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M.S. in Speech-Language Pathology New Student Orientation

In your acceptance letter, you were provided with information regarding the submission of the mandatory seat deposit. Making this deposit will hold a place for you in our program for up to one calendar year from the date of planned matriculation included in your admission letter. Please be sure to complete this process by the due date. Once you start the program, this deposit will be released to your student account to go towards tuition, books, etc.

In submitting the requisite seat deposit, you have acknowledged you have read and can meet the Core Functions for Students in the Department of Speech-Language Pathology at Nova Southeastern University. This document details the essential functions for students in the department, with or without reasonable accommodation.  The Core Functions for Students can be found on our program website.

SUMMER 2024 START (Online and Fort Lauderdale/Davie cohorts)
The mandatory orientation for new students starting the MS-SLP program in Summer 2024 is scheduled for the weekend of April 19-21, 2024. The event will be held virtually. Please make plans to attend the orientation from noon to 4:00 p.m. EASTERN time on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. More specific information will arrive via email as the April date approaches.
FALL 2024 START (Online cohort)
The mandatory orientation for new students starting the MS-SLP ONLINE program in Fall 2024 is scheduled for the weekend of August 9-11, 2024. The event will be held virtually. Please make plans to attend the orientation from noon to 4:00 p.m. EASTERN time on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. More specific information will arrive via email as the August date approaches.
FALL 2024 START (Fort Lauderdale/Davie cohort)
The mandatory orientation for new students starting the MS-SLP FORT LAUDERDALE/DAVIE program in Fall 2024 is scheduled for the weekend of August 16-18, 2024. The event will be held in person. Please make plans to attend the orientation from 8:30 to 4:30 p.m. EASTERN time on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. More specific information will arrive via email as the August date approaches.

You will no longer need to make travel or lodging arrangements as the orientation event will be held virtually. The in-person orientation is held the weekend before classes start; students will need to be here locally for orientation and to begin classes the following week.

The dates will remain the same as posted above. Information regarding times and how to join virtually, as necessary, will be forthcoming. Attendance at all three days of the orientation event is mandatory. Please schedule your participation so you can attend the full class each day, including the last day.

A requirement of ASHA's CFCC for certification following graduation includes documentation of a minimum of twenty-five (25) hours of guided clinical observation of (an) ASHA-certified speech-language pathologist(s) (SLP)(s). The guided clinical observation hours must be within the ASHA Scope of Practice for Speech-Language Pathology. Completion of these guided clinical observation hours is also a requirement of admission to the MS-SLP program. If you did not supply a completed document of this requirement with your CSDCAS application, you will be contacted by the program office to supply a copy.

  1. If you completed the hours as part of a course, appropriate documentation will include the name, signature, date of signature, and ASHA certification number of the person verifying completion of the course and completion of the requisite guided clinical observation hours.
  2. If completion of the hours were NOT part of a course, appropriate documentation must be in the form of either a letter verifying completion of a minimum of 25 hours of guided clinical observation, complete with the name, signature, date of signature, statement regarding the time period of when the observations were completed and ASHA certification number of the person verifying completion OR a log of all completed guided clinical observations, signed by each ASHA-certified SLP observed, with the ASHA certification number of each SLP observed.  The student must also add a statement verifying discussions with the observed SLP regarding what was observed and what transpired during (the) observed session(s).  
Acceptable letters must be on letterhead or some sort of official documentation.  There is NOT a standard form for logging hours. You can create your own, following the guidelines above.

At some point, soon in the process, you will be receiving information from CastleBranch. This is the company used by the Dr. Pallavi Patel College of Health Care Sciences (PCHCS) and the Health Professions Division (HPD) to manage requisite immunizations, physical examinations, and background checks. These requirements must be initiated before matriculation or shortly thereafter. Since some immunizations involve a series of inoculations over time, e.g., Hepatitis B, you will want to begin as soon as possible. All questions regarding immunizations, physical examinations, and background checks are to be directed to June DeRico-Moncada, Coordinator, Student Affairs, PCHCS | (954) 262-1087.

The contact person for the orientation event is Mrs. Brenda Miles.

Once again, congratulations and welcome. If I can be of any assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Sincerely,

Steven P. Vertz, M.S., CCC-SLP
Associate Director and Instructor
phone - (954) 262-7735
text - (954) 408-3993

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