Speech-Language Pathology Clinical Fellow job description
107 verified openings in Speech-Language Pathologists
Thirty-six weeks and 1,260 hours is the minimum clinical fellowship the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association sets between a speech-language pathology master's degree and its Certificate of Clinical Competence. The fellowship is mentored, post-graduate clinical work of at least five hours a week, finished within four years of starting, with at least 80 percent of the time in direct clinical contact. BLS does not track fellows on a line of their own and counts them as speech-language pathologists. That line's median annual wage was $97,870 in May 2025, and because BLS does not break pay out by experience, its range from $62,900 at the tenth percentile to $134,160 at the ninetieth covers new and experienced clinicians together.
Core Duties and Responsibilities
A fellow does a speech-language pathologist's work under a mentor. That means evaluating speech, language, voice, fluency, and swallowing, writing and adjusting treatment plans, treating clients, and documenting each case from evaluation to discharge. The mentor must hold a current Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology and have at least nine months of full-time clinical experience after certifying. In each reporting segment, the mentor provides six hours of direct supervision, at least three of them in person, and six hours of indirect supervision.
Common Skills and Technologies
The fellowship is where a new clinician puts O*NET's top-rated skills for the occupation to daily use: reading comprehension, active listening, critical thinking, and social perceptiveness. Writing ranks just below them, and the job's records run from evaluations to billing. eClinicalWorks is the health records system O*NET names from postings, beside Microsoft Word, Excel, and Office.
Education, Training, and Career Path
Before the fellowship comes a master's degree. As of July 2026, the Council on Academic Accreditation accredited 305 of the 336 U.S. speech-language pathology master's programs, with the other 31 in candidacy. Certification also takes a score of 162 on the Praxis speech-language pathology exam, test code 5331. The Handbook says certification typically satisfies some or all of a state's licensing requirements, and some employers require it. States handle the fellowship year in their own ways. Texas, for one, issues a license to SLP interns.
Sources: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, https://www.asha.org/certification/clinical-fellowship/. ETS, https://praxis.ets.org/state-requirements/asha-overview.html. Council on Academic Accreditation, https://caa.asha.org/programs/. O*NET 30.0, 29-1127.00 Speech-Language Pathologists, https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/29-1127.00. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, 29-1127, https://www.bls.gov/oes/tables.htm. BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/speech-language-pathologists.htm.