Speech-Language Pathology: Career Basics

SLP's identify, assess, treat, and prevent disorders pertaining to speech, language, and anything dealing with communication or the aerodigestive tract. This includes cognitive and swallowing disorders.

Where do they work?

There are endless possibilities and various settings where speech-language pathologists work, but here is a list of the most common locations:

-Mainstream and Special Schools

-Nursing Homes

-Assisted Living Homes

-Rehabilitation Centers

-Hospitals

-Health Maintenance Organizations

-Community Health Centers

-Colleges/ Universities

-Private Practice

Necessary Training and Education:

Masters Degree - Doctoral programs are available, but in order to acquire your Certificate of Clinical Competence (CCC) in speech-language pathology, you must at least have obtained your masters degree. This can usually be accomplished in 5 or 6 years. (4 years of undergraduate school, 1 or 2 years of graduate school)

Why is this profession in such high demand?

Baby Boomers - Many baby boomers are retiring and will continue to do so in the near future. This means that the positions that they held will need to be filled. Secondly, they make up a large population of people who are at the age when health risks and concerns increase tremendously in areas that speech-language pathologists specialize in.

Autism and Learning Disorders - The amount of children diagnosed with and Autism and Learning Disorders is staggering and increases everyday. These two populations usually require speech and language services.

Needed in so many settings, but not enough to go around - Speech-language pathologists are in such high demand in various workplaces and settings all around the world, yet there are not enough people trained in this profession to administer the kind of services SLP's specialize in.

Medical & Technological Advances - Advances in technology and medicine are helping the elderly, premature babies, and victims of trauma or strokes to survive. These people often require the services of speech-language pathologists.

Why You Can't Go Wrong Pursuing A Career As A Speech-Language Pathologist:

Outstanding Salary - Average salary of $60,840 in 2006 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)

Endless Job Opportunities - You can find a job in almost any setting anywhere around the country, as well as, around the world. In fact, you may very well receive job offers before you even obtain you degree. As I stated earlier, SLP's are in very high demand!

Work With The Age Group of Your Choice - SLP's provide services to an extensive range of age groups from newborns to the elderly.

Opportunities to Perform Research - You can further educate yourself and the entire field of speech-language pathology through your own research. Research is highly needed and commended in this field. The information about therapies and various practices is all evidence-based. This means that we have a lot of reports on certain clinical cases, treatments, and their outcomes and how different therapies have worked for the general population, but there is not much legally backed research. This sometimes becomes an issue with insurance companies, because they want more evidence if they are going to pay for procedures and therapy. They would like more evidence of how our therapies will help particular individuals rather than the population as a whole.

Rewarding & Interesting - The range of issues that speech-language pathologists deal with is extremely extensive. The profession is never boring and there is always more to learn in this field. As an SLP, you not only provide therapy for patients, but also act as a motivator, counselor, educator, teammate, and advocate on a daily basis.

Sources:
Silverman, Franklin H. Essentials of Speech, Language, and Hearing Disorders. Cincinnati: Atomic Dog, 2003.
http://www.collegeboard.com/csearch/majors_careers/profiles/careers/105935.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speech_language_pathology
http://www.usnews.com/usnews/biztech/best_careers_2007/careertable.htm