Swallow Physiology Masterclass Tier 3

Immersive In-Person Experience

June 2-4, 2023 in
Washington, DC

1.6 ASHA CEUs

Price: $550

The Swallow Physiology Masterclass Tier 3 (SPMCT3) Experience is the essential Clinical Supplement to your existing clinical skill set. Our interactive learning curriculum is customized to our attendees' needs and teaches clinical practices that are human-centered, evidence-based, and common-sense-based. These immersive exercises are geared toward Speech-Language Pathology professionals who want to completely refresh and re-imagine their clinical practice.

This interactive in-person meeting will focus on 3 primary areas: (1) Self-awareness and personal growth to enhance professional and clinical skills (2) Identifying fear-based practices and replacing them with evidence-based practice (3) How to collect data about your practice patterns to justify the best clinical decisions.

Before you register: You are encouraged to complete this Pre-Registration form. Additionally, STEP Swallow Physiology Masterclass Tiers 1 and 2 online courses are encouraged, but NOT required to register for SPMCT3. If you have not completed Tier 1 and 2 courses, it will not impact your in-person course experience and learning.

Swallow Physiology Masterclass Tier 3 (SPMCT3)

In-Person Experience Overview

What can you expect from SPMCT3?

  • Opportunities for strong connections and relationship building with self and others
  • Critical thinking and honest communication 
  • Multiple opportunities to improve skills in data collection to justify clinical decisions 
  • Integrating movement during learning (“People As Data Points” exercise)
  • A range of opportunities for learning and connecting: small group work, individual reflection time, whole group collaboration and more

SPMCT3 will NOT include:

  • Traditional lectures
  • Passive approach to learning
  • Checklists, tables, protocols, or any kind of prescriptive guide for dysphagia management 
  • Death by PowerPoint and redundancy

Who should attend SPMCT3?

The SPMCT3 in-person experience is for speech-language pathologists (SLPs) who have completed their Clinical Fellowship and are engaged in clinical practice.  This course is an Advanced Level course. We are not denoting a specific number of minimum years of practice, but we expect that clinicians with at least a few years of experience will gain more from this course, as it involves a metacognitive review of your practice patterns.  

New to learning about swallowing and not sure this course is for you?  

STEP Community Membership offers excellent online learning opportunities to get foundational knowledge about normal swallowing function, clinical and instrumental swallowing evaluations, evidence-based dysphagia treatment, advocacy, and ethical issues, starting at just $15/month with no annual commitment. You can also start learning about Swallow Physiology and timing measures in videofluoroscopic studies with our Tier 1 and Tier 2 Masterclass courses first. Consider attending an in-person experience in the future, if SPMCT3 is not right for you today.

Meeting Venue and Logistics: The meeting will be held at Selina Hotel in Washington, DC. The hotel is located at 411 New York Ave NE, Washington, DC 20002. We've negotiated a discounted rate of $149 per night (exclusive of taxes) for conference attendees. This rate is available from June 2-4 for 2 nights and 3 days. If you'd like to take advantage of this special rate, please email us at [email protected]. You do not need to contact the hotel to make a reservation. 

Airport: Washington Reagan National, DC (DCA) would be the best option, for those of you flying in. 

Support: Please contact [email protected] if you have any additional questions. 

SPMCT3 In-Person Experience Agenda

June 2 - 4, 2023 in Washington, DC


Friday, June 2, 2023 - Networking in the Nation’s Capital (Evening Only)

6 PM - 8 PM: Unity and togetherness are the essential foundations of the workforce and professional empowerment. This event will set the tone for the next two days of learning and reflection. 

  • Setting intentions at the start of the meeting as a means to monitor progress over the next two days 
  • Networking with fellow attendees
  • Presentation of personalized SPMCT3 journals, which will be used throughout the experience for reflection

June 2nd is also Dr. Humbert’s 47th birthday - expect a fun learning atmosphere. No dress code in place.


