How to Find an SLP Clinical Fellowship: Complete Job Search Guide

Written by Sarah Keller, Last Updated: January 14, 2026

Finding your first clinical fellowship position represents one of the most critical milestones in your speech-language pathology career. This supervised post-graduate experience doesn’t just check a box for ASHA certification. It shapes your professional identity, builds your clinical confidence, and launches your career trajectory in ways that echo for years to come.

The clinical fellowship job search presents unique challenges. You’re not just looking for any entry-level position. You need a placement that provides quality supervision, appropriate caseload support, and the foundation in mentorship necessary for independent practice. You’re balancing geographic preferences with program quality, salary expectations with learning opportunities, and career goals with immediate needs.

This comprehensive guide walks you through every step of finding and securing an excellent clinical fellowship position, from understanding optimal application timing to negotiating your final offer.

Understanding the Clinical Fellowship Year

Before diving into your job search, understanding precisely what the clinical fellowship entails helps you identify positions that will genuinely support your professional development.

The clinical fellowship year is a mandatory supervised professional experience following completion of your master’s degree in speech-language pathology. According to ASHA’s Clinical Fellowship standards, clinical fellows must complete 1,260 hours over a minimum of 36 weeks, with at least 80% of time spent in direct patient contact.

You can complete this through a full-time fellowship (35 or more hours per week), typically completed in approximately nine months, or a part-time fellowship (minimum five hours per week) that must be completed within four years. Your supervisor must hold a current CCC-SLP credential, have at least nine months of post-certification experience, and complete a minimum of two hours of professional development in supervision.

Throughout your fellowship, you’ll receive a minimum of 36 supervisory sessions, including at least 18 on-site observations of your clinical work. The supervision model is progressive, becoming less intensive as you demonstrate competency and confidence in your clinical skills.

When to Start Your CFY Job Search

Timing your job search appropriately significantly impacts your success in securing an ideal clinical fellowship position.

Recommended Application Timeline

Career placement experts recommend starting your job search toward the end of the first semester of your second year of graduate school. This gives you time to speak with recruiters about your goals and prepare your application materials well in advance. Many CFY positions begin interviewing as early as February for positions starting after spring graduation.

Most new graduates report starting their active job search two to three months before they expect to receive their temporary state license. Early reconnaissance work, including identifying potential employers, attending job fairs, and building connections, should begin much earlier.

Setting-Specific Timing Considerations

School-based positions align naturally with the academic calendar, making them particularly CFY-friendly. School districts typically conduct intensive hiring during the spring semester for positions beginning in August or September. If you’re interested in school settings, focus your application efforts between February and May to maximize your selection of available positions.

Medical settings, including hospitals and skilled nursing facilities, operate on less predictable hiring cycles. These positions may become available throughout the year as staffing needs arise. For medical CFY positions, maintaining an active job search over several months increases your chances of finding the right opportunity.

Essential Job Search Resources

Knowing where to look dramatically improves your efficiency and success rate in finding CFY opportunities that match your goals and qualifications.

Primary Job Boards

The ASHA Career Portal represents the most targeted platform for CFY positions and other speech-language pathology roles. This specialized job board lets you filter for clinical fellowship opportunities and connect with employers actively seeking new graduates.

Indeed offers one of the widest ranges of SLP positions across all settings and geographic locations. While the sheer volume can feel overwhelming, Indeed’s filtering capabilities help you narrow results to CFY-appropriate positions. Many clinical fellows report receiving recruiter contacts via Indeed, making it valuable for both passive job searching and active applications.

SLPJobs.com maintains a dedicated CFY section specifically designed for clinical fellows. This specialized resource understands the unique needs of new graduates and curates positions appropriate for fellowship completion.

LinkedIn Jobs serves dual purposes in your job search. Not only can you find and apply to positions, but maintaining an active, complete LinkedIn profile also attracts recruiter attention. Several clinical fellows report being contacted by recruiters through LinkedIn for positions they hadn’t independently discovered. CFY positions may also appear on platforms like Glassdoor and Handshake, particularly for new graduates seeking entry-level opportunities.

