Career as a Speech Therapist
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Career as a Speech Therapist
Jan 2010
Hello,
I have been an music teacher in elementary schools,
preschools, and special education classes for 7 years, and I
am looking for something more stable but just as rewarding.
I have been observing speech therapists for some time now,
and I'm considering a career change. I have a couple of
requests:
1. I would love to hear from speech therapists about their
work and how they like it (any area of speech therapy would
be helpful).
2. I would also be interested in hearing about programs to
become certified in a relatively short period of time (2
years or so). I currently hold a CA k-8 teaching credential
and a masters in music education.
Thank you!
anon
i am currently in the speech language pathology program at
cal state east bay. because my bachelor's degree is in an
area outside the field (psychology), i am having to take
many prerequisites before beginning the graduate level
courses. the estimated time to complete the program for me
is 3.5 to 4 years. the only 2 other programs that i know
of in the area are at SF state and san jose state.
i also hold a teaching credential and have 15 years of
classroom experience which will be beneficial when
starting therapy but don't give me an advantage in the
course work necessary toward certification and licensing.
i am finding the program very interesting and rewarding.
the scope of practice for a speech language pathologist is
quite varied. SLPs are employed in hospitals, skilled
nursing facilities, school districts, early intervention
programs, etc. they work with people at all age levels
with many many types of disorders: articulation, language,
autism, swallowing, traumatic brain injury, etc.
it's a growing and promising field.
only problem: state budget cuts to education may change
the panorama at the state universities soon. the future of
these programs are undertermined at this time
good luck!
University of the Pacific is by far the quickest program.
It costs more than the State schools, but if time is your
priority and you don't mind moving east then it may be a
good fit. It took me 3 1/2 years to complete my program
at a Cal State school (graduated 2 years ago) including
undergraduate classed (was a psych major in college).
Good luck!
love speech
Sept 2007
I'm considering pursuing a degree in Speech Pathology and
Audiology at Cal State East Bay, I'm hoping to get some advice
about the job market and career opportunities. Anyone out there
in the field who can share their experience and offer me some
advice on this career path?
Thanks...
I am a speech pathologist and trained at the same school, though
then it was called ''Hayward State.'' I am responding from the
state of Washington,where I now live, but I used to live in
Berkeley. A friend forwarded me your post. I did wonderful
exploration with career counselor Toni Littlestone many years ago
and explored so many options it made my head spin. I was nothing
if not thorough, but speech pathology won over all the others.
Toni helped me really listen to my heart and my mind together. I
have loved this career. I have worked for others, but now have a
private practice working with children. I don't have children
myself, but Toni helped me realize what a tender spot I have for
kids and that this works fulfills that part of me very much. I am
out of touch with the market in the Bay Area, but where I live, I
am flooded with business and have a waiting list. I have never
regretted my decision. I had also never been self-employed, and
have continued to work with Toni over the phone to build
confidence in my abilities as an entrepreneur.
satisfied with career
I am not a professional in the field but as a parent of a child
who receives speech therapy (and has for years) I can tell you
there is a shortage of therapists. I think this would be an
excellent career choice.
best wishes
laura
Hi. I'm an SLP and think it's a great career. It's challenging
mentally and you can
feel good about what you're contributing to people's lives. The pay
depends on
what you do. It can be low or 3 figures, but basically most people fall
somewhere in
the $60,000 to $80,000 range. The job market is unrivaled, with
opportunities all
over the U.S. and world, even in non-English-speaking countries. The
demand is so
high you can determine your schedule for the most part, so if you have
children it's
a big plus. The scope of practice is wide, which can be challenging in
an education
sense, but great in finding what works for you. I've worked in NICUs,
ICUs, rehab
facilities, universities, schools, clinics, you name it with all
different populations and
it's brought such a great perspective to my personal life. The
profession has
afforded me the opportunity to travel and live in different countries
too. The down
sides tend to be around wanting to give more, but being limited by
budgets,
whether it's a hospital or a school. You know what a mess our education
and health
care systems are and it can be frustrating as a provider to not give
what you know is
the best. There are ways to deal with that, though and experienced
clinician's can
help. Please feel free to contact me if your questions aren't answered
here by the
BPN community. Good luck.
Christy
Being a speech-pathologist is a hot profession right now. I
have been working in an early intervention center (birth to 5
years) for the past 8 years as an SLP and I got my degree at Cal
State East Bay (formerly Cal State Hayward). I get head hunted
all the time from school districts, private agengies and
hostpitals from all over the country. The early intervention
center I work at is part of West Constra Costa Unified so I get
all the great vacations that teachers get. Hope this helps and
good-luck!
A-
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