Carleen Dumas, MS ‘18, is always pleased when an application comes across her desk from a Salus University graduate. That’s because as a Salus grad herself in the Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) program, she knows exactly how those applicants have been trained and how good they’ll be at their jobs.
Dumas is the co-owner and director of My Child’s Therapy in Feasterville-Trevose, Pennsylvania, a pediatric outpatient facility that offers speech, occupational therapy (OT) and physical therapy services for children and clients up to age 21. And, not only does she like hiring other Salus graduates for her business, but she has maintained a relationship with the SLP department and now provides externship opportunities for current Salus master’s SLP students.
The staff directory at My Child’s Therapy has a heavy Salus flavor. SLPs on staff include Kristin Fitzgerald, MS ‘20; Paige Maino, MS ‘20; Andrea Ortega, MS ‘21; and Marisa Capriotti, MS ‘22. The occupational therapists on staff include lead OT Eric Reuter, MSOT ‘16; Shannon Blaney, MSOT ‘20; and Johana Fortune, MSOT ‘21.
Robert Serianni, MS, CCC-SLP, FNAP, chair and program director of the University’s SLP department, worked with Dumas as a student in both the classroom and on-site at the Speech-Language Institute (SLI), the main clinical facility for the SLP program. He calls her “creative and resourceful, but functional and practical” and said he was not surprised she opened her own private practice after graduating from the Salus master’s SLP program.
“Since she opened the doors of her practice, she has been wonderful with finding valuable clinical experiences for Salus SLP grad students,” said Serianni. “And, she has also been smart about building her business by hiring our recent graduates, providing them with ongoing exceptional mentorship through their clinical fellowship, reflective of the guidance she received from the skilled and caring clinical supervisors in the Speech-Language Institute.”
He also stressed that she uses her experiences in the program and in the real world to build a supportive and nurturing community for new SLPs to thrive.
According to Dumas, her years at Salus were “a great experience” and the on-site clinic combined with the externship opportunities enabled her to “apply clinical skills in practical settings and develop both personally and professionally.”
The first opportunity to provide externships for Salus SLP students at My Child’s Therapy happened shortly after the business reopened from COVID in 2021. Dumas hired Salus SLP and OT alumni and because of a growing caseload, was able to offer an externship opportunity as well for current students.
“They are all great students and therapists. Right from the beginning they were prepared, competent and independent. You’d never know they were new graduates,” said Dumas. “Once we started building up a caseload, Bob (Serianni) reached out to me about taking a student for an externship.”
The experiences with the students have been two-fold, she said: good for the facility and a good opportunity within a fast-paced pediatric setting.
Dumas said it’s beneficial for My Child’s Therapy to have students around who are currently still active in the educational setting because there are always new courses, new tools and techniques they can bring to the business.
“You get to see the students develop and grow and learn and it is very rewarding,” she said. “And, just having a supervisory role is good for the staff, to have that experience. It helps them build as a professional.”
