Is speech pathologist a good career?
Speech pathology is a career ranked high in the list of the best field for working in. Even though, you know, being a speech pathologist is a rewarding career but deciding the career path can be difficult sometimes. You may wonder: Is speech pathologist a good career? Before you put your effort and time into earning a degree, it is important to learn everything about the career path, and in this case, the career is a speech-language pathologist or SLP.
Becoming a speech pathologist is generally a great decision, but it may not be that great for everyone. If you are quite unsure whether SLP is the correct one for you, then the best part is you can ask yourself few questions to ensure that you make the right decision. The answer to the question: Is speech pathologist a good career is mentioned below.
Things You Should Consider Before Choosing the Speech Pathologist Career Path
- Are you passionate about helping others?
SLPs play a vital role in the healthcare field as they diagnose, and treat speech, language, swallowing, and communication disorder. They provide support, treatments, education, and interventions to empower patients to recover quicker. As a result, patients make a meaningful connection with their close ones and community. Due to this reason, people aspire to become SLP.
- What are your salary expectations?
Even though salary should not be the only consideration to opt for a career, the role of salary is imperative in influencing your decision. It is quite a nature to ask Is speech pathologist a good career and how much they earn? As per the Bureau of Labor Statistics, SLPs make an average salary of $80,500 annually, and the highest earners make more than $122,750 per year.
So many factors influence the earning, including your experience level, work location, facility type in which you are employed, etc. In general, those who are employed in residential care or nursing homes and those who have extensive years of experience can expect much higher payment than others.
- How much time can you invest?
Although a career as SLP is rewarding, breaking into this career will need a great investment of time. For becoming an SLP, you need:
- A bachelor’s degree like BS in Communication disorder or BS in Speech-language pathology and Audiology.
- A graduation degree like MS in Speech-Language Pathology.
- Completion of post-graduation clinical fellowship.
- Passing the Praxis examination and applying for state licensure.
Above all, it takes around six to eight years from the beginning of a bachelor’s degree to becoming a speech pathologist.
- How much flexibility do you want in your career?
While thinking about SLP, most people commonly envision it as the speech therapist who serves children. However, it is a path full of opportunities, and it is not the only option. The field offers a wide range of flexibility. SLPs can work in multiple settings and play different roles depending on the facility where they work. For instance, if an SLP work in an educational setting like a school, then he/she can easily choose a career in nursing, hospital, clinic, or residential facility.
As a speech pathologist, you can work anywhere from outpatient and inpatient hospital settings to the adult geriatric setting. You can even practice privately by treating patients will swallowing and communication disorders.
- Do you have any interest in science and technology?
Speech-language pathology not only needs the eagerness to assist others but also needs the capability to understand scientific and technical concepts. If science, health, medicine, and technology is your interest, then this can be a great field for you.
Conclusion
With all the above discussion, you may have got the answer to the question Is speech pathologist a good career. If you ever found yourself agreeing with all the questions mentioned above, then the SLP as a career will be right for you. The passion for helping others is a major factor in determining whether you should opt for this field or not.
Such a field allows flexibility to work with the diverse patient population in various settings while providing you great pay. The speech pathology domain is constantly evolving, and you will always find something to learn. With more inquisitiveness, you can stay updated on new advancements and best help your patients. Your work can make a real difference in someone’s life.
