May is Speech-Language-Hearing Month!
Among the many observances during the month of May is National Speech-Language-Hearing Month (formerly Better Hearing and Speech Month). Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) probably treat more than the average person would expect, and they work with patients of all ages, from pediatric to geriatric, across a variety of settings. We asked our current team of SLPs at MMC what they love about their jobs, what they wished the public better understood about their profession, and how to explore this field if Speech-Language Pathology is a career path that you or someone you know is considering!
Wendy Blashak, MA, CCC-SLP
I enjoy being a speech language pathologist because I enjoy seeing my patients regain their speech, language and swallowing skills. I have been an SLP for almost 39 years. I have been at MMC for the last 20.
I really like being able to see patients have success. For example, I once accompanied a patient for a swallow study who was unable to eat after a stroke, and her goal was to eat a chocolate chip cookie. She passed her Modified Barium Swallow (MBS) study (an x-ray to check the mouth and throat when swallowing) that day, and we celebrated her success with a chocolate chip cookie.
I wish that people knew that the field of Speech-Language Pathology is so much more than just teaching people to say sounds. That is one aspect of speech, but we also work with patients with memory issues, cognitive issues, swallowing issues, voice issues, language issues, auditory processing issues, and fluency issues.
Kaitlyn “Kaity” Gage, MS, CCC-SLP
I love being an SLP because I have the opportunity to help those in my community build confidence and improve their ability to communicate effectively. There is nothing more rewarding than watching individuals overcome challenges and meet milestones that they have been working so hard toward! I also value the combination of compassion, critical thinking, and lifelong learning that my profession offers.
I wish the public better understood that speech pathology goes beyond helping speech alone. We support communication, cognition, social skills, and swallowing for ages across the lifespan. Behind every session is a combination of clinical knowledge, patience, and advocacy aimed at improving our patient’s overall quality of life.
Trisha Huddar MA, CCC-SLP, CBIS
I enjoy being an SLP because it’s one of the few fields that constantly challenges me to think both analytically and creatively at the same time. I love getting to know my patients beyond just their diagnosis and understanding how communication and swallowing difficulties impact their day-to-day lives.
Building relationships with patients and helping make even the small parts of their lives easier or more meaningful is incredibly rewarding. I also really value the versatility of the field; no two days, patients, or settings are ever exactly the same, which keeps me learning and growing constantly.
One thing I wish the public better understood about our field is “speech therapy” is actually a pretty misleading term. While we do work on speech, the scope of what SLPs do is much broader than most people realize. Depending on the setting, we may work with swallowing disorders, auditory processing disorders, cognition and memory, voice, head and neck cancer, Parkinson’s disease, stroke and brain injury recovery, chronic cough, language disorders, communication devices and more. It is an extremely broad and interdisciplinary field that touches so many aspects of a person’s ability to communicate, function, and participate in daily life.
Amy Jacobs, MS, CCC-SLP
I have worked at MMC for 34 years! I love my profession and my job! As a speech/language pathologist, I have the opportunity of meeting and helping so many people within a wide range of ages and disorders. Being a speech pathologist within both an acute care hospital and outpatient clinic is challenging, but very rewarding which is one of the top reasons why I love what I do! I also love working within the medical field which allows me to be a team member engaging with the wide variety of medical professionals!
MMC offers outpatient speech therapy services year round. Often, we see children during the school year, in addition to the therapy that they receive within school. They continue services as an outpatient to prevent regression. MMC speech pathologists try to maintain communication with the school therapists because continuity of care is very important.
In May, we also recognize National Stuttering Awareness Week and Stroke Awareness Month. MMC has speech pathologists that specialize in specific diagnosis, including stuttering, and we offer both inpatient and outpatient therapy to people who have suffered a CVA (cerebrovascular accident, or stroke). A patient may be seen immediately after they have had their stroke and then be followed to the MMC Transitional Care Unit (TCU). After discharge, the recommendation for continued therapy may be made. They may be seen by a home health speech pathologist and/or in an outpatient clinic for therapy.
I wish the community knew the wide range of disorders and populations that a speech/language pathologist is trained within their scope of care. Speech pathologists can treat pediatrics through geriatrics addressing disorders with voice, swallowing, pediatric feeding, cognition, communication, hearing impaired, AAC devices and many other areas. MMC offers all of these services.
*The SLP field is heavily weighted with females. Of the more than 60 student interns that I have had over the years, I have only had 3 male interns. If someone is considering SLP as a career, go and shadow a speech pathologist in different settings such as a school, nursing home and outpatient clinic. The profession is very rewarding, offering a wide range of areas that you can specialize and opportunity of working with many different populations.
Miriam Lutz, MA, CCC-SLP
I would like people to understand that SLPs have such a wide scope of practice, and that we do not JUST work with children with speech impairments. Especially in hospital settings, we are oftentimes the professionals who determine whether or not a patient can safely swallow. We also work with cognition, voice, and augmentative communication. It’s a large scope that touches on multiple areas that are fundamental to who we are as human beings.
For anyone interested in pursuing a career in SLP: shadow in multiple settings to find the right fit for your personality and strengths. SLPs work in a wide variety of settings: hospitals, schools, early intervention, home health, SNF, and outpatient clinics. All of these settings require a different skillset, and sometimes different personalities fit in better in one setting over another.
Emily Palmer, MA, CCC-SLP
I enjoy being an SLP because I enjoy connecting with my pediatric patients and watching their confidence grow when learning new speech and language skills! Parent and caregiver involvement is so important in continued speech and language development. During the summer break, when kids are not being active in a classroom, I recommend that parents continue to foster a literacy rich environment outside of school and therapies by incorporating reading, writing, rhyming, singing songs, and word games into daily routines.
*The gender gap in SLP across the U.S. is a topic often discussed in professional associations and academics. It’s estimated that more than 90 percent of SLPs are female! This article from Drexel University explores the topic in more detail: The Gender Experience in Speech-Language-Pathology.
Job Shadowing Opportunities
If you are inspired to take the advice of our SLPs and job shadow someone in the profession — perhaps here at MMC! — learn more about job shadowing on our careers site.
