AusSP in Melbourne, Australia. Jazzyjmj in Princeton, Texas I hope you see this post , thank you for posting your honest thoughts on SLP. I've worked as an SP as we're known here in Australia for the last 10 years, primarily in schools. I can vouch that your posts are not being 'negative', they are the 'warts and all' version of what working as an SP in the schools is like.

There was a time when I badly wanted to get out of this field, but I have stuck with it, primarily because I've found a position that is more suited to my interest areas i.

There are a few kids I think I've truly helped with speech sound disorders, but I can't say for certain that they wouldn't have grown out of their problems eventually anyway.

Yes, there are a few, but it's not nearly as prevalent as it is in the early primary elementary school years. Either that means speech therapy cures most of these kids of their problems quite unlikely! Jazzyjmj in Princeton, Texas said: I don't think it is fair or HONEST, when someone asks for advice about a career choice, and everyone says the SAME positive things.

Language is such a huge area that I feel it's quite token to just pick a few goals to work on in therapy, and I feel it is largely an aspect of cognition, anyway. Again, you're quite insightful to notice that the language kids don't tend to improve dramatically, and if they do, it can't be solely attributed to the short 30 minute therapy session you worked with them each week.

Students are exposed to much more language in the classroom, and at home. You're also right in stating that you can't change the "hick" language spoken by some of their parents. There are a few kids I've helped with stuttering, but they've all been aged under 7.

Beyond that, I've not 'cured' anyone, although I am not a stuttering specialist. You don't tend to see many kids who stutter in this job, so it's difficult to develop expertise. But you're wrong to think that swallowing therapy has any more beneficial effect. You can't actually 'fix' the swallowing problem, as it is physiological.

Also, if you aspirate on thickened fluids, it's more likely to cause pneumonia than water. Maturation for kids and spontaneous recovery from stroke are the greatest allies of speech therapy and probably to similar fields, such as OT.

Clearly you have an analytical, critical mind, and it's unfortunate that this seems to be rare in the SLP field. There is more emphasis, at least token, on evidence based practice EBP in SLP these days, but sadly it mostly seems to be used as just a buzzword.

There are few, rigorous studies i. Your observations are spot-on as well with the arrogance that many SLP's seem to portray. I usually find it difficult to work with other SLP's because of the personality types this 'profession' attracts, although I suspect it is similar in other health fields. And no, I'm not 'jaded' and posting this to be deliberately negative, it's actually what I've observed and what I have experienced. Indeed nearly all of SLP is "hazy science", as there is a general lack of scientific rigor with both diagnostic and therapy procedures.

Also, much of the therapy deals with the intangible. You can't, for example, directly observe someone's language comprehension, or their cognitive processes. FYI in Douglasville, Georgia said: I had a lisp when I was a child.

The SLP helped me overcome that. It wasn't my development. On the contrary, I developed the lisp, and plenty of adults still have them!

How Much Money Do You Get a Year for Being a Speech Therapist? | Our Everyday Life

The SLP probably helped speed up the process, yes; but you can't say with certainty that you wouldn't have grown out of it anyway. There are different types of lisps; they're not all the same. A child is more likely to outgrow some lisps than others. If you want to know the value of an SLp's work , just ask a family member whose child or parent cannot swallow, or communicate.

Four Things You Need to Know About SLP Salary | WebPT

But the SLP doesn't address the swallowing directly. The pharyngeal stage of swallowing is a brainstem reflex that is not under conscious control. You can't directly work on it. To clarify, it is not the SLPs job to "cure" individuals of their disorders but to implement efficate evaluations and treatment plans that allow a client to reach his potential. FUTURESLP in Pompano Beach, Florida.

SLPtobeRN in Fort Lauderdale, Florida said: Apply to Nova Southeastern University. I got in with a 2. I only hope you don't regret it later. They have both online and campus based programs. Are you in the program now. I am going to try to apply to Nova in the fall.

I am so nervous. I just got a job at the preschool at Nova so I'm hoping that will up my chances of getting in! How long ago did you apply? Was there a wait to get in?

SLPtobeRN in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. I just graduated last week. I applied in November and got in January , and that was an expedited application at the time.

Actually if I hadn't worked for the university, I'm not sure I would have got in the program. The preschool director expedited my application to help me get the tuition benefits.

