The SLP Clinical Fellowship (CF): How It Works

Graduating with your master’s degree in speech-language pathology is the beginning of a credentialing process, not the end of it. Before you can earn the Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology (CCC-SLP) from ASHA, you have to complete the Clinical Fellowship — a supervised, post-graduate period of professional practice that bridges graduate training and independent licensure.

This guide explains what the CF is, how the structure works, what ASHA evaluates, and how to keep your paperwork clean from day one. It is an informational overview of ASHA’s CF program requirements. For official hour counts, evaluation timelines, and form specifics, always defer to ASHA’s current Clinical Fellowship resources.

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What Is the ASHA Clinical Fellowship?

The Clinical Fellowship (CF) is a period of mentored professional practice required for ASHA certification. It is not an internship and it is not a continuation of your graduate practicum — it is paid, independent professional work in which you hold your own caseload and take responsibility for clinical decisions, while a qualified CF mentor provides structured oversight and formal evaluations.

The CF is administered under ASHA’s Council for Clinical Certification in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology (CCFC). Completing it successfully — along with passing the Praxis exam in Speech-Language Pathology and meeting the graduate education requirements — is what qualifies you to apply for the CCC-SLP.

Your state license is separate. Most states issue a temporary or provisional license while you complete the CF, but the requirements vary significantly. Check with your state licensing board before you start seeing clients in a new jurisdiction.

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CF Hour and Duration Requirements

ASHA sets two separate minimums, and you have to satisfy both — meeting one early does not release you from the other:

• 1,260 hours of professional work, and
• 36 weeks of professional experience
• At least 80% of your major responsibilities must be direct client/patient contact — assessment, treatment, screening, counselling, and the recordkeeping and report writing tied to case management
• Completion across three CF Segments, with a formal evaluation at the end of each

Full-time is defined as 35 hours per week. The trap most fellows hit is assuming extra hours buy back calendar time: working more than 35 hours a week cannot shorten the CF below 36 weeks. If you log all 1,260 hours in 25 weeks, you still owe 11 weeks. Part-time is allowed, but any week with fewer than 5 hours of professional experience counts for nothing at all — not the hours, not the week.

You can check where you stand against all of these with our free SLP Clinical Fellowship hours calculator.

These figures are current as of August 2026 and are marked “no change” in ASHA’s own 2020→2027 standards crosswalk, but requirements do get revised — confirm against asha.org’s Clinical Fellowship standards before you plan your timeline, and note that your state licensure board may require more.

ASHA defines what counts as clinical hours in the CF — it is not every hour you work. Administrative tasks, continuing education, and meetings generally do not count toward the clinical hours total. Keep a separate log for clinical hours from your first week.

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CF Segments and the CFSI

The Clinical Fellowship is divided into three formal evaluation periods called Segments. Each Segment corresponds to roughly one-third of your CF, and each ends with a formal evaluation using ASHA’s Clinical Fellowship Skills Inventory (CFSI).

The Clinical Fellowship Skills Inventory (CFSI)

The CFSI is the structured evaluation instrument your CF mentor uses to rate your clinical skills at the end of each Segment and again at the CF’s conclusion. It covers knowledge, skills, and clinical judgment across ASHA’s Standards — broadly: evaluation, treatment, interaction and personal qualities, and professional growth.

Ratings on the CFSI are not pass/fail at each Segment. They are designed to show growth across the CF. A rating that would be concerning at the end of the third Segment might be acceptable in the first. What the CFSI tracks over time is trajectory: are your skills developing toward independent practice?

If the final CFSI rating does not meet ASHA’s threshold, or if significant concerns emerge mid-CF, ASHA may require CF extension. The CF mentor documents concerns and may request additional Segments.

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The CF Mentor: Role and Requirements

The CF mentor is the qualified, CCC-holding SLP who provides oversight, observation, and formal evaluation throughout your CF. The mentor relationship is not casual — ASHA has specific structural requirements for who can serve as a CF mentor and what they must do.

Who Can Be a CF Mentor?

