1 answer
Erica
Student
Smithfield, Utah
1
Question
Asked
142 views
How do I prepare for Speech Pathology Grad School?
I am currently a Junior in a Speech and Hearing undergrad program. What jobs can I look for? Internships? Is there anything else I should plan for?
Login to comment
1 answer
Nicole Banda
Speech-Language Pathologist
7
Answers
Buda, Texas
Updated
Nicole’s Answer
Go shadow actual SLPs. It’s nice to watch student clinicians do it in clinic and all, but it’s not the same as a full fledged pro modeling what you will be doing IMHO.
Also, anything to get your foot in the door to the setting you’re thinking of doing. I wanted to work in a hospital—I could have been a transporter or a rehab tech. Something entry level but related is good.
Want to get an idea of outpatient? There are plenty of tech jobs (wiping down equipment, being a second set of hands, engaging in small talk with patients and learning how to establish rapport, observing Therapists with patients—for better or worse lol, hearing patients and therapists lament about what’s broken in the healthcare system you are about to enter).
Get a serving job—anything to showcase your people skills and potential for customer service is good. If you can take care of hungry people, you can take care of sick people. They both come with their…idiosyncrasies lol.
Volunteer with kids or the elderly—they are who you will be treating for the most part. I did children’s church and was a paraprofessional for some Deaf kiddos at one point. Hopefully this will get your wheels turning! Welcome to the field!
Also, anything to get your foot in the door to the setting you’re thinking of doing. I wanted to work in a hospital—I could have been a transporter or a rehab tech. Something entry level but related is good.
Want to get an idea of outpatient? There are plenty of tech jobs (wiping down equipment, being a second set of hands, engaging in small talk with patients and learning how to establish rapport, observing Therapists with patients—for better or worse lol, hearing patients and therapists lament about what’s broken in the healthcare system you are about to enter).
Get a serving job—anything to showcase your people skills and potential for customer service is good. If you can take care of hungry people, you can take care of sick people. They both come with their…idiosyncrasies lol.
Volunteer with kids or the elderly—they are who you will be treating for the most part. I did children’s church and was a paraprofessional for some Deaf kiddos at one point. Hopefully this will get your wheels turning! Welcome to the field!
Oh, and be prepared for the brutal process of writing essays and paying application fees to be rejected by most schools. Or maybe that was just my experience with my measly 3.7 GPA and multiple volunteer positions within the department and out in the wild…sigh. Oh, and get an ASHA mentor ASAP!!!!! The mentor I was paired with through the ASHA STEP program was the only reason I was accepted at 1 of 7 schools (or at least that’s how it felt at the time).
Nicole Banda