As I sit here reflecting on my journey through graduate school I think about what an exhausting road it has been. When I graduated with my Bachelor's degree, I was rejected by every school that I had applied too. I found a way to gain the undergraduate credits by working full time as a first grade teacher and attending night school 4 nights a week. I knew that I must find a way to pursue this amazing dream that I had set for myself. After finishing that program and landing a job as a speech teacher I knew that was not enough to satisfy my career goals. I decided to try again and was finally accepted into the program at Western Kentucky University. Excited because I was given a chance, nervous about the responsibility of going back to school, proud because I was one step closer to achieving my lifetime goal.

The past two years have been so hard. Working full time as a speech teacher, being a full time graduate student, and fulfilling my wifely duties often made my life a three ring circus. It has been such a challenge to juggle the craziness that often lurked at my door but luckily I had an amazing supportive husband. There have been many tears, late nights, and paper written but I have arrived. I am so excited to start this new journey in my life. I will be starting my new career with Amedysis Home Health. I will be the only speech pathologist in my area so I am excited but feeling overwhelmed. I am looking forward to starting my journey outside of the school system. I am seeking freedom, independence, and more flexibility in the patients that I see. It is going to be an amazing learning experience and I am excited to begin.

I don't know what I will do with myself now that I won't be constantly working towards a deadline or planning my life around my school schedule. Knowing that I am done with school and plan to never go back is the best feeling I could ever imagine. I have spent the past 21 years in school with the exception of sitting out for a year to get married. Losing my study habits, endless amount of post it notes, and my APA sourcebook cannot come soon enough. Realizing that the rest of my learning skills will be completely up to me and voluntary is even more exciting.
Perhaps the most exciting thing about finishing graduate school is beginning my life. We are expecting our first child in January and I am so thankful that I won't have to worry about school, studying, or clinicals is like a breath of fresh air. I am thankful to be at the end of one journey and resting up for the next.

Think about your medical externship(s) and the personnel with whom you interacted while you were there. Besides your supervisor, from which profession do you feel you learned the most and why (and how)?  What if anything did you learn about our profession while you were there and most important, what did you learn about yourself?  If you have not yet completed your medical externship, talk about the types of professions with whom you have worked in other speech-language pathology settings. 

I was able to do my first placement in an Outpatient Rehab facility that served both adults and pediatrics. Since it was a small facility the PT, OT, PTA, and speech pathologist all shared an office. This was especially helpful for patients that received multiple disciplines of therapy. The office also connected to the audiologists office which was helpful.  The profession in which I feel that I learned the most was from the occupational therapist. The speech pathologist and occupational therapist worked hand in hand to treat patients. 

From the occupational therapist I was able to learn many sensory techniques that I found helpful for stimulating my clients. I was able to observe the occupational therapist on several occasions Many times  I got to see the brushing technique used on many of our children with autism. It was amazing to watch how well they formed a bond with the OT. It was also helping for many of our children with ADHD who needed some calming time. Another technique I enjoyed watching was the use of the swing. Many of patients were able to "come to life" when they had a chance to swing before a session started. I often used the swing to offer therapy to many of my very young non-verbal children. Many times they would verbalize much more in the swing than in a Rifton chair.  I also enjoyed watching the OT work with children on ADL ( active daily living) skills such as fastening their pants or zipping their jacket. 

I learned that occupational therapy would be my second choice of career after speech pathology. I learned so much and greatly enjoyed the activities that I was able to observe while she was working with pediatric patients. I also learned how language therapy can be used in every activity of life

How do SLP's burn out??

We talked about what you want in a career.  We talked about the options of work settings.  We talked about non-traditional and traditional settings.  There is no reason then for an SLP to burn out of the career.  But we do.  Why?   Are you someone who may be prone to burn-out?  If so, talk about what you can do to prevent or manage it if happens.  

Burn out can occur in any occupation. Sometimes people just feel as though life has something better to offer them so they decide to move on. I feel that there are many ways in which burn out occurs. Sometimes a persons personality may contribute to the burnout. I know many people who have switched occupations several times throughout their life for a taste of something new. 

I feel that burn out in the speech pathology world can occur for many reasons. One of the reasons that I feel burn outs occur is because the person has a hard time separating work from home. Many times SLP work a full day then bring their work home with them which causes them to work all day. Unfavorable work conditions may also contribute to burn out in the work place. Disrespect, doing others jobs, and unorganization in the work facility can contribute to burn out. 

I can closely relate to "burn outs" in the school setting. Three years ago I began my journey as a speech-language teacher. I am the only speech teacher/pathologist in my school which makes things really difficult. I am responsible for the entire caseload which averages at 70 and above for the year. Group therapy is very difficult when you have more than two children in each group. Keeping up with the paper work has also made it difficult to enjoy my job. I have no time to plan exciting activities for the children nor did I have time to give each child exactly what they needed. For the last three days I felt as if everyday was a race just to make it through the day. At the end of year 3 I can officially say I am burned out on school speech therapy. 