The best advice I can give you is to get to know your future colleagues and know them well. As, unfortunately, it usually isn't about "what" you know AusSP in Melbourne, Australia said: I guess miserly does love company. Also, with older children , follow through from parents and teachers is ESSENTIAL There has to be follow through!!! And unfortunately, the parents and teachers that complain the most are the ones that do not follow through. Usually I give very simple advice that can be incorporated into every day activities.

The parents and teachers that do it usually see results, the ones who don't, don't. Everyone can work in a second here and there. SLPReality in Hollywood, Florida. Who was the director at the Nova clinic? ToddLPN in Atlanta, Georgia said: It just seems like some people are not thinking realistically. I am a nurse and can tell anyone it is not saving someone's life everyday. I know EMTs and paramedics who are not saving lives everday either. To think that they are is simply not realistic.

In an ICU or ER, you would probably get the chance to save a life, but nursing is mostly maintenance of the whole individual. They could be stable or not. That all depends on where you work! Likewise for other life saving positions. EMTs and paramedics aren't saving a life when a life doesn't need to be saved, but they are still on the clock doing something maybe.

Sometimes, they might be playing video games waiting on a call. When the call arrives, it may just be a transport for a stable patient that has no support in getting to a hospital. This isn't the whole picture, but this is reality. We don't live in our TVs where an action packed episode of life saving action is always on the horizon.

Sorry I stopped reading for a while! I was not talking about childish "save the day in a flash" stuff! We are not super heros. But before you say swallowing therapy doesn't save live, look up Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation therapy, also known as vitalstim. That along with swallowing therapy is saving lives.

When I worked rehab, the other speech therapists and I literally saw several patients a month go from NPO cannot eat because of aspiration to a regular or slightly modified diet within a couple of months!!! And yes, we saw it over and over again!!!

And as you know, aspiration pneumonia is OFTEN deadly. Especially for older patients who are already sick SLPReality in Hollywood, Florida said: So why do you want to be an RN? You didn't like speech?

Speech-Language Pathologist Salary Information | US News Best Jobs

It just turns out my personality isn't great for this field. I hate relying on subjective information which this field is full of. I enjoy routines SLPs seldom adhere to the same schedule. Perhaps RN isn't the answer, as I'm lacking the people skills for patient care, but I value the strong scientific foundation of the field. Maybe one day I'll find a job that fits my personality, but for now I have a degree and a means of supporting myself until I find it.

I am an SLP in case you couldn't tell by my original moniker and I have to agree to disagree about how little SLPs actually do to improve communication. I have a couple of family members who were born with signficant language and speech disorders- they went through therapy and are completely functional today- it took a while and I am sorry, but maturation did not render this effect.

This improvement inspired me to enter this field. Now all fields have their merits and problems, if you think being a speech pathologist is a cake-walk, you are going to be very disappointed. I work with adults- they have trachs, cancer, dementia, CVAs, mental disorders- you name it, and my day is stressful as anything, but I enjoy it!

I hated my job at first because I didn't know how to be effective with patients, I had a really awful CFY supervisor who seriously should leave the field because her apathy level was awful and she didn't have anything to offer me. Now, since taking another position, I have acquired all these tricks and tools, and suprise, they work and people get better!

There are people who are not going to be "cured" and that's when our jobs turn into teaching comp strategies. This is okay and we are not useless if we don't completely fix every single person. Also, I would like to address the comment re: What do you think sends the data and performs the functions- that would be your neuromuscular system- which is what we treat, saying that you can't work on swallowing because we can't hack into the medulla is silly.

You have to know what part of the pharyngeal swallow stage is impaired and back track to what might be causing that part of the swallow to misfire, which is what cranial nerve and muscles innervated have been impaired. Furthermore, the oral phase is connected to the pharyngeal stage, which is volitional, can't look at swallowing phases separately, so you can see a complete system breakdown mainly due to an oral phase disorder, which is what I am dealing with with one of my patients. Sorry, I have had patients who have been NPO for years improve not just in that magic 2 month window post-CVA once you identify where exactly the breakdown is occuring.

I also take umbrage that I am harming my patients by working in the medical establishment- dehydration has been proven not to be correlated with liquid modifications, plus a lof facilities offer free water protocols.

If you think our entire job is just to change diets, that is also wrong, and that's not therapy. Patients who are on permantely on puree, are usually on puree because they don't even know they are on puree and are not really candidates for long-term speech therapy because of their dementia or low-cognitive status.

