kept me my mind). I went for a walk and I got lost around the neighborhood. I see around the neighborhood, I got lost around the corner and I didn't know I was in the middle of the street. I didn't know which way I was supposed to go. It was a little dark, but I mean, I did that route millions of times, and a friend of mine finally saw me and said, "What are you doing here?" and I said, "Please help me to get back home." He told me "You're around the house." That was a little scary. But now, thank God with all this therapy and all this stuff, I'm coming along very well.
Bob Serianni:
Are you able to go for your walk now and not get lost?
Sal LaValle:
Yeah, I'm able to, if my wife allows me to. She got more scared than I did because I didn't come back home. And after this friend told her, she got a little upset.
Bob Serianni:
Well, Sal, I know that you've been coming to the clinic for a little while. And two of the students that you've worked with have joined us today.
Cole Pajovich:
Hi, my name is Cole Pajovich. I'm from Coatesville, Pennsylvania, and I'm in the class of 2022 speech program.
Amanda Summers:
Hi, I'm Amanda Summers and I'm from Allentown, Pennsylvania. I'm also in the class of 2022 SLP program.
Bob Serianni:
Amanda, why did you pick Salus as your graduate school?
Amanda Summers:
I toured I think three or four schools, and I was looking at 12 to 15 schools, but Salus had such a big emphasis on the clinical experience and how early we were getting that clinical experience. I didn't believe it at first. I was like, "there's no way they're giving us clients on our second week of class," but they really did. And I'm very thankful for it. I don't think I'd be as strong of a clinician now, if I didn't have that experience.
Bob Serianni:
Cole, working with a client like Sal, how does that help enhance your education?
Cole Pajovich:
I think it helped connect what we've learned in our coursework at Salus to a hands-on experience with a patient and having Shelley as our supervisor for the TBI group helped us learn to improve our clinical skills and how to interact with the patients. If something didn't work out in that session, having her give feedback on what to do next time and you just keep learning that way by having her guide us, help us figure out the best course of treatment. And then working with someone like Sal and the rest of the members of the group, it was helpful to have the exposure of treating them and also the counseling aspect of speech. I think it was great for me and Amanda, the first semester, especially during COVID. I think it helped us learn how to effectively manage more than one client in a group like the TBI.
Bob Serianni:
That can allow us to transition to our supervisor here.
Shelley Slott:
My name is Shelley Slott and I'm a clinical educator at Salus University. I've been there since really the inception, since we opened. I love being in the clinic. I love the students. I love working with the clients. I like teaching the students how to work with clients.
About three or four years ago we started this TBI group, traumatic brain injury group. It's a weekly group and we do therapy with the clients. It's not just a support group, but it's also a therapeutic group and the clients have been continuous and they love it. They're really great with each other. The students are wonderful, Amanda and Cole. All of our students are wonderful.
Bob Serianni:
Amanda and Cole are really good examples of the strong students that we have here because they work so hard and do such a good job with the clients. I'm really excited that we are able to work in both the individual and the group setting with our students so that they can learn, not only the one-on-one skills that really allow us to be successful as clinicians, but the group dynamic. Being able to identify who's struggling and who's really soaring in the moment is definitely an intervention skill that takes some time.
What do you think some of the benefits are for having our students start so early in getting their clinic exposures?
Shelley Slott:
From what I have seen over the years, the students, when they walk in like deer in headlights. But in a couple of weeks, they settle in, they work really hard. They really like the clinical experience because it really kind of dovetails with what they're learning. It puts into perspective not only what they read and are taught, but what they then see. It also allows in the clinic, it allows the educators and the students to try a variety of different programs, assessments.
Like Cole said, sometimes things don't work and that's okay. That's why they're in clinic, and that's one of the big points of it — It didn't work today, why didn't it work? What can we do later? What can we do next? I think having them in the very beginning is a real plus for all the students.
Bob Serianni:
Whether you start clinic in August or you wait until your second semester in January, you're still going to have that deer in headlights look. So, might as well get you started.
Amanda, how do you think that this experience is going to help you next semester when you move into externship?
Amanda Summers:
Tons, actually. I just found out that I'll be at a pediatric private practice for my externship. And although the TBI group wasn't adult, it was still group therapy. I found out during my pediatric time I will be running group therapy. So, I was like, "oh, I have that in the bag." I know how to manage a whole bunch of different people and still individualize therapy, even in a group.
Bob Serianni:
Cole, do you feel like you're ready to go for externship next semester?
Cole Pajovich:
Definitely. Even if you asked me second semester, I would say no, but just from what we've learned here in the summer and extra time with our clients, I think I feel at least confident to start and not scared.