Your CF mentor must hold an active, unencumbered CCC-SLP (or CCC-A for audiologists, though that doesn’t apply here). ASHA has additional requirements around the mentoring relationship. Key points:

• The mentor cannot be a family member
• The mentor should generally not have a financial arrangement that creates a conflict with providing objective evaluation
• Your employer can serve as your employer and your mentor, but the mentoring relationship and the employment relationship must both be properly structured

Check ASHA’s CF mentor eligibility guidance for current requirements, since specifics may have been updated.

What the CF Mentor Does

Your CF mentor must:

• Conduct at least 6 hours of direct observation of your clinical work in each Segment (18 hours across the CF)
• Conduct at least 6 hours of other monitoring activities in each Segment — chart review, discussion of cases, review of documentation (18 hours across the CF)
• Complete the CFSI at the end of each Segment and at the conclusion of the CF
• Sign and submit the required paperwork to ASHA

The distinction between direct observation and indirect monitoring matters. Both count toward the mentor’s required contact with you, but they are recorded separately, and each Segment must hit its own 6 + 6 — hours banked in Segment 1 do not cover a thin Segment 3. Make sure your mentor is logging both types throughout the CF, not just at Segment end when it’s time to fill out forms.

If your CF spans more than one job, mentor or setting, note that each must independently satisfy the time and mentorship requirements — the hours are not pooled or prorated across a mentor change.

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Direct Observation Requirements

ASHA requires a minimum number of direct observation hours per Segment. Direct observation means your CF mentor is present — in person or via real-time remote means — watching you provide clinical services. It is not a records review or a debriefing conversation.

Practically speaking:

• Schedule observations early in each Segment, not at the end. If your mentor has a conflict or illness close to the Segment deadline, you need buffer time.
• Confirm observation counts in writing after each observation. Both you and your mentor should have a running log.
• Telehealth observations are generally permissible under ASHA’s current rules, but confirm that your state licensing board does not impose additional restrictions on remote supervision.

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Knowledge and Skills Acquisition (KASA)

Before the CF begins, your graduate program should have certified that you completed ASHA’s knowledge and skills requirements — this is the KASA (Knowledge and Skills Acquisition) documentation. The KASA is part of the graduate-level requirements, not something you complete during the CF itself.

If you have any uncertainty about whether your program filed the required KASA documentation with ASHA, verify with your graduate program director before you start the CF. A missing or incomplete KASA can block your CCC-SLP application even after you complete the CF successfully.

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Starting the CF: Enrollment and Paperwork

You must notify ASHA before you begin — or within a short window after starting — your Clinical Fellowship. The enrollment process requires you to identify your CF mentor and submit the required documentation through ASHA’s online portal.

Steps at CF start:

1. Confirm your Praxis status. The Praxis exam in Speech-Language Pathology can be taken before, during, or after the CF. You do not need to have passed it before starting, but you must pass it before applying for the CCC-SLP. Most CFs start with Praxis either already passed or scheduled.
2. Complete CF enrollment through ASHA’s portal. This locks in your official start date.
3. Establish your CF Segment calendar. Map out the approximate dates for each Segment and when CFSI evaluations are due. Your mentor needs to know when observations must happen.
4. Build a logging system from day one. Paper logs are easy to lose; a spreadsheet or digital tracker is less fragile. Log every clinical hour with date, activity type, and patient population.

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Tracking CF Hours: What to Log

Your CF hour log is a compliance document. If ASHA or your state board asks for evidence of your CF completion, you need records — not your memory.

For each clinical session, log:

Field	What to Record
Date	Date of service
Setting	Hospital, school, private practice, SNF, etc.
Patient population	Pediatric language, adult neuro, fluency, AAC, etc.
Activity type	Assessment, treatment, consultation, other clinical
Hours (clinical)	Actual time in direct clinical activity
Cumulative total	Running total for the Segment and overall CF

Separately track:

• Direct observation dates and durations (which observations count toward ASHA minimums)
• Indirect monitoring contacts with your mentor (dates, type, approximate duration)
• Segment boundaries — when each Segment starts and ends
• CFSI completion dates

Do not rely on your employer’s payroll records as your CF log. Payroll reflects hours worked; your CF log must reflect hours of qualifying clinical activity, which is a narrower category.