State and Regional Resources

For school-based positions, state-specific job boards provide concentrated access to educational opportunities. California’s EdJoin platform, for example, aggregates all public school positions into a single searchable database. Many states maintain similar systems for their educational employment.

State speech-language-hearing associations often maintain job boards or host virtual and in-person job fairs exclusively for members. These state associations provide career resources and networking opportunities specifically for SLPs practicing in your target location.

Direct Employer Research

Many excellent CFY opportunities never appear on job boards. Hospital systems, skilled nursing facility chains, school districts, and private practices often post openings exclusively on their own websites. This direct approach requires more time investment but usually yields opportunities with less competition.

Create a list of all potential employers in your target geographic area, visit their career pages weekly, and set up job alerts when available. This proactive strategy helps you discover positions before they’re widely advertised.

Staffing and Contract Companies

Companies like Soliant Health, AMN Healthcare, and numerous regional staffing agencies specialize in placing clinical fellows, particularly in school settings. These companies maintain relationships with districts and facilities nationwide and can match you with positions aligned with your preferences.

Contract companies offer both advantages and considerations. On the positive side, they handle much of the administrative burden, often provide higher hourly rates, and can place you quickly. Carefully review contract terms, as many include non-compete clauses that may restrict your ability to work directly for the placement site for one to two years after your contract ends. The legal enforceability of such clauses varies by state, so consider consulting an attorney if you have concerns about specific contract language.

Choosing Your Clinical Fellowship Setting

Understanding the differences between clinical fellowship settings helps you target your search effectively and select an environment that aligns with your professional goals and personal preferences.

School-Based Clinical Fellowships

School settings represent the most common CFY placement, partly because the nine-to-ten-month school calendar aligns perfectly with ASHA’s clinical fellowship timeline. Advantages of school-based CFYs include predictable schedules that typically run from 7:30 AM to 3:30 PM, with no weekend or evening work.

The built-in time off, including summer, winter, and spring breaks, as well as federal holidays, provides substantial work-life balance. For clinical fellows with families or those who value significant vacation time, this schedule proves highly attractive. School-based practice allows you to develop long-term therapeutic relationships with students and to follow their progress over months or even years. You’ll work with children and adolescents across a range of communication disorders, including articulation disorders, language delays, fluency disorders, and autism spectrum disorders.

Challenges in school settings include managing large caseloads, typically 45-55 students, depending on district size and needs. Beyond direct therapy, school SLPs manage extensive paperwork demands, including IEPs, progress reports, evaluation write-ups, and documentation requirements.

Medical Clinical Fellowships

Medical setting, including acute care hospitals, inpatient rehabilitation facilities, outpatient clinics, and skilled nursing facilities, offering distinct CFY experiences focused on adult and geriatric populations. Benefits of medical CFYs include higher annual salaries, which may range from $80,000 to $114,000 for year-round positions, with the upper range typically found in high-cost metropolitan areas.

You’ll develop expertise in dysphagia assessment and treatment, instrumental examinations, and management of medically complex patients. The fast-paced, dynamic environment provides constant learning opportunities and exposure to interdisciplinary medical teams.

Medical CFY challenges include high productivity expectations. Some skilled nursing facilities require 75-90% of your time to be spent in billable patient contact, a demanding standard for clinical fellows still building efficiency. The emotional demands of medical settings, including working with critically ill patients, end-of-life situations, and families in crisis, weigh heavily on some clinicians.

Transitioning Between Settings

An important strategic consideration is that transitioning from medical to school settings proves significantly easier than the reverse. Moving to schools primarily requires learning special education law and the IEP process, es since your clinical skills transfer readily. Moving from schools to medical settings requires gaining competency in dysphagia, acute care protocols, and medical terminology, often necessitating additional continuing education.

