1. Speech-Language Pathologists in Hospitals vs. School Systems: What’s the Difference?<br /> For anyone interested in becoming a speech-language pathologist, or perhaps just the general public interested in the topic, the question comes up as to what the difference is between speech-language pathologists that work in a hospital versus ones that work in a school system. Although a person pursuing a career in speech-language pathology may have an idea of what their future job setting will be like, they might want to know how to two job settings differ in order to make the right choice of where the best place for them to work at when the time comes. Along with wanting to know what the difference between a hospital speech-language pathologist and one that works in a school system, the individual might also want to know the answers to the following questions: Does one have a higher job demand than the other? How different are the job settings? What type of work is involved in each job setting? Are there any special certifications needed if one works in a hospital setting rather than in a school system? In order to answer these questions, we will distinguish the differences in the job setting, type of work involved, education and training, certifications needed, and the job outlook and salary for each. Once the differences between a hospital and school system speech-language pathologists are addressed, along with the other questions, any individual that is seeking to become a speech-language pathologist will have a better idea of what type of job setting they would like to work in, and it will hopefully make their decision-making process easier.<br /> When working in a hospital, a speech-language pathologist is often working alongside other medical workers who keep detailed records of the patient’s that include their initial evaluation, any progress that was made by them, and their time of discharge. Throughout that time period, the speech-language pathologist will diagnose and treat speech related disorders such as those related to language, speech, voice, swallowing, cognitive communication, and fluency. In the process of treating the patient, the speech-language pathologist will make an individual treatment plan made especially for them. They will also meet with the families to help recognize and eliminate any behavior patterns that act as progress impediments (Job-Applications.com). In the medical setting, the speech-language pathologist may work at the patient’s bedside and assist in positioning the patient as well as their other job duties (Career-Planner.com Inc.). <br /> As far as education and training goes, almost all speech-language pathology jobs require a Master’s degree. All though graduation from an accredited program is not always required, it is becoming more popular to be required by a majority of the States for licensure and certification (Bureau of Labor Statistics). In 2009, there were about 240 colleges and universities that offered graduate programs in speech-language pathology accredited by the Council on Academic Accreditation at both Master’s and Doctoral levels. Typical licensing requirements are a master’s degree from an accredited college or university; a passing score on the national examination on speech-language pathology, offered through the Praxis Series of the Educational Testing Service; 300 to 375 hours of supervised clinical experience; and 9 months of postgraduate professional clinical experience (Bureau of Labor Statistics). Also, Medicare and Medicaid, along with any other private insurance, generally require the practitioner to be licensed to qualify for any reimbursement. <br /> The job outlook and earnings for any speech-language pathologist is very good. In 2008, speech-language pathologists held approximately 119,300 jobs, and about 52 percent of those jobs were in healthcare facilities, such as hospitals, offices of other health practitioners, nursing care facilities, home healthcare services, individual and family services, outpatient care centers, and child day care centers. There is also expected to be a faster than average employment growth of 19 percent between the years of 2008 and 2018 (Bureau of Labor Statistics). According to Health Guide USA, the reason for this growth is because members of the baby-boom generation are continuing to age and increasing the possibility of them obtaining neurological disorders and associated speech, language, and swallowing impairments. There will also be job openings due to retirements. ASHA membership counts in 2008 found that about 35 percent of certified speech-language pathologists worked in healthcare settings as follows: 14% worked in hospitals, 7% in skilled nursing facilities, 5% with home health, 4% in an SLP office, 2% in Speech and Hearing Centers, 3% in other nonresidential, and 1% in other residential. In 2009, the median annual wages for a speech-language pathologist was $65,090 (Rosenberg, D.M.). The Bureau of Labor Statistics tells us that in May of 2008, the median annual wages for a speech-language pathologist that worked in nursing care facilities was $79,120, $77,030 for those who worked in a home health care service, $68,430 for general medical and surgical hospital speech-language pathologists, and $67,910 for speech-language pathologists who worked in the office of other health practitioners. <br /> Now that we have looked at the hospital speech-language pathologists, we will now look at what goes along with being a school speech-language pathologist. The majority of students that speech-language pathologists in school systems deal with are students with reduced speech intelligibility, as well as learning and language disorders. They may also work with children who have a mental disorder, such as Down syndrome or autism spectrum disorders. In a typical work week, a school speech-language pathologist will provide speech-language therapy and testing for students aged three through Grade Two. They will see students in individual and small group sessions, or co-lead full-class language groups with classroom teachers. Over the course of a year, they will see two to three students who need help with their stuttering. The SLP will also attend team meetings every week with school staff members, parents, and psychologists to discuss team evaluations and the