Who This is For
Designed for speech-language pathology graduate students preparing to enter inpatient rehabilitation or other medical practicum placements.
The Rationale
Developed in response to clinical supervisor reports identifying gaps between academic preparation and real-world dysphagia expectations, as well as the lack of a centralized orientation resource for students.
What the Name Means
"Mastering Dysphagia" is not intended to imply mastery of clinical skills. Rather, the name reflects the goal of supporting master’s-level student clinicians as they enter dysphagia practicum placements better prepared, more confident, and ready to meet clinical supervisor expectations.
What to Expect
This centralized clinical orientation is designed to be completed within one month prior to the start of an inpatient rehabilitation or other medical practicum placement. Content focuses on connecting academic knowledge with clinical expectations, providing practical context, and supporting the transition from classroom learning to real-world practice. Rather than repeating graduate coursework, this orientation is intended to supplement existing knowledge by clarifying baseline supervisory expectations and supporting clinical reasoning related to dysphagia management at the start of medical placements. Modules are intentionally focused and time-conscious, recognizing and respecting the demands already placed on graduate students. By the end of the orientation, graduate students should feel prepared to engage in dysphagia-related learning opportunities, communicate effectively with supervisors, and approach medical clinical placements with increased confidence and clarity. This orientation portal is designed to support clinical readiness—not mastery—by helping students recognize, organize, and apply the foundational knowledge gained in academic coursework as they begin clinical practice.
Meet the Founder
McLaurin Alexander is a medical speech-language pathologist working in inpatient rehabilitation, with clinical experience across inpatient rehabilitation, acute care, and skilled nursing settings. Her practice focuses on adults living with dysphagia, aphasia, cognitive-communication disorders, motor speech disorders, and voice disorders following life-altering neurological events such as stroke, traumatic brain injury, or neurodegenerative disease. She approaches clinical care through a humanistic, person-centered lens and is a firm believer that communication is a human right. McLaurin is currently a doctoral candidate in the Doctor of Speech-Language Pathology (SLPD) program at the Massachusetts General Hospital Institute of Health Professions (MGH IHP). Her Capstone project centers on optimizing clinical readiness for speech-language pathology graduate students entering medical practicum placements, with a specific focus on dysphagia management in inpatient rehabilitation. MasteringDysphagia.com was developed in response to research and lived clinical experience highlighting gaps between academic preparation and real-world clinical expectations. At the core of this work is McLaurin’s belief that supporting graduate students early and intentionally strengthens individual clinicians, the future of the profession, and the quality of care provided to vulnerable individuals in need of personalized speech-language pathology services.
Ready to Enter the Portal?
Access the student-centered orientation platform designed to help transport students toward optimized clinical readiness for dysphagia management in medical practicum placements.
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