This Saturday, I take COMPs. Longwood University administers comprehensive examinations to all graduate students, no matter what program they have been completing. For my program, there are three questions: an adult case study, a child case study, and an ethical case study. We have approximately three and a half hours to complete those three questions. It's pass/fail.
Speech-Language Pathology is a broad field. For the past two years, we have been studying material from nine areas. Speech, language (duh), cognition, hearing, social, fluency, augmentative/alternative communication, voice, and swallowing. All of those involve a level of study involving neurology and anatomy at the core. It is not an easy program. I am so grateful (for being laid-off???) that I was able to complete this program full-time.
These COMPs are, well, comprehensive. We must know everything about every area.
In August, I started reviewing terminology and basic concepts. I found old flashcards from midterms and finals, then filled in gaps with new ones. I also started recording myself reading those flashcards. I listened to those flashcards over and over and over again...while I was running, on commutes, anytime I could. I carried flashcards in my scrub pockets, took them to bars during Panthers game in VA, and to tailgates before Hokies games. Every week, I reviewed a different area, each of those nine; some twice.
Starting in January, I've been meeting with a classmate and friend. We've reviewed a praxis prep book and then started looking at all the information as a big picture situation. I've read every case study in every textbook I own. We've compiled fake case studies and borrowed case studies from other classmates. We've found case studies on websites. From each, we work through differential diagnoses, analyze assessment data, identify necessary next steps for assessment and treatment, identify referrals, and create treatment plans complete with prognosis, goals, and rationale.
After three straight full days of studying over this past weekend, I've decided I have done everything I can. I was fortunate enough to complete a real pediatric language eval on a child today, and I figure my report will be the best practice I can think of for the child case study. For the adult case study, my reports each day are the best practice of anything, I suppose.
So tonight, I watched House, skyped with some friends (mostly about school), and did NOT study. I will probably read some more case studies later this week (thanks to Carrie for finding some decent ones), but other than that...nada. I truly feel like I have done everything I can. If six months of dedicated and deliberate studying isn't enough, well, then, I'll just have to take it again.
Please send good vibes my way Saturday morning at 8am...then bring a collective sigh of relief with me at noon. My entire graduate school career will have culminated...
(note: I am not proofreading this post...my brain is fried...sorry for any errors)
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