If you have a genuine interest in both settings but feel uncertain about your long-term preference, starting with a medical CFY offers more career flexibility. However, don’t choose a setting you’ll dislike just for future optionality. Many SLPs successfully blend both worlds by working full-time in schools while maintaining per diem medical positions.

Crafting Application Materials That Stand Out

Your resume and cover letter represent your first impression with potential employers. Clinical fellowship applications require strategic positioning that highlights your readiness while acknowledging your novice status.

Resume Strategies for Clinical Fellows

Your resume should clearly indicate your Clinical Fellow status prominently. Some new graduates report that HR departments automatically reject applications when they don’t immediately recognize the applicant as a clinical fellow. Consider adding “Clinical Fellow (CF-SLP)” near your name or in a certifications section.

Highlight your clinical placements with specific details about populations served, settings experienced, and interventions implemented. Quantify your experience where possible. “Conducted 15 comprehensive speech-language evaluations for pediatric clients ages 3-10 with suspected language delays” sounds more impressive than “Completed evaluation assignments.”

Include any specialized training or certifications you’ve completed, such as LSVT LOUD, Beckman Oral Motor, or AAC-specific coursework. Hospitals and specialty clinics particularly value these credentials, as they indicate initiative and readiness to work with specific populations.

Create an ATS-friendly format using standard section headings, avoiding tables or complex formatting that applicant tracking systems struggle to parse. Post your resume on LinkedIn and Indeed to attract passive recruiters.

Writing an Effective Cover Letter

Your cover letter provides an opportunity to tell your professional story and connect your background to the specific position. Open with your Clinical Fellow status and enthusiasm: “I am writing to apply for the Clinical Fellowship position at [Organization]. As I approach graduation from [Program] in May, I am eager to begin my clinical fellowship in a setting that values [specific organizational characteristic].”

Align your skills with their stated needs by carefully reading the job description and mission statement. If they emphasize family-centered care, discuss your experience collaborating with families during clinical placements. If they mention a specific population, like voice disorders, highlight relevant coursework and clinical hours.

Demonstrate genuine interest in their organization by explaining why this specific position appeals to you. Perhaps you’ve always admired their commitment to serving underserved populations, or their treatment philosophy aligns with your clinical approach. Keep it concise, aiming for a half-page toa full page maximum.

Preparing for Clinical Fellowship Interviews

Interview preparation distinguishes competitive candidates and helps you assess whether a position truly matches your needs and professional goals.

Research and Preparation

Before any interview, thoroughly research the organization. Review their website, mission statement, and any available information about their speech-language pathology department. Check online reviews on Glassdoor and Google to understand employees’ experiences and the organization’s culture.

Prepare a portfolio of work samples, including de-identified evaluation reports, treatment plans, progress notes, and data collection forms, that demonstrate your clinical reasoning and documentation skills. For virtual interviews, have digital versions ready to share.

Essential Questions to Ask

Your questions during the interview serve two purposes: gathering information to make an informed decision and demonstrating your professionalism and priorities.

CFY-specific questions include asking who will serve as your clinical fellowship supervisor and whether you could speak with them before accepting an offer. Inquire about the mentorship and support structure for clinical fellows, how frequently you’ll receive supervision and observations, and what the training timeline and onboarding process look like.

Caseload and workload questions should cover typical caseload size, the ratio of direct to indirect service time, productivity expectations (significant for medical settings), and which documentation platforms you’ll use, with available training.

Professional development and benefits questions include reimbursement for continuing education courses, whether the organization covers ASHA dues and state licensure fees, the budget for therapy materials and assessment tools, and the health insurance, retirement, and PTO benefits offered.

Common Interview Questions

“What brought you to the field of speech-language pathology?” assesses your genuine interest and long-term commitment. Share a compelling, authentic story rather than a generic response.

“What are your clinical strengths and areas for growth?” requires honest but strategic framing. Everyone has areas needing development as a new graduate. Acknowledging this demonstrates self-awareness. Follow each area for growth with your improvement plan.

