Speech Pathologists, often otherwise known as SLPs, are individuals specializing in communication. Speech pathologists cover every demographic, working with not only babies and children but also adults.

There are a number of teachers who take into consideration switching from their current careers, to Speech Therapy Careers, most often due to the overlap in the ultimate objectives of both careers – to help others and create a positive impact in their lives. No change is easy. However, many teachers who made the jump confirm that they have no regrets in making the switch. Medfuture, your trusted medical recruitment agency, can ease you through the process and help you decide if this is the right path for you.

What do Speech Pathologists do?

Speech pathologists treat a number of issues that concern communication skills, as well as swallowing problems that individuals may have. These include:

Speech Sounds: This surrounds the issue of articulation, covering how individuals say certain sounds and merge these sounds into words.

Language: The focus of this is on how well individuals comprehend the things that they hear and read, and how they utilize their words and vocabulary to convey their thoughts to others.

Literacy: How literate a person is depends on how fluent they are in their reading and writing – people who struggle with speech and language disorders tend to consequently struggle in their reading, spelling, and writing.

Social Communication: This concerns how well individuals follow the rules and courtesy of communication, such as their ability to wait their turn to speak, how they talk to different individuals based on the circumstance, and how close they stand to other individuals when they speak.

Voice: How the voice of individual sounds, in terms of how loud they are, if they are incapable of making certain sounds, if they speak through their noses, and if they get hoarse or lose their voices easily.

Fluency: This is how smooth the flow of an individual’s speech is. An individual who cannot speak without a stutter, or gaps in their conversation, struggles with this.

Feeding and Swallowing: This covers the ability of individuals to swallow, suck and chew food and liquid, as those who have issues with swallowing may eventually suffer from health problems such as poor nutrition, weight loss, and other health issues.

Why would teachers opt for a change in careers to Speech Therapy?

While teachers find their jobs fulfilling, many struggle with the inconsistent and demanding hours that the job requires. In comparison, Speech Language Pathologists have stable hours and are not often required to work overtime in order to fulfill their numerous obligations.

Therefore, the role offers teachers an equally wholesome and accomplishing career path that comes with a reduction in stress and pressure.

The majority of the teachers who choose this path for change, do it in order to continue working in a rewarding job that allows the execution of their role so similar to what they are used to. Additionally, there is a variety in not just their work due to the difference in abilities of their clients, but also the range in the age groups that they are able to teach.

How do I make a transition mid-career to Speech Pathology?

Figure out the pros and cons of making the switch.

The first thing to do is to familiarise yourself with the requirements of the country you are in. Before making the decision to enroll in a related course, it is recommended to speak to experts who can give you insights on becoming a speech pathologist. Medfuture can assist you in this process, matching you with the requirements of the field that you feel you are best suited to, and providing you with all the information you need in making your decision. In this process, you will be able to gain insight into the opportunities available, the hours worked, the challenges you may face, as well as the benefits that come with this switch.

Choose the SLP Programme course that best suits your needs

Australia requires those pursuing Speech Pathology to complete an affiliated degree in this field. However, those in the middle of a career change who have already completed a degree in a similar field, are most likely qualified to pursue a master’s in speech pathology instead, either in person or online.

It is possible to complete a course part-time while working. However, this would mean that it would take you much longer to complete the relevant requisites than someone who studies the course full-time. You may also have to complete certain prerequisites for graduate school before you get accepted into the course of your choice.

Complete your master’s in Speech Pathology

In order to complete the speech pathology master’s program online, an individual will most likely be required to complete a clinical practicum. While this may seem challenging, the online courses that you take will assist you in finding placements locally in order to complete this course of action.

Complete SLP licensure requirements

Finally, you will need to earn your SLP license. Although this process differs depending on the state or country you are in, this step is essential in completing your transition from teaching to speech-language pathology. The standard requirements are generally experience in the field, certification to prove that you are an active teacher, along with the completion of the SLP licensing requirements.

What are some skills that I can use as a teacher when transferring to speech therapy?

Below are some important qualities that you may have as a teacher that you can use in your career as a speech therapist:

Analytical skills: Teachers are known to have to be proactive, considering the range of tasks they are expected to fulfill, not just academically, but also in terms of extracurricular, and the different strategies they implement when it comes to preparing their lessons. In all these aspects, they utilize analytical skills that will be useful to them as speech pathologists. An example of said skills would be their ability to research and implement their acquired knowledge to develop strategic and successful treatment plans for their clients.

Communication Skills: Naturally, all teachers are expected to be effective communicators in order to transfer their knowledge to their students in ways that can be best understood by them. These communication skills will help a teacher in making the transition to speech pathology, considering the diversity of the ages and speech-language issues that clients face that they will have to cater to and treat throughout their careers as speech pathologists.

Compassion: This is a mandatory trait that all speech pathologists must hold, considering the fragility of the clients that they are faced with. The struggles that speech pathologists face in clients are often sensitive aspects of the client’s lives that they have had to deal with, especially with the adults. Teachers are often trained to empathise with their students and obstacles they may face in grasping certain parts of a lesson. Similarly, in order to connect with these clients and successfully treat them, a speech pathologist must empathise with the fact that the client struggles with a gap in communication, and on that understanding, assist them in overcoming it.

Critical Thinking: Treatment for clients in this industry is not “one size fits all.” In the same way teachers have to figure out how to best convey their lessons to every different individual in class, speech pathologists need to critically evaluate the clients that come to them, counseling them and empathizing with them in order to figure out what course of action works best.

Attention to detail: One must be able to ensure that all grounds are covered in terms of the client’s medical reports and documentation. This is because individuals often have more than one speech disorder, or may have other physical or mental medical illnesses as well. In cases like this, a speech pathologist needs to be able to confer with all of the client’s other professionals, so as to study them and come up with the best course of action when it comes to treatment for the client.

Listening: In order to figure out what needs to be treated, a speech pathologist, much like a teacher, needs to be able to have good listening skills in order to fully absorb the extent of the client’s condition. This allows them to properly understand, diagnose, and treat the symptoms of the client.

Medfuture, a reputed medical and healthcare recruitment agency, connects qualified and experienced healthcare professionals on a global scale. From International Medical Graduates who wish to pursue their careers in Speech Pathology, to teachers looking to make a career change in the world of Speech Pathology, Medfuture is here to help.

For more information on open vacancies in speech pathologist vacancies, visit the Medfuture job board.