Speech Language Pathologist Career Guide and Counseling

Question: After graduate school for becoming a speech language pathologist, is the clinical year paid? Or is it like an unpaid internship since you are not actually a speech language pathologist yet? Do you pay tuition or any fees for the clinical year? I'm trying to figure out how many years I need to plan on saving for while I'm studying to become an slp.

Answer: The CFY is a paid fellowship. No tuition or fees are paid to anyone, as you will have completed all your academic work and received your degree. I did my CFY at the Veteran's Administration 25 years ago. In those days, the stipend was only $4000 for the entire 9-month, full time fellowship. I'm sure it's more today. Clinical placement in a teaching hospital is the way to go, if you can get one. You'll learn pediatric SLP as well as through the lifespan. Avoid nursing home CFYs. They use you for all they can get from you, and you won't get the broad experience you'll need to be able to switch work settings. You'd be on your own a lot, too; not optimal for a clinical fellow.

Question: How often do you see your patients as a speech language pathologist? i am currently in my 3rd year studying elementary education but i am thinking about pursuing speech language therapy. i was just wondering if working with children in the speech language therapy setting is only for a short term (6 weeks) or if there are some long term cases. ((part of the reason i chose elementary education is because i would be able to get to know the children over a long period of time and i am wondering if a speech language pathologist is able to experience that as well))

Answer: Completely depends on the client and the disorder or delay you are remediating and also the setting (private practice, school, hospital). For a kid with a simple articulation error (e.g. 's') you could see them as short as a couple months. However for some kids you will see them many years. For example, children with severe learning disabilities, autism, developmental delays, etc. Kids like that will likely have many difficulties that take most of their childhood to improve upon. So essentially it can range from a couple months to several years. Only rarely are there short-term cases like 4-6 weeks. That may occur if there is someone you are not sure speech therapy will work for and want to have a trial period- for example an adult who has had a stroke several years ago and may or may not be able to improve.

Question: What do you study in college to become a speech language pathologist? I am going to change my major to become a speech pathologist, and I was wondering if you learn the techniques used to treat people with speech problems, swallowing disorders... etc. How do you retain all that information and apply it in your career? I am afraid I will get a job as a speech pathologist and not be able to help the patient.

Answer: You major in Speech Pathology. My roommates freshman year were both majors, although they mostly were in college to find their husbands.

Question: what is a speech language pathologist assistants salary in atlanta? I will be graduating with a degree in speech pathology and audiology and would like to work as a speech language pathologist assistant.

Answer: If you are graduating with a degree, why do you want to be an assistant? What classes are you required to take? Is it hard? I'm thinking about majoring in it...

Question: To become a Speech-Language Pathologist do you have to have a particular major to become one.? I'm a communication major and i want know if that's one of the majors that a person who wants to be a speech pathologist could take.

Answer: There are majors in speech pathology. Be careful! You can take speech communication courses within the speech major, but you can also take communications as major. Make sure the program you chooses offers a certification trac.

Question: A day in the life of a speech language pathologist? Hi, I am interested in learning more about what speech language pathologists do, especially those who work in elementary school age children or in the arts with people who speak for a living. No I am not looking for a general description via wikipedia, but information from a real SLP/CC. Thank you! any speech therapists out there?

Answer: I am a speech therapist. I'll tell you what I do day to day. I am currently employed by an imtermediate unit that provides services to school age kids. I visit 5 different schools a week, mostly high schools. My schedule is great: I word from 7:30-2:30 and I get all the school holidays and summers off. I generally see kids back to back in 30-45 minute sessions. In some classrooms I do a group lesson a week. I get 45 mins for lunch and then I see kids until 2:30 I just left the hospital setting. There my day was generally 9-5:30 or 10-6:30. I also was on an on-call rotation meaning I had to work 1 weekend a month in addition to full time hours. In this setting, I saw kids: preschool and school age in an outpatient setting. The big buisness was after school hours. During the day time for a few days a week, I would drive over to the main hospital and see adults with swallowing and communication problems, usually following a stroke. The schools are def. better.

Question: Should I become a Speech Language Pathologist? I have been very interested in Speech Language Pathology for quite sometime now. The only doubt in my mind is not being payed enough? I believe the median is somewhere between $30,000-45,000 or higher (I know it depends on experience), which I just feel is low for having a masters degree. Someone please help me!! I would like to hear from people who are, or becoming SLP's as well. Thanks!

Answer: I just graduated with my B.A. in communication disorders. This salary sounds low for what we have been told in class (around 45,000 to 50,000) However, I am located in Orlando Florida and the business of SLPs is huge here. It definitely depends on your location, experience and also which field of this career you decide to go into. Working in elderly homes pulls the biggest salary. Also, having or working in a private practice can make quite a lot. I am working as an SLP-A(assistant, which allows me to do screenings and therapy but not evaluations) right now for a private practice and making $30 an hour. The M.A.s at the same practice make $100 an hour. We do private school children in their school as well as home visits. The schedule is extremely flexible and you can take on as many or as little clients as you would like. If you are interested in one day having a family of your own and wanting to be home some but also have the luxury of working some doing something you love...this field is for you! Good luck!

Question: Is being a speech-language pathologist overly stressful? It seems like an extremely rewarding career, but I'm worried about the amount of time spent outside of normal work hours to create lesson plans and do paperwork. My mom is a teacher and she spends hours after school creating lesson plans, grading, and writing news letters. I was wondering if any speech-language pathologists could give me an idea of how much extra work goes into this career and how it varies depending on the setting (I am especially interested in working in schools).

Answer: Speech-language pathology is a very satisfying profession and the avenues one can take job wise is almost endless. I can honestly say that i have never considered switching to another field, but i HAVE thought about switching jobs within the profession. currently, most new graduates are able to establish a private practice right off the bat, which is absolutely fantastic! in a sense, you can pick and choose your clients, as well as be your own boss. SLPs are in such desperate need in all places that one can almost name their price and go anywhere with it (think hospitals, skilled nursing care, schools, private practice, accent reduction...anything!) i think it goes without saying why the actual profession of SLP is so satisfying. its being able to single-handedly help out an individual to communicate with the world, and that's very rewarding. Im sure where you are has the same demands for the profession as with anywhere else within the US. there arent enough of us to go around at the moment, so this is an excellent time to get into the profession. You shouldn't have a problem applying for a master's program in SLP. the only thing you need is a bachelors with required classes that the university insists you complete. each university is different, so check into it with the director of the SLP department. good luck!

Question: Does anyone know what are the charges of Speech-language pathologist or theraphist in India? I am a 20 yr old guy and i hav got prblm with my speech.I was fine during my childhood days but at the age of 14 i started developing breast(1/2 inch) which is a disorder called "Gynecomastia".bcoz of that i remain quite infront of people and when i talk now my speech can't be understood by other people and i can't pronouce the words proplerly.

Answer: why is this question under men's health. But no I don't know the information you're looking for.

Question: Can you practice as a speech language pathologist without CCC's and supervision? I am aware of a situation where a speech therapist is currently working with CCC's and without supervision. I'm just wondering if this is legit? I'm wondering if this could create any legal issues for the people involved... and the people who know about it? Any suggestions?

Answer: I'm guessing you mean she doesn't have her CCC and is currently in her CFY? If so, she should have a certain amount of contact/observation hours with a supervisor as required by ASHA. But the supervisor doesn't have to be watching her every move. Look under the "Mandatory Supervision Requirements" section on the ASHA website for details about # of required hours of direct supervision: http://tinyurl.com/3b467f