The patients who are on puree who know it, probably get better once they get done with therapy. Some had been NPO or on a modified diet for months or years. But NMES in ADDITION to intensive swallow therapy can render near miracle results. And believe me, diet is a BIG deal to elderly patients. Another good area to see exciting improvement is early intervention. A good SLP and dedicated parents can take a 2 year-old that is not communicating at all, to fully functional, WFL by 3 or 4.

I see it happen daily! Look up the research. And it's not "maturation". If the child was "maturing", we would not have been called in.

I also work with swallowing all the time with this population. Last year I got a baby that was born premature off the feeding tube onto a regular diet. This was a health issue. Children grow better and are healthier eating real food instead of through a tube. I did a combination of sensory and mechanical swallow therapy, with parents that were awesome at following through!

This is good stuff, and if you don't agree, you need to leave the field! It is SLPs that feel like they can't do anything, that don't find the information needed to do it! And it makes those of us that are doing it look bad!!!! I attend 1 to 2 or more continuing education seminars a year, and I keep learning.

So those of us who know and feel we can make a difference are doing it EVERYDAY! The following comments are intended to reflect my standpoint on working as an SLP in medical settings with adults with acquired communication and swallowing disorders. I have no clinical experience beyond the single required quarter of working with cute little preschoolers on the rug with developmental language disorders and as an aside, my hats go off to my fellow SLPs who work with the pediatric population.

I think the most interesting part of being a Speech-Language Pathologist is in fact recognizing that we are first and foremost diagnosticians. We have the training to examine behaviors of communication and swallowing and use our understanding of neuroanatomical functioning to better understand the causes of communication and swallowing breakdown.

Our scope of practice involves differentiating various behavioral disorders, assigning a specific diagnosis, and sharing that with other medical professionals, and making a prognostic statement.

Sometimes our intervention beyond the assessment is merely educating others professionals, caregivers, patients, family members of our findings, sometimes it is providing indirect treatment with simple modifications to lessen the barriers towards more efficient communication and swallowing, and sometimes the intervention is direct hands-on work that involves restoring lost function, or finding ways to compensate and work around the loss.

I recognize that my job, first and foremost, is in the detection and description of the disorder. As this post has shown, there are many instances in which communication and swallowing disorders may not be responsive to direct intervention methods.

As master clinicians, we know this, accept this, and help other professionals and individuals to understand and adjust to this in their expectations of our work.

I have been trained to be a Speech-Language Pathologist, and may from may provide direct therapy only in cases where it's appropriate. Let me break it down into "Raw Basic Words" so that simple people and young college kids can understand. Bcuz the only REAL CONCRETE work SLP's do is Evaluations Therapy is pulling things out of thin air and not fixing it You really call this the most interesting thing about being a SLP or being in the SLP profession??

That sounds boring, not interesting or challenging at all! Treatment or therapy is basically a "Shot in the Dark" because it all depends on the person's development or other neurological issues that SLP's have no control over and cannot ALTER!

Saying someone has a Speech Disorder basically means that they are not "Well Spoken" or at a "Loss of Words". And now the SLP profession tries to act like this is some sort of "Disease" or a "Syndrome" where you need to be diagnosed by a higly trained and schooled "Pathologist" Like SLP's are Doctors now?? Thats straight CRAP and alot of people buy into it!

Alot of people buy into it, because they don't know much about Speech, as it is a pretty new profession just like Occupational Therapy Where did these jobs come from?? It's like they just fell from the sky!! They require more Education and training than a Nurse??? But I will admit one cool thing Is when people ask me what I do for a living and I say, "Speech Therapist" For some reason, they think I am highly trained or something Now, look how brainwashed most people are about the SLP and OT profession They MARKET these jobs to sound like they are ALL THAT!!

And they TOTALLY are not ALL THAT! I met the Special Ed teacher at my school and she told me she used to be a SLP I was shocked to meet one who would rather teach Resource than do Speech and make more money But once I found that out, I do not want to do Therapy in front of her because I know she will look at me and be thinking the same thing I think!!

This teacher never talks to me about her previous SLP profession and I don't ask! It's touchy, very touchy when we work together Little does she know how I really feel about my job It's the same way she probably feels and why she left it I believe that medical insurance companies in the US don't fund its use, as there is insufficient objective evidence that it works.

Seeing the improvements you claim to see in your patients is great, but you don't have a control group to compare with. This is not often the case. It doesn't help that in Australia kids only get seen by the SLP on average once a fortnight, rather than several times a week in the US. Normally the younger age kids are prioritised for therapy here, because there's often little improvement attributable to the therapy seen beyond those ages, except other than perhaps in speech sound disorders.

