Clinical reasoning and decision‐making of pre‐professional speech–language therapists during clinical swallowing examination

What is already known on this subject Expert SLTs engage in cycles of inductive hypothesis generation and deductive hypothesis testing during CSE, which enables efficient and accurate clinical decision-making. What this paper adds to the existing knowledge Pre-professional SLTs engage in a similar approach to CSE as expert SLTs, but using a more item-based, step-by-step assessment approach with a focus on biomechanical aspects of swallowing and a stronger focus on inductive hypothesis generation. What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work? The findings of this research illustrate the approaches to clinical reasoning in CSE taken by pre-professional SLTs. These findings broaden our understanding of clinical reasoning development from novice to expert and can be used to inform early career mentoring and clinical skill development as well as how pre-professional university curricula can prepare students for work-integrated learning activities and facilitate entry level competency development.