I will be starting a new job in home health in August. In order to prevent burn out I will be able to "be my own boss" I will only be required to see 6 patients per day. I feel that this will help to minimize burn out since I will have a variety of patients to work with each day. Working with children is an exhausting job and I feel that working with adults will help to take a turn in a different direction. I feel that helping to make decisions about your position and what your job responsibilities will be each day can help to minimize burn out. I also feel that the SLP should learn a separation between work and home. I have let myself bring paperwork home constantly until I was blue in the face. Letting your boss know that you need time to do paperwork and receiving that time can also help to minimize burn out. 

ATTENTION BOOTCAMPERS:

Thinking about Bootcamp last summer actually makes me cringe.  I can honestly say that I did not enjoy bootcamp.  The main reason I didn't enjoy bootcamp was because I was away from my family but I felt like it was too rushed to gain a good learning experience in my opinion.  I felt that it didn't shape me because many times my clients did not show up. I was also placed with students much like the ones that I work with at school each day.  I felt that a different population of clients would have been more beneficial to me personally.

I feel that an intensive training program is not a productive way of learning for everyone. As a clinician, I want to see the beginning, middle, and end of a clients journey through therapy. I guess working in the school system has spoiled me to this type of therapy services. I know this is not ideal for everyone. All of my clients had previously been tested and I was just picking up where the last student clinician left off. 

Intensive clinical training could be beneficial for educational programs such as ours because  several people in our cohort had never conducted therapy before coming to bootcamp so they were able to gain more clinical experience than those of us who are currently working as speech teachers or speech pathology assistants. 

Obviously, I would have learned more had I been a traditional student on a traditional campus program. Being a distance ed student I have learned more about time management and problem solving vs being a traditional student.  Being in a traditional classroom and doing longer placements in clinical settings would make it easier however that is not feasible for everyone who has jobs, families, and mortgages. 

Overall, I feel that WKU has an excellent program for distance education students. I have friends in other online programs who have had terrible experiences. I can't complain about the experience that I have had because overall it has been a wonderful learning experience. 

At the beginning of class, we talked about what would make a person happy or satisfied in a position.  Often what brings you happiness is not directly related to your profession.  Some people need to work in an environment where there is great deal of professional autonomy while others want a direct line of authority and lots of layers of it.  I for example like having a start and finish. What do you want – interior hall, lots of windows, solo practice, teamwork, variety, continuity, change, stability, something new every day, routine? Those are just examples to guide your thinking – the only thing that would get your entry not approved is if you reference speech-language pathology. I want you to think about the environment more than the specific duties. 

If you have ever worked a "crappy" job you often daydream about perfect work conditions that may or may not be feasible. As I am approaching the end of one job assignment and approaching a new job assignment, I often think about what work conditions did I not receive in my last job that I would like to have in my new job.  
The most important thing I wish for in my job is professional autonomy. I feel that this is a well respected profession and that as a professional our advice should be taken into account whether it be in a school, hospital, snf, or rehab facility.  I would also like 

Separation of church and state has always been a topic that is very sensitive for most people especially in the professional world.  I think the political correctness has always been to keep your beliefs to yourself and not to impose your faith upon another person.  After working in a school system for 5 years I have been very hesitant to bring up my faith with my students. Often times the children would bring up issues of religion and we would have a very neutral conversation so that I would not offend anyone with my beliefs or religious views.  

I think the topic of religion can be very difficult in any type of profession when dealing with the public.  I feel that a SLP can practice their spirituality without imposing their religion upon others. In the context of difficult situations especially those patients who may be nearing death it is important that we instill a faith upon our patients.  Many of my older patients are very open about their beliefs in God and their faith that they will go to Heaven when they pass away. 

A SLP can practice their own faith during delivery of services by sharing their experiences with the patient. Many of my patients have asked me to pray with them.  I have taken turns saying the prayer with the patients as well as listening while they prayed for someone or for their own problems.  One way I have used my faith during delivery of services is by letting a patient read the Bible during a session. One of my patients who had a stroke is working to strengthen her tongue for more intelligible speech. Some days we talk and some days she will read the bible to me and we talk about what we have read. Not only is it good exercise to improve intelligibility but it also allows both of us to have a little time with God. 

When patients bring up their faith to me or to any healthcare professional I feel that it is important to remain open minded. Not everyone believes the same beliefs that you believe but it is important to realize your role is to provide therapy services not to impose your faith on them.  It is always important to maintain rapport with your clients regardless of your beliefs or theirs. If you are concerned about a client and their beliefs you may be able to refer them to a professional that can talk with them about their faith. 