AusSP- Thanks for your post, it was helpful to me at least! As I am still uncertain and undecided as to what direction to go Undecided about Nursing after investigating into it a little further I have been looking into Claims Adjuster and possibly Social Worker It's been a journey, but worth it to me at least and I won't stop looking! I would rather keep looking, keep seeking and sniffing around to see what's out there, than settle in one spot for something that seems so boxed in and minimal to me, where I'm not using very much talent I know, I'm a pretty square guy.

But, I do find the evaluation fascinating. This is where the graduate level education comes in handy. After a careful evaluation, I can say with a certain degree of assurance what disorders might resolve on their own, what disorders may resolve with additional medical attention referring to a medical specialty , and which disorders are likely to persist no matter what the degree to intervention is provided. Maybe one patient will likely get better just from a strong course of medication, whereas another has a long road of trial therapy and adjustment ahead.

More often than not, SLPs in my setting can advocate for a patient who may have been overlooked by other busy medical professionals who take 1 minute to evaluate their communication and deem them incompetent to make decisions. In some cases, with some careful exploration and probing by someone who knows what to look for, an SLP can help uncover ways to tap into the brain and establish a reliable and consistent method of expressing ideas and responding to questions.

This is what I mean by evaluating and being a diagnostician. But it can be just as rewarding to be the person who is charge of advocating for an individual to be tested, retested and retested to see if they are ready to start eating again. A lot of other professionals might give up on these folks and just say they are a lost cause. Sometimes they are, and an SLP who has taken the advanced coursework will help clarify these cases. But, as many on this discussion have made clear, this field is not for everyone.

And it sounds like there are plenty of people on this post who have that figured out. I feel like I'm reading a college textbook when I read your posts You are super intelligent and very well read Thanks for not shooting me down either It's not for everyone!

But it all boils down to this: At the end of my workday, at the end of my workweek, at the end of my life What difference did I make??? I don't know why this is so important to me and not to others But maybe it's because what is important to me is not what is important to others In my eyes, work is a sacrifice because WE HAVE TO Until We are OLD! And I feel that a sacrifice should be warranted, not just given for nothing, not just given for free When you give yourself, your life, your time to WORK that is a HUGE sacrifice and I thing you should get something HUGE back and it isn't always money that compensates You should give it, but get something back!

And I guess for some SLP's like you, they are getting enough of a reward from doing evaluations I forgot to mention also the HUGE sacrifice that College alone is The money it costs, the time it takes, all the books, all the exams etc. It's like we have to sacrifice ourselves and go through College, only to come out of college to sacrifice our lives to one job forever that we may or may not like And College is so Deceiving because it doesn't show you what a real day in the life of that job is like They take your money, they force feed your brain with textbooks and when your done with college, is when you really find out what that job is all about Four years of college or more only to find out it wasn't what "University" made it out to be It was all Hype and a huge gamble with your money!

Last comment for the day I've often wondered what I would have done differently if I hadn't gone into Speech Pathology. I was always fascinated by the OR nurses and techs and their efforts. My friends who work in the OR find that work very satisfying on a daily basis for the most part. And I don't think you have to become a surgeon necessarily to get that sense of satisfaction.

Working in the OR requires a considerable amount of skill, patience, and endurance. And the work is consistent with decent job security.

You don't get to establish a relationship with the people you're working on in most cases which can be a drawback. That's essentially what keeps me working as a clinician. Sounds like you want to really help people and make a difference I appreciate the frank comments here. I'm doing research around a career change, and am worried that I'm favouring security and stability over honest self-appraisal.

What I'm getting from this thread, and elsewhere, is that fit is everything. Which means both sides need to be understood fairly well I think universities and professional associations probably need to be clearer and more honest about those From what I can tell, most of allied health might not be suitable for people who need to feel a sense of strong and direct impact daily. Maybe patience, and being driven to personally value the contact for its own sake, and a strong natural not recession-panicked appreciation of stability might be important here.

Maybe high extroversion isn't a help either just guessing you might be this way, Jazzy, based on your emphatic use of caps ;. Sounds like school-based SLP might do with some redefinitions around fundamentals, but what the hell do I know. Since I'm doing career research, I'm closish, lately, to some of its language. The Holland Code for speech pathology is 'Social', 'Artistic', and 'Investigative'; seems like 'Realistic', 'Social', and 'Investigative' for the sake of the patients might be a fairer description rough as it is for the interest types that would enjoy this work.

