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Versatile – a word to describe the work done by speech pathologists, and more specifically, Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD) student, Julia Bonoan.

Julia joined the CSD program in the fall of 2023 and has had the opportunity to complete one of her externships at the Staten Island University Hospital (SIUH) - a short-term, field placement experience where students connect with mentoring physicians and supervising clinicians.

As a medical placement opportunity, Julia would meet with several patients throughout the day for either their usually scheduled therapy session, an initial evaluation, or a Modified Barium Swallow Study (MBSS). This experience pushed Julia into new learning opportunities.

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“It was difficult to switch gears from seeing a patient with aphasia, then assessing a patient’s swallow in an MBSS, and then doing cognitive therapy with a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) patient,” Julia explained. “But I was able to adapt quickly to the fast-paced environment with the support and guidance from my supervisors and by making sure I was prepared for the day.”

Even though the medical placement created a new challenge for Julia, working with the patients made it all worth it. Each patient has their own goal in mind and their own treatment plan to follow. She describes her patients’ motivation to succeed and their desire to get better as “contagious” – which in turn helped her be a better provider.

To best prepare Julia and her fellow classmates for their externships, the CSD department’s faculty and staff work closely with the students. Students take specialized courses including Dysphagia, Adult Language Disorders, Motor Speech Disorders, Neuroscience, and other courses that create the foundation needed for success.

Additionally, all students work in Pace’s on-campus Speech, Language, and Hearing Center in Manhattan, a cornerstone of the CSD Program, before moving on to the externships. The clinic is free to the community and patients range from children through geriatric with all different disorders to give a well-rounded, educational training experience.

To ensure that student’s get a variety of experiences, they get connected with multiple externship sites – including private practices, a highly specialized private school for students ages 5-21 years with traumatic brain injuries and multiple disabilities, and a school that provides high quality services to children of all ages and their families utilizing a combination of academic and therapeutic approaches. The Program makes a point of connecting students with placements based on their interests and preferences, which allowed Julia the opportunity to work at her old elementary school, creating what she called “a full circle moment.”

When the CSD Program was launched in 2015, Founding Director and Associate Professor Linda Carozza, PhD, worked to develop her connections with community partners and wanted to find a partner that was medically focused.

“In medical speech, the students actually practiced bedside techniques, on patients who have had strokes, or catastrophic accidents causing TBI.” Dr. Carozza explained. “Julia is a wonderful, accepting, and open-minded student. She's perfect for these types of programs with the adults and in the community and works very well with the hospital directly.”

Prior to joining Pace, Dr. Carozza had started a patient group at SIUH, focusing on helping patients with long-standing aphasia that occurred after a stroke in order to create a community where they could share communication challenges, help practice techniques after being released from the hospital, and provide support to one another. Her existing relationship with SIUH made way for the perfect opportunity for CSD students to complete their externship at this sought-after site.

"Medical settings like SIUH are highly desired sites for externship,” explained Ellayne Ganzfried, M.S, Director of the Speech, Language Center. "We are proud of Julia's motivation to prepare for the very competitive interview process and successfully secure this opportunity."

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In addition to landing her goal externship locations, Julia has continually taken advantage of the opportunities the CSD Program has provided. She attended the American Speech-Language and Hearing Association (ASHA) Convention in Boston her first semester, giving her networking opportunities with speech-language pathologists across the country. In the classroom, faculty created interprofessional collaborations on case studies and simulations with students in the College of Health Professions Occupational Therapy, Nursing, Nutrition and Dietetics, and Physician Assistant master programs which Julia notes has been a highlight of the program.

“Pace provided me with a challenging and supportive environment to thrive in the field of speech-language pathology. I am incredibly thankful for the opportunities I was given to practice my skills and begin my journey as a clinician. Pace has given me the foundation to be the speech-language pathologist I’ve always dreamed of becoming.”

Julia is expected to graduate in May 2025. We wish her the best of luck in her future endeavors!