“Describe your experience with [specific population or disorder]” calls for specifics about the number of patients or students you’ve worked with and which evaluation measures and treatment approaches you’ve used. If you lack experience in the mentioned area, discuss relevant coursework and your eagerness to develop skills.

Recognizing Red Flags

Not all clinical fellowship opportunities provide the support and environment necessary for professional development. Learning to identify problematic situations protects you from challenging first-year experiences.

Supervision Red Flags

The most critical red flag concerns the quality and accessibility of supervision. If the employer mentions that your supervisor will provide guidance virtually from another state with infrequent in-person observations, seriously reconsider this opportunity. ASHA requires a minimum of 18 on-site observations throughout your fellowship. Virtual-only supervision rarely provides the hands-on mentorship new clinicians need.

Vague answers when you ask about your specific supervisor should concern you. You deserve to know who will mentor you, their experience level, and, ideally, to speak with them before accepting an offer. If the interview reveals no clear clinical fellowship supervision plan or the organization seems unfamiliar with ASHA requirements, this suggests they lack experience supporting clinical fellows.

Contract and Employment Red Flags

Restrictive non-compete clauses merit careful consideration, particularly with contract companies. Some contracts prohibit you from working directly for the placement site for two years after your contract ends, or require the hiring organization to pay a buyout fee. While not always dealbreakers, these restrictions should be understood before signing.

Required commitment periods without at-will employment clauses should raise concerns. Contracts requiring you to work for a specified period without the right to resign may trap you in an unsuitable position. Look for at-will employment language allowing either party to end the relationship with appropriate notice.

Unrealistic productivity expectations for clinical fellows signal potential problems. If a skilled nursing facility requires 90-95% productivity for a new graduate still learning documentation systems and clinical workflows, you’ll likely struggle to meet expectations without working off the clock. Even more common expectations of 85-90% can be challenging for clinical fellows who are still building efficiency.

Organizational Red Flags

High turnover or difficulty retaining SLPs indicates systemic problems. During interviews, ask about staff tenure. If you discover most clinicians leave within a year or two, investigate why through reviews and conversations with current or former employees.

A lack of materials, assessment tools, or professional resources hampers your ability to provide quality care and to develop your clinical skills. Ask specifically about the materials budget, available standardized assessments, and continuing education support.

Unwillingness to let you speak with current staff before accepting an offer suggests the organization may be hiding problems. Reputable employers understand that candidates want to talk to their potential colleagues and facilitate these conversations.

Navigating Job Offers and Negotiations

Receiving a job offer represents an exciting milestone, but the negotiation process determines your actual compensation, support, and working conditions for the year ahead.

Evaluating the Complete Offer

When you receive an offer, resist the temptation to accept immediately, even if you’re thrilled about the position. Request the offer in writing and ask for 24-48 hours to review all details thoroughly.

Examine the complete compensation package, not just base salary. Consider base salary or hourly rate, sign-on bonuses ranging from $3,000 to $10,000 for some positions, health insurance quality and premium costs, retirement benefits including 401k matching, paid time off, continuing education reimbursement and paid CE time, licensure and ASHA dues coverage, and student loan repayment assistance programs.

A position offering a slightly lower salary but covering ASHA dues ($225 annually), state licensure ($150-300 annually), and $1,000 in continuing education may actually provide better total compensation than a higher-salary position without these benefits.

Salary Expectations for Clinical Fellows

Understanding typical clinical fellowship salaries helps you negotiate from an informed position. As of January 2026, the national average wage for SLP CFY positions is $92,039 annually ($44.25 per hour). The middle 50% of clinical fellows earn between $78,500 (25th percentile) and $106,000 (75th percentile), with the top earners earning $118,500.