Does that sound right? Go home and ignore my crappy work that I did for the day… And try to concentrate on things to do after work to stimulate my mind… Like taking a salsa dance class and helping to coach the Step Team at my school!! And how it comes out sometimes in outbursts — hence the CAPS…. Wish passion and things like that were more cut and dry. I seriously envy some of my friends who knew what they wanted to do for so long and especially the ones who have found careers they are passionate about and that happen to be lucrative.

Hell, im envious of people who have found passion in careers that aren't even lucrative! They have a reason to get up and breathe in the morning. And then there are those who say kids gave them purpose.

Does a Teacher or a Speech Pathologist Make More Money? | sanapidyqel.web.fc2.com

I'm supposed to pop out a baby in order to find meaning and a purpose for living. Not being ungrateful because I realize I have it WAY better than some people out there. But I get your desire to have a passion. Passion is the fuel that keeps people going. I think on this forum that some people like myself and a couple of others have given some very detailed information about what SLP's do We have given details of what a therapy session looks like, what goals on an IEP look like Some more recent posts gave specific details about Feeding and Swallowing disorders and the Electronic stimulation devices that are used This is a great place and a great tool with plenty of job specifics, for anyone considering SLP as a career But, of all the OT's that have commented so far, not one of them has been able to go into detail as to what a therapy session looks like or what a day in the life is like Even when I ask the OT at my school, she doesn't give me an answer that I understand, she gives me some other fancy terminology that sounds really super smart And I don't understand a word of it Could you OT's please give more details as to what you do???

Because a lot of people don't know And please don't give me this answer, "WE HELP PEOPLE LEAD RICHER LIVES. Totally avoided my question it seems My impression of OT is that they help patients use specially adaptive wheelchairs, bathtubs, paintbrushes etc.

I know they help with "Hand Therapy"??? Hmmm that's a new one, Hand Therapy I do not want to assume that OT is just as pointless and boring as Speech Therapy Without having many details to go by So, please help a sista' out and give us some more details But I can give you one insight on my experience of being an OT patient. Six years ago, I had a minor stroke, and lost some sensation and knowledge of where my left arm was in space. For the first few days, I also had weakness in my left hand e.

I practiced with these things a couple of times a day for the week I was in hospital. Having some knowledge of neurophysiology, I also created my own OT activities, such as running a hairbrush up and down my left arm to feel the sensation, and practicing handwriting with my left hand even though I'm right-handed.

She also got me to find marbles with my left hand in a bowl of uncooked rice, with my eyes closed. When I first saw the outpatient OT, she asked what I wanted to get out of it as I had recovered fairly well by that point - I said I wanted some objective measures of my hand function, as a baseline for later improvement, and also asked her for more suggestions of things I could do to improve the sensation in my arm at home.

The 2nd session was then more about what support, if any, I'd need with returning to work. Whether it would have worked beyond spontaneous recovery though, is another matter. Also, as I had a fairly minor stroke, I didn't need that much OT support. The other OT 'insight' I can give you is from the little observations of OT that I gathered from my clinical placements as a SLP student. The OT's also frequently did home visits for the patients before they were discharged, to see if they needed adaptations such as a hand rail in the shower.

In that sense, OT seemed a bit more practical than asking a SLP adult neuro patient to name 5 things that are flat and round as I had to do in 'cognitive' rehabiliation with a stroke patient.

But, to be honest, a lot of what I saw doesn't look like it required years of university education to be able to do - just like how SLP looks.

Lost in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Last year I wrote in this forum about being rejected for all the schools I've applied to. Since then, I've decided to continue this career path. In early I went into full overdrive and applied to 14 graduate programs in both OT and SP. I was rejected by 9 schools by April 3rd but by the grace of this forum as my strength I was accepted into a SP program in the south and also accepted into an OT program.

I am lost no longer. It was a hurdle. But so pleased to see this through in the end! Classes start in Fall and I am ready to begin my lifelong journey. I just wish I could take my current job as a bankruptcy specialist at JP Morgan Chase with me, but I know that when one door closes another door opens up. Never give up your hopes and dreams. Make right with the Lord and everything will fall into place. Thank you all and God bless! Lost if u dont mind me asking what were your stats to be rejected from so many schools?