progress of the students, along with any teachers’ concerns. Their major responsibility is to write evaluation reports, progress reports, and Individualized Education Programs, which provide details on students’ strengths and weaknesses, and it also tells the goals and objectives of the student for the upcoming year (My Job Profile). <br /> The education and training for a speech-language pathologist working in a school is the same requirements for a speech-language pathologist working in a hospital setting. Almost all jobs will require a Master’s degree. It is possible to obtain a job with just a Bachelor’s degree, but those jobs are mainly secretary type jobs, which will not give a person the hands-on experience that a Master’s degree would give. Also, if one wants to become a licensed speech-language pathologist, it requires a Master’s degree from an accredited college or university, along with a passing score on the national examination on speech-language pathology which is offered through the Praxis Series of the Educational Testing Service, 300 to 375 hours of supervised clinical experience, and nine months of postgraduate professional clinical experience. However, depending on what state you live in, the regulations may differ. For information on State regulation of speech-language pathologists in public schools contact your State’s Department of Education (Bureau of Labor Statistics). The Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology (CCC-SLP) credential is offered by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and is a voluntary credential. However, the CCC-SLP meets some or all of the requirements for licensure in some States. To earn the CCC-SLP, a person must have a graduate degree from an accredited college or university, which usually includes a 400-hour clinical practicum that is supervised, completing a 36-week full-time postgraduate clinical fellowship, and passing the Praxis examination in speech-language pathology administered by the Educational Testing Service.<br /> As stated earlier, the job outlook and salary for speech-language pathologists are very good. The employment for speech-language pathologists in educational services, such as elementary schools and secondary school enrollments will grow with the increased enrollment of special education students (Bureau of Labor Statistics). The 2004 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act is a Federal law that guarantees special education and related services to all eligible children with disabilities. Greater awareness of the importance of early identification and diagnosis of speech and language disorders in young children will also increase employment (Health Guide USA). ASHA-certified school-based speech-language pathologists responded to ASHA’s 2008 School Survey, and 71 percent of them indicated that there was a shortage of qualified speech-language pathologists in their school district (American Speech-Language-Hearing Association). In 2006, CareerPlanner.com INC stated that the median annual wage for school speech-language pathologists was $53,110, while the Bureau of Labor Statistics stated in 2008 that the median annual wage was $58,140.<br /> Now that we have determined what the job settings, type of work involved, education and training, certifications needed, and the job outlook and salary for both a hospital speech-language pathologist and a school speech-language pathologist are, we can now go back and distinguish any differences between the two. When looking at the job settings, both the hospital and school speech-language pathologist is at a desk filling out paperwork. The only major differences are that the hospital speech-language pathologist works in a hospital, and the school speech language pathologist works in a school, so the school SLP will be surrounded by children, where the hospital SLP will be surrounded by individuals of various ages. The type of work involved with a hospital speech-language pathologist involves working alongside other medical personnel, along with diagnosing and treating any speech related disorders, such as swallowing, cognition, or fluency disorders. They also create an individualized treatment plan, and work with people of various ages. In a school system, the type of work involved with a speech-language pathologist involves working with students that have reduced speech intelligibility and language disorders, which may include children with Down syndrome and autism spectrum disorders. They will create an Individualized Education Plans, or IEPs, to help point out the weaknesses of the student in order to help the student make progress in overcoming their disorder. Instead of meeting with other medical personnel, they meet with other teachers and staff members, parents, and psychologists to discuss the progress of the student and any concerns of the teachers. When it comes to the education and certifications, they are both the same whether you want to become a speech-language pathologist for a school or a hospital. However, salary wise, the speech-language pathologists that work in the medical settings tend to have a higher salary. <br /> If an individual wants to go into speech-language pathology and is trying to determine whether to work in a hospital or school system, all they have to do is ask themselves two questions. First off, do they want to work with only children, or do they want to work with individuals of all ages? And secondly, what kind of salary are they looking to ear? Depending on how they answer will depend on where they should work. If they are interested in working with only children and don’t mind having a little bit lower income, they would be more comfortable working in a school system. If they would like to work with people of all ages and are looking for a higher salary than that of a school system speech-language pathologist, then they would be comfortable in a hospital setting. <br /> As Megan Hodge stated, “A career in speech-language pathology challenges you to use your intellect (the talents of your mind) in combination with your humanity (the gifts in your heart) to do meaningful work that feeds your soul… I am proud to be a member of what I consider to be the best profession on earth.” So no matter what choice they make, they will, without a doubt, love their job!<br />