Saturday, June 3, 2023 - Food for Thought (Full Day)

MORNING ACTIVITIES

8 AM - 9 AM: Breakfast

Opening discussions about the SPMCT3 In-Person Experience:

  • Attentive listening and intentional speaking
  • Honesty with yourself and others
  • Attending to the well-being of the group
  • Unlearning is difficult, but essential for growth

9 AM - 12 PM: People As Data Points (PADP) - Food for Thought

People As Data Points is an immersive and interactive experience where we probe thinking via survey questions. In this activity, attendees physically move through the meeting room to denote their responses to our questions. This encourages active learning and is a dynamic way to understand your personal perspectives relative to those of your colleagues. The Food for Thought PADP topics will include:

  • Getting to know yourself (personal and professional)
  • Rethink everything you think you know: Dealing with bias and unlearning
  • Refer in. Refer out: Self-awareness in professional spaces
  • Evidence-based practice versus Fear-based practice in dysphagia management
  • Clinical data  to support your documented claims
  • The Swallowing System versus the Healthcare System
  • The Informed SLP versus The Uninformed SLP

AFTERNOON ACTIVITIES

12 PM - 1 PM: Lunch 
Reflecting and summarizing trends and surprises from Food for Thought PADP activity 

1 PM - 5 PM: Contribution to the Solution

Attendees will be organized into small group work, followed by individual reflection (journaling) time, and ending with whole group collaboration. Brainstorming and strategic planning topics include:

  • Overworked, underpaid, and misunderstood
  • Reframing the SLP role in dysphagia management (pie in the sky)
  • Stakeholders, gaslighters, and scapegoats
  • Extending and expanding upward career mobility
  • Creating time to think at work


Sunday, June 4, 2023 - Food for Thought (Morning Only)

8 AM - 9 AM: Breakfast

  • Reflecting on Day One
  • Optional sharing of journal entries

9 AM - 12 PM: People As Data Points (PADP) - Connecting Your Clinical Data

Our concluding PADP activity will connect what we have learned in our two previous days to a powerful, relevant, and immediately implementable tool: Collecting data to emphasize SLP value as a healthcare team member. The Connecting Your Clinical Data PADP topics will include:

  • Swallowing is the best treatment for swallowing: How to let your patients eat
  • Leveraging the currency of supportive and unsupportive colleagues
  • Fear-mongering-free education for patients, caregivers, and other medical team members
  • Filling the research holes in our field with YOUR clinical data
  • After the SPMCT3 Experience: Maintaining momentum and conserving collegial connections

12 PM - 1 PM: Champagne Toast
SPMCT3 In-Person Experience Inaugural Class Graduation Ceremony and signing of yearbooks (SMPCT3 journals)

SPMCT3 ASHA CEU Information

1.6 ASHA CEUs | Advanced Level

Audience: Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs) who have completed their Clinical Fellowship and are engaged in clinical practice

Pricing: $550 for 1.6 ASHA CEUs (16 hours of professional development) 

Refund Policy: Refunds for this course registration will be offered until May 1. No refunds will be offered after that day. No exceptions will be made.

Educational Level: Advanced
Instruction at the Advanced Level assumes the participant already has established experience, knowledge, and skill within swallowing physiology and dysphagia management. The focus of this course is on synthesis and application of information presented to advance current clinical practices. The pace of instruction and level of difficulty of the material presented are commensurate with the needs of a professional with comprehensive knowledge, ability, and experience in dysphagia management. 

Pre-requisites: There are no pre-requisites for this course. However, we encourage that you complete the Pre-Registration Form before registering. Completion of Masterclass Tiers 1 and 2 online courses are encouraged, but not mandatory. If you have not completed Tier 1 and 2 courses, it will not impact your in-person course experience and learning. 

Learning Objectives: As a result of this course, participants will be able to: 

  • Identify personally-relevant methods of self-critique that can be integrated into daily clinical decisions
  • Explain how hidden and unhidden cognitive biases influence clinical decisions.
  • Describe two methods of data collection and their incorporation into clinical workflow

Presenters: Ianessa Humbert, Ph.D, and Amy Allison Shipley, M.S., CCC-SLP

ASHA CEU Information: This course is being offered for 1.6 ASHA CEUs. The entirety of this course must be completed in order to earn 1.6 ASHA CEUs and a certificate of completion. Partial credit is not available for this course.


