Tell me about being a speech therapist

In one of the recent threads, someone mentioned being a speech therapist as another way into the school system. I think it was the poster ml???

What education do you need? What is your salary? Are you hourly, or is there DOE scale for it? Can you also work for an organization that sends you on jobs?

I have my full credentials and paperwork as a DOE elem teacher with 10 years experience, so I'm wondering how I could move into speech therapy.

Thank you!

Re: Tell me about being a speech therapist

I am not a speech therapist, but I think this is a highly desirable career path. I have worked in both public and private schools. In public schools, we had our own speech therapist for the school, in my private school either one employed by the local school district came or the parents payed privately. You can also go into private practice and charge a good amount. I live way out east and we have ots/pts and sts who work together and provide services both in and out of school as well as to the children who summer here.

Re: Tell me about being a speech therapist

You need a master's degree in speech-language pathology (it's typically a 2-year program with summer classes also) - during that you'll do 1 internship and 3 externships. after your master's you'll need to do a 9 month supervised "CFY" (clinical fellowship year) before you can get your license.

there are a great range of salaries.

i work in a school, but i'm in San Diego and we are on a different payscale than teachers.

you can also work through an agency where you can get an hourly pay.

as PP mentioned, you can work in private practice also - or in a hospital, with EI, etc. there are a ton of opportunities.

Re: Tell me about being a speech therapist

that was me
"maybeamommy" is right.... you would have to have your masters in speech pathology ( for me, it was a 2 year program, full time)... and you would also have probablay a year or 2 of prerequisite undergrad classes you would have to take. When I finished my undergrad, i couldn't imagine doing another 2 years of school!!! I just wanted to be DONE! but it really wasn't bad. the first year of grad school was classes, and the second year was mostly the internships that I had to do, and maybe 2 classes. so it was more like you were out working, and not just sitting in class all the time.
I graduated in 2004 and live in NJ... but when I was in school, you had to do 3 internships in 3 different settings ( i did one at a school, one in Early Intervention, and one at a nursing home). I also had clients in the on campus clinic during my last year of undergrad.
To work in a school, I had to take the speech pathology Praxis test to get my NJ "Speech language specialist" certificate. Your first year of work is called your CFY ( Clinical Fellowship Year). And you are paid, but it just means you work with a more experienced SLP as you"mentor" / supervisor, and they will have to sign off that you worked under them.
So, yeah... I'm not gonna sugarcoat it- its a long road to get there!! BUT, as i sad in my previous post i think its worth it. I'm very happy with my job. Speaking and communicating is SUCH a basic thing that we need to do- and its amazing to be able to help people get better at it.
And The job market is great right now- its always on the "Top Jobs to Have" lists, and the job openings are projected to keep going up. And I like that the settings I can work in are so different. I don't feel like I'll ever be "stuck" in the same job for the rest of my life. If I get tired of one setting, I can look into other options. If I get tired of working with kids, I can go into adult rehab and help people with brain injuries or strokes. If I get tired of being in a school, I can still work with kids, but in a private practice setting. SLPs can even work in hospitals dong X-ray swallowing studies!
As far as salaries- it depends on what setting you're in. In a school, I'm on the same pay scale as a teacher with a master's degree. Feel free to FM me with any other questions

Message edited 1/30/2010 3:49:11 PM.

Re: Tell me about being a speech therapist

I highly recommend the field. The coursework is grueling, but totally worth it in the end.

In my coursework I had an internship in my university's clinic, then 2 externiships (one working with adults, one in pediatrics). I did my Masters fulltime in 5 semesters (through 1 summer).

The CFY can be done on a part-time basis. I completed mine within 2 years.

Currently I'm in an elementary school. The pay tends to be lower in public schools, but the flexibility as well as hours make it totally worth it. My first year starting salary was low-50s for a 10 month position (I live in Maryland).

At times I've thought about leaving the elementary school setting and going into early childhood intervention, specifically the 3-5 year olds. The beauty of this field is that it is SO broad, so it's always a new job if you want it to be!

Message edited 1/31/2010 2:26:55 PM.

Re: Tell me about being a speech therapist

Thank you for your insight into this. It sounds very interesting. I do love working in the schools with the children, but I'm getting frustrated with certain aspects.

If you live in the NYC area, can you tell me from where you got your degree? I would like to begin investigating schools and degrees and then run it by DH.

Re: Tell me about being a speech therapist