My stats are not impressive at all for OT school:. KH11 in Indianapolis, Indiana. I was just accepted into the Nova SLP program campus based. I will start taking the courses in the fall.

What is your opinion about the program? Also, did you qualify for the PEP-C grant? The cost of the program is extremely high.

My concern is will I get enough student loans cover the tuition. The program is about 80, with the prerequisites. I not sure what the max is for graduate loans. I was just curious about how you like the SLP program at Nova so far. I'm starting there Summer NewGradSLP in Brooklyn, New York. Jazzy-just wondering if you have decided on a career course. I'm a new grad SLP M.

Above all, it seems like the techniques are common sense and not definitely helpful--anyone with a little creativity could think of the therapy activities and try them out, and there is no hard and fast cure for most of what we do. I think the same is true for PT and OT. If you're looking for an exciting career that provides a sense of accomplishment and gratification, don't go into any type of therapy. Therapy is a process, and one that may not even be effective.

AusSP in Oakleigh, Australia. NewGradSLP in Brooklyn, New York said: Although it's always so difficult to actually quantify whether what you're doing has any real benefit to the patient, beyond normal maturation for developmental issues or spontaneous recovery for acquired conditions such as stroke. Yes, sometimes you see some improvement, but can your 'therapy' really take the credit for it? Lost in MN in San Francisco, California. My stats are not impressive at all for OT school: Grad school is a crapshoot and a half.

It's a giant numbers game. The glowing LoRs don't count for siht from legit professors in my undergrad , the SoP doesn't do much hint: Go wild I am tellin ya , and I volunteered in the lab for 2 years and also volunteered for daycare centers too.

Apply hard, apply every where!! Thank you for replying, AusSP. It sounds like you have spent some time in this field and have a realistic vision of what SLPs do. I would never consider hospital -based SLP work, since I do not believe in withholding cold, clear water and food from patients at end of life, and the disorders are simply sad dysphagia, aphasia. Working with children in schools is always important, but I do not feel rewarded seeing little results and feeling that students resent coming to therapy.

As a long-time practitioner, would you recommend staying in SLP or going another route if the opportunity is there? Is your workday ever fun and exciting? Do you feel satisfied with the job? Thanks again for your input. Just want to chime in. A common misconception amongst SLPs who don't work in hospitals is that SLPs in the hospital setting simply downgrade everyone to pureed foods and thicken liquids and are afraid of aspiration.

On a daily basis I help counsel patients and caregivers to consider what they're goals for seeking hospitalization are: I try as hard as I can to not thicken liquids, and it's always the first goal I work on in follow-up treatment when I do recommend thickening liquids.

When it comes to the end of life, sometimes families need some extra time to wrap their heads around the fact that their loved ones are in the process of dying.

There's no correct answer, that's the beauty of it. I usually receive a lot of thanks from families and nursing staff for helping them understand such a vital function of the human condition swallowing This work is not for everyone, that's for sure. My suggestion to NewGradSLP in Brooklyn would be to finish the clinical fellowship and get your CCCs through ASHA if you haven't already. That way, you could always fall back on the profession during hard times, or if you ever had a change of heart.

The certification will look good on your resume, as will your association with a national organization, which should help you with future employment opportunities, getting in the door with HR as you seek a new field of work. Micapoca in Jacksonville, Florida. As a SLP who has been working in the schools for 2 years. This is a really bold statement to make when you are not even a therapist. Working in the schools can be really demanding it is only as boring as you make it. Some articulation errors are developmental but the majority is not.

It is pretty bad when you see a 9 year old child who can't produce their "sh or ch" sounds. Also articulation and phonological processes are treated differently. You shouldn't make generalized statements about things you do not know about. New Grad SLP in Brooklyn In response to your post, yes I actually have accepted a job at Baylor Medical this summer to work as an "Audiology Technician" This is a new hospital in town and its also a newer position, but basically I will be doing hearing screenings on Newborns As soon as schools out, I am going to start training and working there The pay is less than what I get in the schools with 7 years experience now, but I so need a change I can get by on that, I just can't spend on clothes and shoes anymore, but that is fine because I will be wearing SCRUBS to work I so need my brain to be challenged and mostly I would really welcome the idea of going to work and knowing exactly what I'm doing with the patients, knowing what the results say and being able to give the parents a "HARD PROOF" answer about how the results of their infant's hearing screen came out I love the idea that if they ask a question, I HAVE AN ANSWER and I even have a test that is basically HARD PROOF It is not this way in Speech!