 This course is offered for 1.6 ASHA CEUs (Advanced level, Professional area)

Recording and consent: This meeting will be professionally recorded for future educational coursework on www.stepcommunity.com. Your registration and attendance will require your consent that you grant permission to the rights of your image, likeness, and/or voice to be used for educational purposes in the future without payment, royalties, or any other considerations.

Swallow Physiology Masterclass Reviews

See what SLPs have to say about SPMC Tiers 1 and 2

5 star rating

Amazing dive into re-evaluating how you are doing things, physiology and the importance of timing measures!

Jacqueline Santacroce

I really enjoyed this course and feel I have learned so much. I have been completing MBS and CSE for about 10 years and this course is opening my eyes to how to improve my use and interpretation of both. Highly recommend!

I really enjoyed this course and feel I have learned so much. I have been completing MBS and CSE for about 10 years and this course is opening my eyes to how to improve my use and interpretation of both. Highly recommend!

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5 star rating

How was this not part of my graduate education??

Stephanie Rimroth

This provided me fundamental understanding of concepts I was not just missing but wrongly documenting - this should be a requirement for all grad students. I wish it had been for me.

This provided me fundamental understanding of concepts I was not just missing but wrongly documenting - this should be a requirement for all grad students. I wish it had been for me.

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5 star rating

Excellent learning module and flow

Samantha Lukert

This course was excellent for first identifying our overall biases, explaining what we can and cannot see, and then training on how to calculate and interpret what we can see. All of the material flowed well, was cohesive, and informative. There w...

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This course was excellent for first identifying our overall biases, explaining what we can and cannot see, and then training on how to calculate and interpret what we can see. All of the material flowed well, was cohesive, and informative. There was no filler content, and the graphics made it easy to learn and maintain focus. I would highly recommend!

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5 star rating

Excellent overview of swallow physiology and assessment considerations

Caitlin Cloud

Dr. Humbert's approach to teaching is exceptional. I learned more about swallow physiology and assessment considerations during this course than I did in my university course, and I feel more confident going into my clinical fellowship year with a...

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Dr. Humbert's approach to teaching is exceptional. I learned more about swallow physiology and assessment considerations during this course than I did in my university course, and I feel more confident going into my clinical fellowship year with access to this course.

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5 star rating

Great review of swallowing function

Jonathan Lamere

Having been an SLP working with dysphagia for almost 20 years and reflecting on how my practice has evolved, this course is a great combination of review of anatomy and physiology with evidence based information to guide dysphagia assessment with ...

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Having been an SLP working with dysphagia for almost 20 years and reflecting on how my practice has evolved, this course is a great combination of review of anatomy and physiology with evidence based information to guide dysphagia assessment with more current information. Thank you!

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5 star rating

A great start to 'leveling up' my clinical skills!

Leslie-Ann Williams

A great start to 'leveling up' my clinical skills!. Thank you Dr. Humbert for investing your time, knowledge, and skills in this training. The presentation itself is engaging, and made learning easier for someone like me who needs to visualize. Th...

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A great start to 'leveling up' my clinical skills!. Thank you Dr. Humbert for investing your time, knowledge, and skills in this training. The presentation itself is engaging, and made learning easier for someone like me who needs to visualize. The information also challenges me to relearn anatomy and physiology, AND to consistently use it in my clinical practice. I think this will be a great foundation for a future transition from SNF to acute care! Definitely leveling up as a medical SLP in more ways than one!

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5 star rating

Fantastic course!

Rachel Mack

A wonderful course exploring the anatomy & physiology, timing, and sensation of the swallow and how they work together to provide us, clinicians, a pathway to better diagnosis and treatment. This course provided me with tools and ideas to impl...

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A wonderful course exploring the anatomy & physiology, timing, and sensation of the swallow and how they work together to provide us, clinicians, a pathway to better diagnosis and treatment. This course provided me with tools and ideas to implement into my clinical practice, from a longer sensory portion of my CSE to timing measures on an MBSS. This course is a MUST for any clinical working with dysphagia.

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Swallow Physiology Masterclass Tier 3

Interactive. Immersive. In-Person Experience.