Templates give you a starting point. Understanding the structure underneath teaches you why they work, so you can write better prompts on your own, for any situation. (Looking for how your clinical orientation shapes prompting — naturalistic, discrete trial, family-centered? That’s Clinical Patterns.)

Pattern 01. Set your role

Telling the model who you are gives it context for tone, vocabulary, and scope.

"I am an SLP working in a school setting with students ages 5–12."

"I am a medical SLP in an acute care hospital evaluating post-stroke patients."

Pattern 02. Constrain the output

Preventing hallucination starts with telling the model not to invent details.

"Do not add details I did not provide. Only organize what I give you."

Pattern 03. Define the format

Structured requests get structured responses. Tell it exactly what you want back.

"Return this as: Target, Level of Support, Performance Data, Clinical Interpretation."

Pattern 04. Strip identity first

De-identify before you paste. Replace names with [Student], schools with [School], etc.

"[Student] is a 7-year-old in [School] receiving services for articulation."

Pattern 05. Ask for reflection, not answers

Use the model as a thinking partner, not an authority. The clinical decision stays with you.

"Help me think through the ethical considerations. Do not give me a definitive answer."

Pattern 06. Specify what “good” looks like

Give the model your quality criteria so it can check its own output.

"The goal must be observable, measurable, include conditions and criteria, and specify level of support."