#thespeechpath

[thespeechpath]

School SLP woes:

You think you’re gonna work in a school and everyone will see you as the wonderful bomb-ass full-of-expertise clinician you really are?

Realityyyyyyyy check!

Last week:

I evaluated a KG student for language- did not qualify. Smart, cool little boy.

Mom: Some days he does the /l/ sound correct, some days not. Like he does pray for play. 

Admin: Yeah , I noticed that too

Teacher: I understand him just fine, about 95% or more of the time

Mom: Hmm, maybe I’m expecting too much out of him.

Me: Shows norms for his age (he just turned 6) “ See here, mom? /l/ blends aren’t expected until age 7. Sounds like the sound is emerging for him.”

*Mom agrees*

IEP Team: Well this is a team decision, so...yeaaaaah, I still think we should go ahead and sign for a full speech evaluation. (To waste my time further)

Me verbally: Ok, Great! 

Me nonverbally: Loudly arranges papers on table, crosses arms, smiles tightly

Didn’t know everyone on the team had speech degrees....dope.

[thespeechpath]

So, What IS the ‘secret formula’ for grad school?

GRE. GPA. REC’S. 

Every acronym that makes you want to crawl under a rock and cry.

Thankfully, I was accepted to a wonderful school. Were my ‘numbers’ stellar? Absolutely not! I was below average in almost everything that would be considered. I had taken the GRE one time, a dreadful day wasted in a gray room, and my scores were UNDER the recommended scores for the program to which I was applying. My GPA was embarrassing compared to my classmates with 3.9s/4.0s. 

 I only applied to one program.

I got in.

What’s the secret? I still couldn’t tell you.

What do I think matters? Letting yourself shine through your application. My personal statement was unique. I talked about my travels and how communicating with people worldwide made me feel, how it tied into my work and how it taught me patience. I didn’t use any borrowed ideas, I spoke from my heart and from my experiences. 

Take an event/lifetime experience that means something to you and is relevant to the field and run with it!

[thespeechpath]

Loan Forgiveness for SLPs

[thespeechpath]

An SLP talks about her experience serving the remote parts of Alaska

[thespeechpath]

Always be aware that there are places that have SLP shortages and programs that are willing to give tuition money!

[thespeechpath]

Why the Gender Imbalance in the Schools?

I believe all of us SLPs, both men and women, would do well to get the word out about our rewarding profession. We all need to cast a wide net to recruit men to the profession.

How many men do you have in your cohorts? My undergrad is quite large, but we still have a very small number of guys!

[thespeechpath]

http://www.aphasia.org/sites/default/files/files/WITHOUT%20UTTERANCE%20R%20Resch.pdf

I found this FREE PDF of this story on Aphasia.org !  It is about Ruth's experience losing language through a stroke, and her strength and survival. I can't wait to begin and I thought I'd share it. Enjoy :) 

-Sonia, thespeechpath

[thespeechpath]

A Speech and Language Pathology student in Ontario, Canada! Subscribe for entertaining and informative videos about all things Speech and Language!

Ever wish there was someone who you go through the whole 'grad school' process with?! Well, Olivia SLP documents her entire journey! She is from Canada, but I can relate to her anyway even as a SLP student in the U.S.! Check her out:)