Speech Language Pathology Programs

by J

I ran across your website today while browsing the net for speech language pathology programs.

I am interested in becoming a Speech Language Pathologist and am seeking possible volunteer work that will allow me to be introduced to the profession.

I also have a speech impediment myself and think this would be a great profession for me to embark on, in an effort to better myself and eventually help others.

I am currently in the process of trying to go back to school, at the community college level, and would like to know if you guys could share any tips on beginning the journey towards becoming an SLP.

Please respond at your earliest convenience.

Thank you.

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Apr 05, 2014
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by: Luke from HomeSpeechHome

Right off the top of my head I would suggest shadowing a school based SLP as well as a hospital or rehab based SLP to get a feel of what it is like.

The 2 settings are completely different as far as demands, clientele, and overall feel of the job (school based is a little more fun and light, hospital is a little more serious and professional, in my opinion, so you have to decide which best fits your personality and what your goals and desires are).

The nice thing about the profession is that with a degree in Speech Language Pathology you can have many options. It is a very flexible profession with many options and paths you can pursue.

For example...you can work in a variety of settings such as schools, hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, private practice, for yourself, doing therapy online.

My wife Hollie sees 1-2 clients privately and wants to return to the schools when our kids get a little older. She could see more if she wanted to but is fine with her load right now. School's offer a great schedule with ample time off.

As I said, there are lots of different options available. One blog I would suggest you follow/check out is one called...

www.FutureSLPs.com

It is written by a girl named Jourdan Saunders who wrote a lot about her experiences through grad school and getting a degree in SLP.

One thing I would make you aware of. You mention that you have a "speech impediment" yourself.

Before you seriously start looking into a SLP program, ask one of the professors if you would need to correct your speech before providing therapy.

I say this because when I was in grad. school I did speech and language screenings as part of my clinical hours.

One girl that I screened was preparing to start the SLP program and been born with cleft palate. As a result she was very hypernasal. When I went and let one of my professors know the situation, he came and spoke with her.

He ended up deciding not to pass her and suggested that she not continue pursuing the degree. He said that in order to be an SLP you've got to be able to teach people the correct way to say sounds and speak correctly...which she could not due to structural issues from the cleft palate.

On the flip side, when I was in school, our department hired a guy named Ron Gillam (if you get into the field you will hear his name) to do research and bring research dollars to our department.

The guy is a genius and he and his wife are close acquaintences of ours (they are both SLPs like Hollie and I, so we had an instant connection with them when they starting working in our department). He has a severe stutter but it didn't keep him from becoming an SLP.

Now...I don't tell you this to say you can't still become an SLP because you have speech errors, because I don't know what type you have or how severe they are.

I just provide examples to suggest that you might want to go talk to someone about your speech errors prior to getting started in a SLP program.

Have a great day!

Luke

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