Thinking Outside the Box: Increasing Confidence & Competence in Dysphagia Management at the Graduate Level

The majority of graduates from speech pathology graduate programs do not feel they are adequately prepared to manage dysphagia. This is often as a result of lack of clinical experience, limited educational and clinical instruction, and questionable supervision quality. Novel approaches to dysphagia education at the graduate level such as incorporating problem-based learning, providing opportunities for interprofessional education, the implementation of hands-on dysphagia labs, and partnering with clinicians in the community can help to make graduate students more competent and confident in dysphagia management. Novel approaches in both the educational and clinical instruction of dysphagia management can not only improve graduate students competence and confidence, but it can also have a powerful impact on improving clinical practice and ultimately patient outcomes. NYCDSG members can incorporate some of these approaches into their training and mentorship of graduate students.

Ainsley S. Martin, MS, CCC-SLP is a medical speech-language pathologist in Central NY. She is the owner of State of Mind Speech & Swallowing, a mobile outpatient practice serving adults and geriatrics. She also provides mobile FEES, staffing services for skilled nursing facilities, CFY mentorship, and dementia education as well as public speaking coaching. Ainsley has also worked in skilled nursing, per diem acute care, and in academia as adjunct clinical faculty for Syracuse University. She is a graduate of the ASHA Leadership Development Program for healthcare and serves in numerous roles for both her state and regional associations. Ainsley is passionate about promoting evidence-based practice and mentoring the next generation of speech-language pathologists, particularly in dysphagia.

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