Health and Human Services News

Speech, Language and Hearing Clinic promotes collaboration between programs

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The Speech, Language and Hearing Clinic is a vital resource for the Missouri State campus and the surrounding community. Students and faculty work with patients in three programs: Speech-language pathology, early intervention of the deaf and hard of hearing and audiology. 

Dr. Lauren Jones, Tara Oetting and Dr. Sarah Jones oversee the clinic’s three programs. 

“The collaboration here is amazing,” Oetting said. “I have speech pathologists down the hallway to get information from and to help me learn different things, and audiologists are down the other hallway. The chance to learn from my colleagues, or even students in the other areas, is very rewarding.”  

Jones, Oetting and Jones discuss the collaborative and crucial work done in the clinic in May’s “Health Queries” episode.  

Listen to the episode 

 

Health building renamed Ann Kampeter Health Sciences Hall

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Especially in times of health crises, Missouri State University focuses on the importance of building a strong health care community.

The McQueary College of Health and Human Services (MCHHS) prepares students to fill urgent needs.

One way this is accomplished: give students access to first-rate facilities.

Today (Oct. 2), the Missouri State University Foundation unveiled a new name for the Professional Building: Ann Kampeter Health Sciences Hall.

It is named for Ann Kampeter, in recognition of a seven-figure gift to the foundation.

“Ann spent many hours in classes and visiting with faculty in the Professional Building when she was a student. Now she wants the physical surroundings to assist students in their education,” said Brent Dunn, executive director of the foundation.

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Ann Kampeter receives a Silver Medalilion for the Founders Club from President Smart.

Ann Kampeter receives a Silver Medallion for the Founders Club from President Smart in 2017.

Revealing the plan

Ann Kampeter Health Sciences Hall, formerly a bank building, stands at the corner of Kimbrough and Elm. Thanks to Kampeter’s gift, the building will undergo extensive renovations, including:

  • A centrally-located student access and advisement center that’s modern and fully equipped.
  • Updates to the Speech-Language and Hearing Clinic.
  • Additional meeting and study spaces.

“Missouri State students are motivated to make a difference in their communities,” said Missouri State President Clif Smart. “By improving facilities and giving students more spaces to collaborate, we are investing in the future of health care.”

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The renovations to Ann Kampeter Health Sciences Hall will begin immediately and be finalized by fall 2021.

“The renovated Ann Kampeter Health Sciences Hall will serve our students well as they study and gain practical experience in our labs, classrooms and clinics,” MCHHS Dean Dr. Mark Smith said.
Check out other health facilities on campus

The building houses:

Speech, Language and Hearing Clinic clocks successful summer online

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March 17, 2020 is a day many MSU students and faculty won’t soon forget. In the middle of spring break, the university moved the remaining semester fully online because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

For the Speech, Language and Hearing Clinic, online instruction meant in-person therapy sessions with clients wasn’t an option.

So, they got to work.

Sign outside door that reads "Speech-language-hearing clinic"
The Communication Sciences and Disorders Clinic in the Professional Building provides evaluation and treatment for all ages in the areas of Speech-Language Pathology, Audiology and early intervention for children who are deaf or hard of hearing.

Finishing spring 2020

Many speech-language pathology (SLP) graduate students clock clinical hours here. Practice in a real environment with actual clients, as opposed to simulated labs, accounts for more than 75% of their hours.

It was imperative, for students and patients, the clinic resumed operation as soon as possible.

“We wanted to be able to provide that community again,” said Lauren Jones, director of the Speech, Language and Hearing Clinic.

For the remainder of the semester, students used their limited simulation allowance to clock clinical hours, while faculty and staff ran the race to restructure the clinic for the summer.

Transitioning online

The move to a fully online clinic was multi-faceted.

The transition included switching student logins to multi-factor authentication to protect patient files accessed from outside the university. It was not an easy task.

“The team in information security helped push that through,” Jones said. “They advocated for us, and that was huge.”

After licensing Zoom accounts, securing information and making it accessible from home, the clinic logged on for teletherapy.

Close up of hands instructing on a piece of paper
Before COVID-19, students in the Speech, Language and Hearing Clinic worked with patients one-on-one.

Summer 2020

For Jennifer Pratt, clinical associate professor of communication sciences and disorders, moving online worried her at first. She works primarily with stroke patients who have difficulty processing new information.

“I couldn’t envision how it was going to work without being right there with them,” Pratt said.

But Pratt’s meetings went better than she hoped.

“The clients adapted. They were comfortable in their homes. They were very productive with their work on the sessions,” Pratt said. “There were so many positive aspects of it, and it opened my eyes to a different way of delivering services and teaching our students.”

Students reinforce the success of the summer semester.

Before moving to teletherapy, students worked with patients one-on-one, with a supervisor watching from another room. On Zoom, they lead sessions in small groups.

Amber Holko, an SLP graduate student, loved the newfound collaboration with her peers.

“It was the most positive and constructive group assignment I’ve ever done,” Holko said. “We all gave 110% because we knew our assignment had a direct effect on our patients.”

Changes for the better

While group therapy is a temporary change for the clinic in the age of COVID-19, some changes may stick around.

Teletherapy is increasing in demand. Jones hopes the clinic can continue to offer the experience to students and patients, even after COVID-19.

“This situation opened our eyes to the importance of meeting the needs of our patients,” Jones said. “When the COVID situation improves, we’ll bring people back on site, but we are looking at offering more hybrid models in the future.”

Overall, the experience and the changes pair often with one word: positive.

“My takeaway from this time is asking, ‘Would we have done this if we hadn’t been forced?’” Pratt said. “It’s exciting to think about our opportunities for the future, and to see something good come out of this.”

Early intervention, unique instruction

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Students studying communication sciences and disorders at Missouri State have many options to complete their clinical training through the Speech, Language and Hearing Clinic.

One service the clinic offers is a private preschool for deaf and hard of hearing children. The preschool encourages early intervention for children with hearing impairments.

Tara Oetting, clinical professor of communication sciences and disorders, and graduate students work with visual and audio techniques in the preschool program.

Read more about the preschool