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Common CF Documentation Problems

These are the issues that create delays when CFs are submitted for ASHA review or when CFs are extended:

Observation shortfalls discovered at Segment end. If your mentor realizes on the last day of Segment 2 that the minimum direct observation count wasn’t met, you have a problem. Track observations continuously, not retrospectively.

CFSI submitted without supporting documentation. The CFSI summary rating must be consistent with the narrative and skill ratings. A rating of “emerging” in a critical skill area at the final Segment — without documentation of a remediation plan — creates a flag.

Mentor changes mid-CF without ASHA notification. If your CF mentor becomes unavailable, you must notify ASHA promptly and get a new mentor approved. Hours accrued without a qualified, enrolled mentor may not count.

Clinical hours miscounted. Counting administrative time, documentation time unlinked to a patient encounter, or team meetings as clinical hours inflates your reported total. ASHA’s definition of qualifying clinical hours is specific — use it.

Gap in CF continuity. The CF must be completed within a defined window. Extended breaks from CF-qualifying employment may pause your clock or, in some cases, require you to start over. Check ASHA’s current rules on CF interruptions before taking a leave of absence.

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After the CF: Applying for the CCC-SLP

Once you complete the CF and have all documentation signed and submitted, ASHA reviews your application. The review confirms:

• Graduate education and KASA requirements met
• Praxis exam passed
• CF completed with a satisfactory final CFSI rating
• All required documentation submitted through the portal

If everything is in order, ASHA awards the CCC-SLP. From that point forward, you maintain certification through ASHA’s Certification Maintenance requirements (currently 30 certification maintenance hours per three-year interval, with specific category requirements). See ASHA’s certification maintenance page for current requirements.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can I complete the CF in more than one setting or with more than one employer?

Yes. The CF can be completed across multiple settings, and you can change employers during the CF. What matters is that you maintain a qualified CF mentor throughout and that you track your hours and observations across all positions. If your mentor changes, notify ASHA and get the new mentor enrolled.

Do telehealth hours count toward the CF?

ASHA has generally recognized telehealth as a permissible service delivery model, and hours providing telehealth services to patients can count as qualifying clinical hours. However, check both ASHA’s current CF guidance and your state board’s rules on telehealth — some states have additional requirements for licensed SLPs providing services across state lines or via remote delivery.

What happens if my CFSI rating is unsatisfactory?

A poor CFSI result at an intermediate Segment is not automatically a CF failure — it triggers a remediation process. Your CF mentor documents the areas of concern, a plan is developed, and the CF may be extended. A final CFSI result that does not meet ASHA’s standards requires review and may result in CF extension or additional requirements before the CCC-SLP is awarded. Contact ASHA directly if you receive a negative CFSI outcome.

Can my employer be my CF mentor?

Yes, an employer can serve as your CF mentor, provided the individual meets ASHA’s mentor eligibility requirements (holds an active CCC-SLP, is not excluded by ASHA’s conflict-of-interest rules, etc.). Some SLPs find it practical to have a direct supervisor serve as CF mentor. Others prefer a separate mentor, particularly if there are concerns about objective evaluation. Either arrangement can work — the paperwork requirements are the same.

What is the difference between the CF and the state supervised practice requirement?

These are parallel but separate credentialing tracks. ASHA’s CF is the national certification requirement for the CCC-SLP. Your state’s supervised practice requirement is a state licensure requirement. Many states align their supervision requirements with ASHA’s CF structure, but they are not identical. You may need to satisfy both simultaneously. Check with your state licensing board for the specifics of your state’s requirements.

Do I need to pass the Praxis before starting the CF?

No. The Praxis exam can be taken before, during, or after the CF, as long as it is passed before you submit your CCC-SLP application. Many new graduates take the Praxis in the spring of their final graduate year and begin the CF shortly after graduation, but the ordering is flexible. Confirm current Praxis registration and scoring timelines at ETS’s Speech-Language Pathology exam page.

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This article provides administrative and informational guidance about ASHA’s Clinical Fellowship structure. It does not constitute clinical, legal, or official certification advice. ASHA’s requirements are subject to change — verify all hour totals, form requirements, and deadlines directly with ASHA’s Clinical Fellowship resources before making decisions about your CF plan.