Their tests are not HARD PROOF! The whole profession is not HARD PROOF! It's basically pulling crap out of thin air! I will be working in the Labor and Delivery Ward so I get to be in the mix of all the action and babies The Hospital also has tuition reimbursement and they do a work study partnership with The University of TX at Arlington, where I can do my classes on line and my clinical at my job under the supervision of my Nurse Manager.

So, it is definitely an open door for me a new opportunity. I don't know all the CONS about nursing yet, but this job will help me to get a feel. I am hoping it meets my expectations, because I would really hate to end up leaving Nursing and the Hospital, only to come right back to BORING SPEECH!! I'm so excited to start something new this summer!

I don't care if I have to work summers and spring breaks! When I think of working another year doing Speech Therapy in the schools, I just wanna drop right now!

I can't see myself doing another year! Not because it's stressful or hard or anything like that Just because I am so BORED and I want to learn useful skills in the workplace REAL, USEFUL skills and training It is going to be a trade off though I will have to take a pay cut, I will have to work summers, spring breaks, xmas breaks, thanksgiving breaks and even holidays Also some weekends when I am needed I don't know how that is going to make me feel, until I'm in those shoes!

I guess I will find out though, right! I'd rather try than NOT TRY! I would rather move than stand still! And I would rather know after having experienced it myself then never really knowing! Luckily, I am single and in a position to do this I know for other people who are married with kids and family, it is too hard for them to start over So I'm just really glad to venture out!! Another thing to say here, is that since I was introduced to this job at the hospital , I have also been giving a lot of thought to the field of "AUDIOLOGY" Audiology seems like it would be a lot more "HARD PROOF" than "Speech Therapy", because it has the audiogram and hearing tests and data to actually back the profession up Also, Audiologists make good money from fitting hearing aids on people and they also get commission for marketing and seeling their products The only problem is that you have to get your PHD, which means more years of school and more tuition A Masters degree will not suffice, they require a PHD An Audiologist is almost like a doctor, they are specialized They have specialized training that not everyone has and can do And I'm telling you right now, that everything SLP's do in the schools, a Special Ed Teacher can do that Everything the SLP's do in the hospitals, a Nurse can do that But not Audiology, they are highly specialized So if there is anybody out there who knows anything more about the Audiology Profession By all means, PLEASE CHIME IN!!!

I noticed that you are single. Are the prospects of finding a potential partner difficult in the SLP profession, or should I find a guy before finding work in the field? That is how I roll, because I think both people need to have their space and most importantly their own identity! I have already been married and it wasn't for me I didn't know who I was and started to feel like my life was just "Marriage" and thats it I started to feel like I wanted play a bigger part and more important role in society, than being home with my hubby renting movies, going to restaurants, having barbecues with friends If there were a World War, I would probably want to join the Red Cross I felt like I wanted to do more with myself!

Do you know how many female Nurses, Teachers, Social Workers, Doctors, and Cops there are out there, who are either dating, getting married, having kids, or raising a family There are so Many! And their job duties I can tell you, are a whole lot more stressful and challenging than SLPs, OTs and PTs So if they can manage I'm sure you will be more than able to I don't think you have anything to worry about as far as your Speech job effecting your love life You will have very little stress and a whole heck of a lot more free time than all the others do So if you are still in school then yeah, you might have a problem with love But afterwards, it is smooth sailing, easy riding and basically BORING!

You will definitely need something to occupy your MIND and your TIME, so I highly recommend hitting up the clubs if you haven't been doing that already! Thank you for your reply, i'm just a shy introvert so i would be absolutely flustered waltzing into a bar and flaunting my stuff and hoping a guy notices because if he does then i would find every excuse not to talk to him and end up leaving empty handed because my heart says yes and my mind says he still lives with his parents so no!

I'm torn between becoming a Speech Language Pathologist or Occupational Therapist? Get new comments by email My Email You can cancel email alerts at anytime. AusSP in Melbourne, Australia 63 months ago Jazzyjmj in Princeton, Texas I hope you see this post , thank you for posting your honest thoughts on SLP. Continuing from my previous post: So, please get your facts straight before you question my "reality". Christy in Boynton Beach, Florida said: Hi, I was just accepted into the Nova SLP program campus based.

Any info will be helpful. Thank you in advance! How well did you like the program? I'm starting there soon and I'm a little nervous. Ain't that the truth! AusSP in Oakleigh, Australia said: