Speech-Language Pathological Analysis

My intensive Speech Language Pathology coursework at California State University- Fresno has provided me with the skills to implement treatment plans, assist during speech and language assessments, and keep formal documentation of client’s progress in speech therapy. These are the necessary skills required to be an effective Speech Language Pathology Assistant and will make me as asset to have in the school speech setting.

Interprofessional collaboration is an important component in any health care. According to the American Speech and Hearing Association (ASHA) Code of Ethics, Individuals shall uphold the dignity and autonomy of the professions, maintain collaborative and harmonious interprofessional and intraprofessional relationships, and accept the professions’ self-imposed standards (ASHA, 2016). With this in mind, it is our duty as future speech-language pathologist (SLPs) to adhere to this principle. Clinicians should utilize every resource available to assist his/her client. This even includes if the client needs a referral to a different specialist.

During my interview with Speech Pathologist, Deborah Kirsch, I learned countless details about the Speech Pathology career field. When we first began talking, I learned that Mrs. Kirsch works out of a company called “Professional Therapy Services”, where she is contracted out to work for “Eunice Smith Nursing Home” which is located in Alton, Illinois. She has been working at this facility for about a year. She is a newly found graduate from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, and she graduated in May 2011. Another thing that I learned about Mrs. Kirsch is that she originally did not go to school to become a speech pathologist, this was a career that she found later in life. After she had graduated from SIUE, the first time with a bachelors in Psychiatry, she started working at a nursing home around this area. She came to know a Speech Pathologist that worked there and she quickly found the field very fascinating. She had always been driven to help others, and she witnessed some of the exercises being done with individuals at the nursing home and decided to go back to school to get her masters in Speech Pathology.

Good interpersonal skills, the ability to take another person's perspective, and problem solving are crucial characteristics for a speech language pathologist. An article from the Journal of Nursing Education titled, “The Teaching Effectiveness of Standardized Patience,” demonstrated that interpersonal skills have overwhelmingly “positive, creative and meaningful results” in clinical environments (Becker, 2006). I am a powerful and positive Puerto Rican woman who is direct, uses I-statements, and possesses the characteristics needed for a speech language pathologist. I have always been quite comfortable with complex group dynamics, conflict management, collaboration, and all the varying degrees of human interaction. I have witnessed and experienced birth, death, trauma and joy throughout my college and post college career.

Not all of speech-language pathologist have been trained in literacy. Pathologists would like to learn more but are unable to due to being overworked. A surveyed conducted by Sarah Yoho, a senior completing her master’s thesis at Ohio State University, proved speech-language pathologists “feel they are capable of becoming better informed, but they do not have the time” (15). Caseloads, the quantity term of the number of patients interacted with daily, continue to rise. The number of cases one pathologists may have can range from forty students to over sixty students according to a study released by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (“Challenges of Successful Recruitment”). The outcomes of most students rise in smaller settings, but larger groups are forming due to the increase in the number of issues that need to be met since students are unable to communicate in larger group settings. Less time with students leads to smaller growths from session-to-session and less opportunities to share treatment plans with teachers, students, parents, or other professionals. The cases can also be difficult to manage because of the complexity or the number assigned to one person. Each legislation that passes increases the responsibility a speech-language pathologist has on students in classrooms. Common core standards are beginning to be adopted by more states which requires an increase of interaction in classrooms with students. Pavelko, who wrote a journal entry on using sample analysis by school based speech-language pathologists, suggests, pathologists are undergoing a change in the field with roles and responsibilities and serving children who are linguistically diverse (247). A speech-pathologist is already required to know many disabilities to find

As an undergraduate student, one of my requirements is to have clinical hours. I assist and observe the graduate students when needed. I believe this gives me more of an insight of what a clinical setting looks like. After observing during the semester, I understood the skill set and the drive an individual needs to become a successful speech pathologist. I was inspired to help individuals with speech and language disorders, understand their disorder and achieve more effective communication skills in educational and social settings.

This can be one of the most rewarding and exciting parts of the job, because the pathologist has the opportunity to see what makes individuals the way they are. Speech pathologists work with other people that are also helping the individual to create a holistic report regarding physical, mental, and emotional state. From there, the pathologist makes a plan specific to individual needs. In a clinical setting, this plan is presented to other healthcare providers and is used to write a report for insurance at a later time. In a public school setting, this plan can be presented to other staff, but is generally kept until a report is generated. The primary role of the pathologist is to work with individuals to progress and achieve skills in speech and communication that were previously impossible. Therapy is dependent on the assessment and subsequent plan, but usually involves meeting consistently with patients, using appropriate methods to overcome difficulties in communication. The final responsibility a speech pathologist has is writing reports. The type of report is dependent on what specific job the pathologist is engaged in, however, all reports are expected to be objective, professional and

Some of the duties of a speech pathologist are, but are not limited to, evaluate patients’ levels of speech, language, or swallowing difficulty, identify treatment options, teach patients how to make sounds and improve their voices, work with patients to develop and strengthen the muscles used to swallow, and counsel patients and families on how to cope with communication and swallowing disorders (Duties, www.bls.org, 2015). ‘If the speech-language pathologists work in medical facilities, they work with physicians and surgeons, social workers, psychologists, and other healthcare workers’ (Duties, www.bls.org, 2015).

Surprisingly, I discovered that jobs for speech-language pathologists are projected to grow nationwide in the next few years. I found that there is a high demand for speech therapists, because of the increase of older people there will be more instances of certain health conditions, such as strokes and dementia, which can cause speech or language issues. The increased awareness of speech disorders in younger children and children with autism will also create more job opportunities for speech-language pathologists. The job outlook for speech-language pathologists is favorable in the years to come.

The opportunity to observe the work overview of a Speech Pathologist, has tremendously solidified my interest in this field. At the Diana Rogovin Speech Center at Brooklyn College, I observed clients of various ages with different speech language disorders including articulation, language, voice, fluency and accent modification. Observing clinicians at the speech center gave me the opportunity to learn how important client-clinician interaction is for the session and how essential it is to build a good relationship with the client. Although I learned the

The qualities I possess to make me a successful speech language pathologist include compassion, open-mindedness, knowing how to be a team player and how to live out the FISH philosophy which is an approach dealing with workplace issues. Compassion is important to have in order to be patient with my future clients. Throughout my college years, I served on the executive council for my sorority for two years as Vice President of Member Development. While sitting in those meetings, I learned how to be open-minded to others’ opinions on certain topics being discussed. I also had to meet with people who were having a hard time maintaining good membership status. Sitting down and talking to those individuals taught me to be objective about the individual’s circumstance and to be as fair as possible. Not only does a speech language pathologist need to be skilled in speech treatment but also with counseling the parents and loved ones of the client who feel hopeless and helpless. Being empathetic helps create a trusting relationship between the clinician, client and family. Another quality of a great speech pathologist is being able to be a team player. Most cases require the collaboration of the speech pathologist, occupational therapist, physical therapist, schoolteacher, paraprofessional, orthodontist, audiologists, and social services to

Within my year and half of clinician experience, I constructed a few future goals that I would like to achieve while in graduate school. One goal is to continue growing my knowledge with working with children with language impairments. This goal is one reason that drew me towards The University of North Texas. With the hands on experience from the preschool for children with language impairments, I could work towards my completion of this goal. Another goal of mine is to gain more experience with working with adults. My clinical experience was centered on children; therefore I would like to become better rounded as a clinician by getting the opportunity to work with adults who may have diverse impairments. Lastly, I would enjoy learning new therapy techniques and how to ultimately become the best Speech-Language Pathologist that I can

As seen, speech-language pathologists can be employed around the nation, and for that reason the salary of a speech-language can be based on the their background, experience, work setting and geographical location (The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, 1997-2016). According to the “Occupational Outlook Handbook” the average annual wage for speech-language pathologist in May 2015 was $73,410 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, 2015). At the same time, facts from May 2015 exhibited that speech pathologist in nursing and residential care facilities made around $27,000 more than a speech pathologist in state, local or private education services (Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, 2015). Furthermore,

Currently, I am a member of the National Student Speech-Language Hearing Association (NSSLHA). NSSLHA is a pre-professional organization that provides opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students in Communication Sciences programs. The organization is aimed at promoting awareness of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology. I recently joined to engage with peers and gain more knowledge as I learn more about the profession outside of an academic setting. The organization so far has been a great introduction to advocacy in the field of Speech-Language Pathology and has provided numerous opportunities for me to practice such an important aspect of the field. Speech-Language Pathologists are not only charged with preventing, assessing,

I was a Liberal Studies major with aspirations to become an elementary teacher. I love working with children, and that is all I have ever known. However, once I started taking the major courses, I found them uninteresting and not related to what I want to contribute to children’s lives. However, one of those classes, SPED 120, introduced me to Speech-Language Pathology. In the SPED 120 class, I learned about disabilities and the professionals who worked with exceptional individuals. I did a research project and a presentation on speech impairments, as well as observe an SLP. Since then I found Speech Pathology calling to me. That is where I really learned about the profession. I decided I needed more research, so I began to observe a Speech Pathologist at a local school; I loved what she did and decided to change. Even though my journey of finding SLP is unconventional, I am happy I found it. Once I started taking the SLP classes, I noticed that I became more interested, motivated, and full of zest for the profession. This transformed me into a better student and improved my GPA, but mostly made me happy to see the kind of professional I could