SLP clinical fellowship jobs: ASHA's CF requirements, mentors, pay, the license and what to ask

SLP clinical fellowship (CF) jobs in 2026: what ASHA requires of the CF year, where clinical fellows are hired, how a CF position differs from one that only accepts a CF, what it pays, the license you need during it, and the questions to ask before you sign.

After a speech-language pathology master's degree comes the clinical fellowship: a paid, mentored first job that leads to ASHA's Certificate of Clinical Competence (CCC-SLP). Finding the right CF position matters more than finding any first job, because the mentor and the setting decide whether the year counts. This guide sets out ASHA's own rules for the CF and what to look for, and every job figure in it opens the live list it comes from on CareJobs.Now, where 64,073 physical, occupational, speech and respiratory therapy jobs are open today, each read from the employer's own job board.

Contents

1. What the clinical fellowship is
2. What ASHA requires of the CF year
3. The mentor
4. Where clinical fellows are hired
5. What a CF position pays
6. The license during the CF
7. What to ask before you accept
8. A checklist

1. What the clinical fellowship is

In ASHA's words, "The SLP CF is a mentored professional experience that begins after the completion of academic course work and clinical practicum", and its goal is to move the clinical fellow from student to "a fully credentialled" speech-language pathologist. You are hired and paid as a speech-language pathologist, often with "Clinical Fellow" or "CF" in the job title, and you work under a mentor who signs off on your skills. When the CF is done, you apply for the CCC-SLP.

The CF cannot begin until you have completed all required graduate credit hours, coursework and clinical experiences.

2. What ASHA requires of the CF year

ASHA's 2020 certification standards (Standard VII) and its CF page set the terms:

• Length. "No less than 36 weeks of full-time professional experience or its part-time equivalent." Full time is 35 hours a week, "culminating in a minimum of 1,260 hours". In ASHA's words, "you must work at least 36 weeks and 1,260 hours".
• Part time counts, within limits. Part-time work must be at least 5 hours a week to count, and working more than 35 hours a week does not shorten the CF below 36 weeks.
• Direct clinical work. At least 80% of the CF must be "in direct client/patient contact" (assessment, diagnosis, evaluation, screening, treatment, and the recordkeeping, reports and counseling that go with them).
• Three segments. The CF is divided into three segments, each at least 12 weeks long, so your mentor can track your progress.
• Time limit. The CF must be completed within four years (48 months) of its start, and ASHA does not accept a CF experience more than 5 years old when you apply.
• What does not count. Travel, lunch, vacations, holidays, leaves of absence and other paid or unpaid time off cannot be counted toward the hours.

3. The mentor

The CF must be completed under a mentor who meets ASHA's qualifications (Standard VII-B) before mentoring begins, and ASHA puts the burden on you: "It is the Clinical Fellow's responsibility to identify a CF mentor who meets ASHA's certification standards." If the mentor turns out not to qualify, hours under them may not count. Ask for the mentor's name and ASHA account number before you start, and confirm their certification yourself.

4. Where clinical fellows are hired

Clinical fellows work wherever speech-language pathologists do: schools, early intervention and pediatric clinics, skilled nursing and rehab, home health, outpatient clinics and hospitals. Among today's postings that name a clinical fellow, pediatric home health, early intervention and school-based employers are frequent, and so are the therapy companies that staff skilled nursing facilities.

Read the posting closely. Some positions are written for a clinical fellow ("Speech Therapist Clinical Fellowship (CF) Year"); others hire a licensed SLP and say a CF is welcome ("SLP - CCC or CFY"). Both can work, but a position written for a CF is more likely to have a mentor ready on site. Our new grad therapy jobs list the open therapy jobs whose titles name a new graduate, a clinical fellowship or a residency, and our speech-language pathologist jobs every open SLP job.

5. What a CF position pays

A CF is a paid job. Some employers pay a clinical fellow less than an SLP who already holds the CCC and raise the pay once you earn it, so ask whether yours does, and when. Nationally, BLS measured a median of $97,870 a year for speech-language pathologists in May 2025. Home health often pays SLPs by the visit: our therapy job statistics give what home health postings state per visit today, and the home health therapy pay guide explains how per-visit pay works.

6. The license during the CF

ASHA certification and a state license are separate. Most states license speech-language pathologists, and your state's licensing board says whether you need a provisional, temporary or full license during the CF; apply before your start date, since the job cannot begin without it. Schools may also require a state education credential. If you plan to work in more than one state after your CF, the speech-language pathology compact shows which states issue compact privileges today.

7. What to ask before you accept

• Is the position written for a clinical fellow, and who will my mentor be? Does the mentor hold the CCC-SLP and meet ASHA's mentoring requirements?
• How often will my mentor observe me and meet with me, on site or remotely?
• How many hours a week will I work, and will at least 80% be direct clinical contact?
• Does the pay rise when I earn the CCC-SLP, and by how much?
• Is the job paid hourly, by salary or by the visit, and are drive time and documentation paid?
• Does the employer help with the provisional license or the school credential?

8. A checklist

1. Finish your coursework and clinical practicum: the CF cannot start before.
2. Find positions written for a clinical fellow: new grad therapy jobs.
3. Confirm your mentor's ASHA certification before your first day.
4. Apply for your state license or provisional license before your start date.
5. Track your hours each week: 36 weeks, 1,260 hours, at least 80% direct clinical contact.
6. Apply for the CCC-SLP when the CF is done, and ask for the raise that comes with it.