Clinical Opportunities
A significant strength of SHRS is the excellence and diversity of our affiliated 550+ clinical training sites, most of which are located within the western Pennsylvania area.
These include centers for persons with developmental disabilities, clinics, community agencies, hospices, hospitals, industry, long-term care facilities, physician's offices, private practice offices, public and private schools, rehabilitation centers, residential health facilities, and state and federal government agencies.
Examples of some of the SHRS affiliated sites include:
Clinical Education-Directed Practice
Clinical or field learning experiences are an integral and essential part of SHRS undergraduate professional programs.
All students preparing to be athletic trainers, audiologists, clinical dietitians, emergency medicine technicians (paramedics), health information managers, occupational therapists, physical therapists or speech-language pathologists will spend a stated amount of time in a variety of clinical education experiences. These experiences are planned sequentially and in coordination with classroom or laboratory courses taken on campus.
All clinical education experiences take place at sites that have signed contracts with the University of Pittsburgh. A SHRS faculty member, usually called a Coordinator of Clinical Education, assigns students to these sites. Supervision or instruction during clinical education is provided by a health professional(s) qualified appropriately for the type or level of content studied by the student. Students are required to carry professional liability insurance and personal health insurance during all phases of clinical education. Arrangements for liability insurance must be made through the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences. Arrangements for personal health insurance may be made independently or through referrals from the Student Health Service.
Some students may be required to travel a distance or to relocate outside the city for their clinical education assignments. All expenses for transportation, housing, food, etc., are the student's responsibility.
Students must wear proper attire, which may vary with the clinical education. Students studying to be health information managers, for example, will dress in street clothes, while students studying to be clinical dietitians may wear white uniforms. Safety may be a consideration. The coordinator of clinical education for each program will provide specific information about clothing or uniforms.