I am a graduated speech-language pathology student who has completed my CFY and now work in an inpatient rehab setting, after working in acute care and out patient facilities.
The early part of this blog share both my experiences and what I have learned on externship, as well as what I have learned from early in my job hunt. There are moments of WIN and moments of FAIL. I have attempted to talk about my current experiences, but have yet to find the right topic or interest for me to post with any consistency. Perhaps one day I will pick it up again, or perhaps this blog will remain as it is now.
I (obviously) love to talk about what I do, so don’t hesitate to contact me with comments and questions of your own!
The SLPing SLP 
25 comments
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April 18, 2010 at 10:12 pm
Yolanda
I am a undergraduate student in Tampa and I will graduate May 8th. I have come across your page and I must tell you it is very informative. I am so anxious about gradute school, that I have put off applying because I do not think I could keep up with the demands of it. By far you do not make it seem easy but you do make it seem do-able. Your love of being an SLP is inspiring. It has inspired me to continue and get my masters. Thank you very much.
April 19, 2010 at 11:55 pm
The SLPing Intern
I am glad you find it informative! Grad school is hard work, but if you love being an SLP student, you will make it through. Good luck!!
February 21, 2011 at 7:00 pm
Annie
Thank you so much for this genius blog! Please leave it up for us fellow students, this is an incredible resource for us!
February 25, 2011 at 1:49 am
The SLPing Intern
I have no intention of taking it down. I find all the links I put up very helpful myself. :)
July 24, 2011 at 3:27 pm
futureslp
so glad I came across your blog…I am in my last semester of grad school and will begin the job hunt soon…all of your information is great! I’m definitely going to share it with my classmates
July 24, 2011 at 3:33 pm
The SLPing Intern
I’m glad to hear you find it useful! Good luck with the job search!!!
February 24, 2012 at 1:45 am
Balance(ing Act) « The SLPing SLP
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February 25, 2012 at 1:35 am
Ashley
Hi, great blog! I am un undergraduate at UT-Austin. Where did you go to school? And did you find gradute school to be harder than undergraduate?
February 29, 2012 at 12:17 pm
The SLPing SLP
I definitely found graduate school harder than undergraduate. My experience in an undergraduate communication disorders program was that they are cover the very basics, while in grad school, they are going into much more detail…although, there’s still a lot of detail about many areas that you don’t get to study in grad school. There’s a lot to cover! Although some undergrad programs provide clinical experience, there’s definitely a lot more clinic. You just really have to learn how to manage your time. Good luck in your studies!
May 6, 2013 at 12:54 pm
crumpledcupcakes
Nice blog! Are there essays in Grad school? that’s pretty much my only weakness when it comes to academics.
May 9, 2013 at 10:50 am
The SLPing SLP
There are some essays in grad school. Maybe one about every other class? There are certainly not as many as you would find in a social science or humanitarian degree.
May 16, 2013 at 5:56 am
syng3
Hi, I have several questions about applying for slp. Is it ok to email me back so I can ask via email?
Thanks!
Sarah
May 16, 2013 at 11:36 am
The SLPing SLP
I have sent you an email. I think. I put The SLPing SLP in the title, in case it went to your spam folder.
May 16, 2013 at 7:19 pm
syng3
I got it :)
I replied back
September 7, 2013 at 4:39 am
thuy
hi, did u graduate yet? if yes, how do u like being a speech language pathologist so far? I was a psych major and planning to go for slp. I did some research on this career and it said that almost 80% of speech language pathologist are satisfied with their job. What are your pros and cons of being a slp? and as a grad student?
September 7, 2013 at 6:42 pm
The SLPing SLP
I have been practicing for several years and love my job! I think it is like any job, you have to find the population that you enjoy most, though. You will get to experience that in grade school, though, so hopefully that will helpful in figuring out what kind of setting you would want to work in after graduation. Probably the biggest con of SLPing is the paperwork. Sure it demonstrates the skilled treatment you are providing, but sometimes it can be overwhelming. That is the biggest con for me, that and the changing healthcare system…but hopefully in the long run the change will be for the better. I love the variety of being an SLP, I never get bored, and I’m constantly learning. I also get to help people, which is awesome. In grad school the biggest con is that you pretty much eat, sleep, and breathe your work. You have classes and clinicals happening at the same time, so it is a lot of work. You had better love what you are learning or you are probably going to burn out. On the other hand, I made a lot of great friendships that I still have today with the other people in my class and…I loved it then, so, in a tortuous way, it was also fun. Haha, hope that makes sense. Good luck!
September 7, 2013 at 10:27 pm
thuy
Since I was a psych major, I would have to go to school for one more year, which is fine with me because i love school. Could you tell me more about how grad school as a SLP was like? How were the classes?
Thanks for sharing!
September 8, 2013 at 12:15 pm
The SLPing SLP
Grad school is definitely a lot more challenging that undergrad. However, the structure of the classes is largely the same: 2-3 tests per semester and maybe some papers or other assignments throughout the semester. I guess more information is thrown at you faster, which is what makes it more challenging? It depends on the program, but in my program the non-majors took a lot of hours the first semester because they were taking a LOT undergrad courses to level with just a couple grad school courses. Obviously, incredibly busy. The clinic also varies from program to program. Frequently you have a clinic where individual patients see you, the clinician, one on one. Sometimes there are groups, like pragmatics or aphasia, but again, it depends on the program. May places have off-site opportunities (e.g., in a nursing facility, school, or local hospital). If you are not sure of the population you want to work with, I would look for a program that is well-rounded with both plenty of adult and child opportunities. Some programs, because of their location, may have more opportunities for one population vs another. Some may also have more opportunities to work with populations like autism, or alternative/augmentative communication devices. Depends on the program. I hope that gave you more insight, but feel free to ask more questions if you have them.