Social Media in the world of Speech Pathology

Social media has been an outstanding resource during my education.  It has provided me with contacts that I have used to benefit my education as well as my current job as a speech language teacher.  Pinterest has been wonderful for coming up with fresh ideas to use in therapy. I have also used Pinterest as a resource for accessing "cheat sheets" and "charts" which have been useful study guides and learning tools.  YOUTUBE has also been resourceful for watching therapy sessions and informative videos to help me gain knowledge of how textbook information can become real world.  Facebook has been great for collaborating with fellow students and other speech pathology professionals in regards to case studies and coursework that was unclear. I feel that social media can be very beneficial when used correctly. 

I plan to use social media as a source for continuing my education. Staying connected on Facebook with my fellow peers and previous supervisors will help me to feel comfortable asking questions about areas that I may have difficulty with assessing or treating.  Facebook will also allow me to keep updated contacts and connections for future job opportunities and CEU trainings that may be available in my area.  
Pinterest will forever be a great resource to use for finding new and innovative activities. Many of the major companies such as PediaStaff and ASHA are always "pinning" new and interesting activities and information which may be beneficial for clients of all ages.  There are always interesting crafts, games, and activity sheets which may be appropriate for all ages. Pediastaff also includes many research topics which may be relevant to a patient on the caseload. 

Many people often look at social media as a negative thing. I feel that social media is negative when it is not used properly or when people abuse the way it is used.  I feel there are far more advantages of social media over disadvantages. Many of the advantages of social media include establishing connections, learning new techniques, and staying on top of the latest research. 

Insuring patient confidentiality is the number one thing that must be kept in mind while using social media. It is so easy to want to share our praises with the world about the milestones of our patients but we must not do that on social media sites. We must not discuss patient information outside of the facility or with anyone that does not have contact with the patient. This can sometime be difficult with nosey family member. 
All in all social media is a definite positive aspect to our career. 

The field of speech pathology is very broad and covers a wide array of subject areas. The 9 subject areas can provide treatment for most children and adults who suffer from some type of communication disorder. Being recognized as competent in all 9 areas seems almost a little unfair to our profession. While many of the topics have been introduced, elaborated, and tested on, I do not feel as though I am competent in every area. I do not feel as though I could ethically assess and treat all areas at this point in my career. Throughout my lifespan, I feel that with enough research and experience I would feel comfortable assessing and treating in all 9 areas. I feel that with experience and exposure one can gain the appropriate knowledge and skills to be competent in areas. 

When it comes to confidence I have areas that I feel more confident about than others. Feeling confident about subject areas and being ethically confident are two different things. Feeling confident about performing a certain procedure without being competent can be dangerous or hazardous to patient. Confidence is an important part of this profession because it allows others to gain trust in you as a clinician. 

If I had to name my strengths and weaknesses as a "new" SLP , I feel that my strengths include areas of cognition, articulation/phonology, and language. After working in the school system for 5 years this is something that I did daily. At first, I felt very uncomfortable with treating and assessing language and articulation but once I gained exposure I also gained confidence.  My areas of weaknesses include fluency and voice. Because these areas are so objective it is hard to gain mastery in these areas. The areas related directly to science like voice and dysphagia are constantly changing and it is important for the SLP to stay up to date on the latest research in order to continue to provide evidence based practices.  With any job I feel that a SLP should "play" on their strengths and work on improving their weaknesses. 

Joining a Special Interest Group??

Special Interest Groups offered by ASHA are a great way to build skills in areas that one may not be comfortable with already.  I feel that Special Interest Groups or SIG membership are easy to pick based on your interest or current occupation at the time. AFter reviewing the list, I feel that I would chose to join SIG 18: Gerontology.  I have already accepted a job in home health services after graduation.  After working in the school system for 5 years I am very comfortable with my skills with children but not with my adult skills.  I feel that many programs in Speech language pathology mostly focus on child development and only brush lightly on gerontology. 
Understanding that basic aging affects speech, language, and hearing can help a speech pathologist to offer better services that will evoke better outcomes. SIG 18 provides the latest information on factors that affect aging adults and their communication skills. Information for specialized techniques for working with geriatric patients with cognitive disorders and swallowing disorders are also provided through membership in a special interest group. 
One of the biggest areas that I feel my skills lack is understanding Medicare. Many of the patients that I will be seeing are Medicare patients. Medicare is constantly changing and being knowledgeable about how the process works is important for completing paperwork and necessary procedures. 

Another SIG group that I would be interested in is SIG 13: Dysphagia and Swallowing Disorders. The adult population has a wide variety of dysphagia patients. Understanding that one technique doesn't work for all patients leads SLP's to other practices. Working with geriatric patients, I will need to be up to date on the latest practices and procedures in order to provide the best practice for my patients. Collaborating with other professionals about swallowing disorders may help me to become more knowledgeable about the subject and help to understand what each patient needs.