More information on the field?

[Witless]

I'm a junior in high school exploring Speech-Language Pathology. Language and how it works have always really fascinated me and I know for sure that I want to go into a clinical career, so SLP makes sense. I'm going to see if it's possible to shadow a local SLP this summer so I can get a feel for the profession and see if it's right for me.

I haven't gotten much information in my research (although I admit I've only just started looking at SLP), so I have a few questions.

1) What kind of specialties are there in SLP (especially in a clinical setting)?
2) What are the average day-to-day duties of a SLP?
3) Those of you that are practicing SLPs: do you find your work fulfilling?

Thanks for your time!

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[RemiJP]

1) There is huge variety of specialties within the field! First it's common for people to decide if they want to work with children or adults. Then people decide what setting they enjoy. Settings include: schools, early intervention, residential facilities, hospitals, outpatient clinics, skilled nursing facilities, homecare, private practice, corporate settings. The American Speech and Hearing Association defines our scope of practice around 9 major areas:
1. Articulation
2. Fluency - this includes stuttering
3. Voice and resonance (including respiration and phonation) -
4. Receptive and expressive language
5. Hearing (including the impact on speech and language)
6. Swallowing (oral, pharyngeal, esophageal, and related functions,
including oral function for feeding; oral function for feeding; orofacial
myofunction
7. Cognitive assessments of communication (attention, memory,
sequencing, problem-solving, executive functioning)
8. Social aspects of communication (challenging behavior, ineffective
social skills, lack of communication opportunities)
9. Communication modalities (including oral, manual, augmentative and
alternative communication techniques, and assistive technologies

After receiving a Master's degree we are trained to treat disorders that fit into these areas.

2) As you might have guessed, the day duties of an SLP depends on what setting he/she works in and what kind of disorders her patients/clients have. Primarily though, the major duties revolve around assessment and treatment of communication or swallowing disorders, educating patients and families about the disorders, writing reports, collaborating with other colleagues (teachers, other types of therapist, physicians). To get a sense of what a day is like, I recommend shadowing an SLP in as many settings as possible.

3) I'm in grad school right now and I love it so far!

Sorry these are broad answers, but if you have any more specific questions, ask away! To learn more check out this site for students on the American Speech and Hearing Association's website: http://www.asha.org/students/

 

[Witless]

Thanks for the answers!


I found a speech pathologist at a local hospital who was willing to let me shadow her for a day, so I'll be doing that in a couple of weeks. I'm going to try to find SLPs in other settings as well so I can see how it's different.