September 9, 2013 at 5:25 pm
thuy
Thanks for the very informative message! Just a couple more questions, hope you dont mind… ;)
Although my GPA is high, i dont have a back ground in slp. I am planning on volunteering and taking the prereq courses prior to admission. As for the recommendation letters, i can get 2 from my professors and one from work. Do you have any other advise to increase my chance of getting accepted?
Another question, did you have a difficult time getting a job after graduation?
Lastly, it seems like most places in my area wont allow volunteers, I would love to volunteer or shadow at an agency/school/hospital so I have a better understanding of becoming a SLP . Do you have any recomendations?
Thank you so much for your time!
September 9, 2013 at 9:42 pm
The SLPing SLP
I don’t have any other advice. Think about what you know about the profession and what your past experiences (even though they were not directly related to SLP) give you that you would then bring to the program/profession (e.g., management skills, people skills, critical thinking skills, etc.) Programs actually seem to be looking for diversity in skills, not just people who happen to have taken the communication disorder prereqs.
As far as getting a job after graduation, it depends on the population/setting you want to work in. (I hear it also depends on location; some forums I have been on seem to indicate there are parts of the northeast United States where there is a saturated market.) If you want to work in the schools, there is no way you cannot get a job unless you absolutely refuse to relocate more than 20 miles from where you currently live. Working in the healthcare sector is more difficult. Generally speaking nursing facilities and home health agencies are more likely to take a new grad; much less likely for medical centers/hospitals. Getting in to a private practice (whether to work with adults or children) may also be more difficult. That would be a great question to ask the SLPs in your area if you get to shadow, especially if you plan to stay in that same area after graduation.
I haven’t heard of many volunteer opportunities that directly involve interaction with SLPs, but you may find volunteer opportunities with kids (through schools, local camps or clubs) or with the elderly through nursing facilities or the senior center. I have heard people have difficulty finding someone to job shadow, but don’t give up! Try and talk to some one directly in the department or to the SLP his/herself, whether it is in a school, private clinic, or healthcare facility. Good luck!
September 16, 2013 at 3:47 am
thuy
hi again, just couple more questions, hope you don’t mind… How was it when applying for grad school? how many schools did you apply? is it necessary to go to the top school for this program? I am thinking about completing a postbac at Portland State U while becoming a resident of oregon, but its not a guarantee that ill get accepted for grad program at this school. Do you think Its better to just apply for grad program rather than postbac?
Thanks so much for your time!
September 16, 2013 at 9:53 pm
The SLPing SLP
I think I applied to about 5 schools. Depending on where you want/need to stay you may not have that many options, but I would apply to as many as you are interested in and/or that are in an agreeable location to you. It is not necessary to apply to a “top school” if you are referring to things like the US News ratings. I understand those are largely related to research, which, unless you plan to go a research route, probably is not as important to you. I think the most important thing is to find a program that provides quality learning and clinical experiences for the populations you are interested in. If you are not certain of the population you want to work with (which is perfectly okay!), then I would look for a well rounded program that has plenty of opportunities for adults and children with a variety of disorders. Unfortunately, this is going to be on you to really sleuth out. As far as a postbac vs jumping into grad school, I have no advice on which is the better option. It is probably a cheaper route to take them as a postbac than taking those same classes as a graduate student. Graduate tuition is typically more expensive. Either way, it is more schooling and you would probably need to crunch the numbers to see the price difference. As you said, there is no guarantee that you will be accepted into the graduate program regardless of whether or not you do your postbac there. I’m afraid there is no straight answer to your last question. Sorry I’m not very helpful on that one. Good luck!
September 16, 2013 at 9:43 pm
Jenn
I am finishing my senior year as an undergrad in communication sciences and disorders and going on to graduate school. I am thinking of doing an online program because I need to work full time. What do you think of online classes? In this program do you think it wont make a difference or being in a classroom setting with other people will be beneficial? I am currently shadowing a SLP and getting hands on experience at a private practice. I want to work in a rehab health setting and I have heard you need to do a fellow ship or have a mentor after grad school to get hired in a hospital setting. Is this true?
Thanks
September 17, 2013 at 11:36 pm
The SLPing SLP
I am not familiar with online courses for graduate school, so I am not sure I can comment. I know from my personal experience where my classes and clinical experience took place in the same building with the same people, it helped me make connections between what I was studying in the abstract and the hands on clinical practice. Perhaps with online classes, the responsibility to make those connections might be more on you? Sorry, but I don’t feel like I have enough knowledge of online classes vs traditional classroom setting to give you a good vs bad response.
Getting into the medical setting as a new graduate is very difficult, unless you want to/don’t mind working in a skilled nursing facility. Because medical settings tend to be faster paced and deal with medically complex patients (like a hospital or acute rehab setting), I think many places do not like to take on CFYs because of the training involved. Really, our profession and skills rely heavily on our experiences, and of course, just graduating, we don’t have a lot of experience to bring to the table. Certainly having a background/internship/mentorship in a medical setting will improve your chances (because then you do have some experience in that setting!), but it is still very difficult. Good luck!
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