Geographic location significantly impacts salary. Clinical fellows in major metropolitan areas like Seattle, San Francisco, and New York earn notably higher wages than those in many regions. Clinical fellows typically earn 10-15% less than fully licensed SLPs in comparable positions, a reasonable differential given the time investment in supervision and reduced productivity during the learning curve.

Percentile Strategies

Many new graduates feel uncomfortable negotiating, fearing they’ll appear ungrateful or lose the offer. However, employers expect some negotiation, and failing to advocate for yourself often results in accepting less favorable terms than the employer would have offered if asked.

Please wait until you have a formal offer before negotiating and discussing salary during initial interviews or before an offer materializes, as it positions you poorly. Once you have an official offer, you’ve established your value and can negotiate from a position of strength.

Never provide a salary range when asked about expectations. Respond with: “I’m open to discussing this more as we progress through the hiring process” or “Based on my experience and the ASHA requirements for clinical fellowship supervision, I expect competitive compensation. I’d like to understand the complete benefits package before discussing specific numbers.”

When you do negotiate, ask for slightly more than your target. If you want $48 per hour, request $50-52 per hour. This gives you room to compromise while still achieving your goal. Justify your request with data about clinical fellowship salaries in the region and your specialized training in relevant areas.

Focus on your value, not your needs. Instead of “I have student loans to pay,” emphasize “My clinical placement at [prestigious site] provided extensive experience with [relevant population], and my training in [specialized area] will allow me to contribute to your team immediately.”

If the employer cannot increase base salary, negotiate other valuable elements, including sign-on bonuses, additional PTO, earlier eligibility for benefits, higher continuing education allowance, or licensure fee coverage. Get all agreements in writing before accepting.

Preparing for Your Clinical Fellowship

Once you’ve accepted a position, strategic preparation helps you start strong and build a foundation for success throughout your fellowship year.

Licensing and Certification Preparation

Before beginning your clinical fellowship, you must secure appropriate credentials. Research your state’s requirements for a temporary or provisional license that allows you to practice under supervision during your fellowship. Application processing typically takes four to six weeks, so submit your application well before your anticipated start date.

Verify that your CFY supervisor holds a current CCC-SLP credential. This is your responsibility, not solely your employer’s. Check ASHA’s online verification system before beginning your fellowship, and reverify at the end of each calendar year when members renew their certification.

Most states require passing the Praxis Examination in Speech-Language Pathology before starting practice, even as a clinical fellow. The current passing score for ASHA certification is 162 on a 100-200 scale. ASHA recommends taking the exam during your final year of graduate coursework or during your first year of clinical practice.

Professional Organization Memberships

Join your state speech-language-hearing association before starting your CFY. State associations provide networking opportunities, job boards, continuing education at reduced member rates, and advocacy for the profession. Many offer discounted rates for clinical fellows.

Consider joining ASHA Special Interest Groups that align with your clinical fellowship setting or areas of interest. These groups provide newsletters, webinars, and online communities focused on specific populations or practice areas.

Building Your Professional Network

Start building professional relationships before your first day. Connect on LinkedIn with colleagues from graduate school, clinical supervisors from placements, and SLPs working in your target area. These connections often lead to job opportunities, clinical consultation, and professional support.

Join online SLP communities on Facebook, Reddit, and Instagram. Groups dedicated to school-based speech and language therapy and setting-specific communities provide daily support, resource sharing, and clinical problem-solving assistance.

Frequently Asked Questions

2024 US Bureau of Labor Statistics salary and job market figures for Speech-Language Pathologists reflect state and national data, not school-specific information. Conditions in your area may vary. Data accessed January 2026.

Sarah Keller

Sarah M. Keller, MS, CCC-SLP, is a licensed speech-language pathologist with 15 years of experience in pediatric clinics and university training programs. She earned her master’s in speech-language pathology from a CAHPS-accredited program in the Midwest and supervised clinical practicums for online and hybrid SLP cohorts. Sarah now advises students on graduate school applications, clinical fellowships, and state licensure. She lives in Colorado with her family and golden retriever.

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