“No one gets the satisfaction or the joy that I get out of seeing kids realize there is hope.”
~ Jerry Lewis
Hi Everyone,
Have you ever aspired to use your head, hands, and heart to help people? Do you naturally see the sparkle and value in every one? Does it thrill you to see the results of your contributions? Would you like to know how it feels to give someone a better tomorrow than they had yesterday? Have you considered becoming a speech-language pathologist?
Today, education is within reach thanks to on-line schools. In addition, there are a tremendous amount of choices for universities worldwide. This link enables you to search for graduate schools with speech-language pathology courses:
http://www.gradschools.com/Subject/Speech-Pathology/365.html
Contact some schools to learn about:
• pre-requisites and other requirements for applying
• living accommodations
• length of course and if classes continue through the summers
• internship opportunities (Can you go back home to do an internship? Where do student’s typically do their internships?)
• Strengths and focus of the program: Research vs clinical; education (schools) vs health care (hospitals)
• Class size and number of people who are typically accepted
• Financial assistance, bursaries, scholarships, graduate assistantships, other forms of income
Request an application package. Apply to more than one school. If you are not accepted the first time, consider taking classes that will contribute to your degree. Also, volunteer for a speech-language pathologist or other support service. At minimum, try to observe SLPs who work in different settings so you can get a feel for the areas of the profession that most interest you. Ask for a reference from your mentors. All of this will help you to move forward in the program, strengthen your next application process, and help you to make informed choices.
Finally, some of the most talented therapists I have met have been communication disorder assistants or speech-language pathologist assistants. Here is a link to get you started: http://www.cdaac.ca/programs.htm
In case you are wondering if you will find a job when you graduate, watch this video about the shortage of SLPs:
http://www.webmd.com/video/speech-therapist-shortage
If a school district in your area needs Speech-Language Pathologists, please let me know by email as we at TinyEYE can help!
Marnee Brick, MSc
Speech-Language Pathologist and Director of Speech Therapy
TinyEYE Therapy Services (Speech Therapy Telepractice)
http://www.TinyEYE.com-Online Speech Therapy Telepractice
School Districts: Recruiting Speech-Language Pathologists? Job Boards not working? Click this link!