Health

How To Get A Job As A Speech Pathologist

Speech Pathologists are also called Language Pathologists or Language Therapists.  If you become a Speech Pathologist you will most likely work in the education  or medical field.  Speech Pathologists are employed in educational institutions, hospitals, nursing homes, rehabilitation centers, clinics and outpatient care centers.  They may work in an office setting, by a patient’s bedside, or in a patient’s home.  Although most Speech Therapists work within the system, some are self-employed.  The nature of the job may require some traveling.

Speech Pathologists work with people of all ages.  Their clients may be any child or adult who has problems with speech, communication, breathing, or swallowing.  These problems may be congenital or acquired because of disease, accident, stroke, brain damage, or trauma.  Problems may be with such things as sound production, pronunciation, fluency, swallowing, stuttering, and respiratory control.  Pathologists may also help non-native born individuals to overcome problems with pronunciation and accent.  It is the job of the Pathologist to first diagnose, then assess and treat the patient’s problem.  They may also council patients and their families, as they adjust to difficulties, and work to prevent potential problems.  In their work, Speech Pathologists cooperate and work with a variety of other medical professionals.

Due in part to the aging population and attentive speech and hearing problems, there is an ongoing demand for skilled Language Therapists.

To get a job as a Speech-Language Pathologist you must be compassionate, focused, encouraging, creative, well-organized, and supportive.  You must also have good listening skills as well as excellent communication skills.  You must have a strong desire to help others.  Because diagnosing, testing, and treating patients may be a long slow process, Pathologists must be both patient and persistence.  Proficiency in a second language is useful.

Language Pathologists must create a solid relationship with their clients.  They must keep careful records of all patients, detailing treatments, and progress, as they improve their ability to articulate.

Most Pathologist work directly with patients, others work to develop devices or techniques to aid in the treatment of problems related to speech.  Others are engaged in research.

Education

If you want to become a Speech-Language Pathologist, you must have a master’s degree.  It is now required by virtually all employers.

Graduate courses will include such subjects as anatomy, acoustics, physiology, audiology, communication, and speech and language disorders.

Make sure the graduate program you select is accredited by The Council on Academic Accreditation.  Completing one of these programs will qualify you for licensing.  Requirements regarding licensing vary from state to state, but some form of license is now required by most states.  To obtain a list of accredited programs, go to the CAA site at:

http://www.asha.org/academic/accreditation/CAA_overview.htm

To obtain a license to practice, you must first graduate from and accredited program.  You will then need a period of supervised practice as well as a period of experience, and then the successful completion of the licensing exam.  To maintain the license, ongoing training is required.

Be aware that requirements may vary from state to state, so make sure you understand fully the education, certification, and licensing requirements of the state in which you wish to practice.

Speech and Language Pathologists, with sufficient education and experience may advance to positions as supervisors and consultants.  They may also go into private practice or become specialists.  Some Pathologists become researchers.  These require a PhD.