Speech Pathologists are in Demand

Speech pathology is a very hot field. The Bureau of Labor Statistics categorizes its job prospects as "excellent." That's what the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association found when it conducted a survey of job openings in health care settings like hospitals, rehabilitation facilities, nursing homes, outpatient clinics, pediatric hospitals and home health care firms. It found that 26.4% of those places have funded positions going unfilled. There are jobs available and there's money to staff them. There were even more jobs open two years ago, 38%, but the number is still unusually impressive.

"We consider the outlook strong for the profession," says Lemmietta McNeilly, chief staff officer for speech language pathology at ASHA, the industry's professional association. "We don't have enough speech language pathologists to meet the demand."

As in many other health care professions, there's a strong need for more people because aging baby boomers have ever-greater medical needs. Speech pathologists help people speak and communicate after they've had strokes, cancer of the larynx, traumatic brain injuries, tumors or Alzheimer's disease or dementia.

The most significant growth is happening in pediatrics. Speech pathologists work with children born prematurely or who are suffering from communication disorders. They help children with autism communicate and work with children who have language problems because of accidents such as sports injuries.

There's an especially strong need for speech pathologists that are fluent in Spanish, since that's the fastest-growing language in the country. Someone who has a speech disorder has it in their primary language first, and a speech pathologist is needed to determine whether the person is just having a challenging time learning English or has a real disorder.

Schools have a very great need. Some districts have put a hiring freeze on teachers, or even laid them off, but speech pathologists' salaries are paid by Medicaid, and federal law mandates that students in need get tested and treated at no charge.

"People aren't aware of the diversity of speech language pathology," says McNeilly. "There are many different settings and different directions you can move in. You can stay in the field for 30 or 40 years, and what you do when you start will be quite different from what you do in the middle or end of your career."

But getting trained takes time--three years to earn a master's degree, the minimum needed to practice, plus classroom work and clinical rotations. The University of South Dakota program requires three separate clinical placements, all in different treatment settings. A student might work in a hospital first and in two other kinds of facility after that.

The university started its distance education program last summer in response to the shortage of speech pathologists. It accepts about 10 students and is open only to South Dakota residents. Students view classes via the Web as they're taught, and they and the students in the classroom can see one another.

The number of distance programs is growing, since there's such a great need for speech pathologists. The schools that offer accredited programs include Florida State University, Idaho State University, University of Minnesota, James Madison University, San Jose State University, the University of Cincinnati and the University of South Carolina.

(Minnesota Future Work note: other Minnesota colleges that offer the program are: Minnesota State University Moorhead, Minnesota State University, Mankato, St. Cloud State University, University of Minnesota, Duluth, and Mayo Clinic - Mayo School of Health Sciences - Rochester)

Before they can practice, speech pathologists must take a national licensing exam, and some states require their own certification too. Then salaries vary, depending on location and practice area. Rural and inner city areas are the most in need. The average national salary is $66,130, according to May 2008 statistics from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Speech pathologists who work in schools earn on average $60,970; those employed by hospitals earn $70,270, those who work in nursing homes $79,640, and those employed by home health care facilities $84,660.

Source: Forbes,Tara Weiss, 7/17/09