Anyone a speech therapist?

amother

Teal

Tue, Dec 12 2017, 4:36 am

I am thinking of going to school for a degree in speech. Never finished college and have house full of kids kh so I know will have to take many prerequisites and it will take a coupla years n will be tough. but seems to me like speech is flexible and needed profession. Am I right? Trying to make a decision. If you are a speech therapist can you weigh in pretty please?do you enjoy your job,where did you do your schooling, I am choosing between programs ( Am in bp ) did you do while having kids, and was it hard?and any other helpful info appreciated!
Thanks so much in advance.

amother

Natural

Tue, Dec 12 2017, 6:06 am

I’m an SLP in Brooklyn. I don’t recommend this profession at all. In fact I have been looking at alternative careers for myself.
- saturated field in NYC. There is no need for more SLPs in this area.
- very difficult to get into the DOE public school system as a direct hire these days.
- compensation, at least in NYC is all fee for service when working for an agency. This means no pay for paperwork, when the client is out or when you are out.
- high burnt out rate. Dealing with difficult parents and more so, kids with behavioral issues becomes very taxing over time. I find every year there are more and more kids with behavioral issues popping up on my caseload. I feel more like a behaviorist than a professional treating speech and language disorders. On top of that there are mountains of paperwork and inevitable take home work.

amother

Mint

Tue, Dec 12 2017, 4:27 pm

Another SLP in Brooklyn here. Overall, it’s a nice profession and I’m generally happy. It is not saturated at all, the agencies are all desperate for providers. I (and several other SLP’s that I know) were able to use this to our advantage and negotiate for a higher hourly rate, as different agencies are offering competitive rates to attract SLP’s.

I don’t work in the public school system, but I do have friends that interviewed for DOE positions, and there definitely were openings.

I agree that it is a disadvantage that it’s fee for service. You have almost no income during the summer months, as well as the months of the chagim. So you have to be on top of things and set aside money for the months that you make less.

As far as losing pay due to students’ absences, I personally don’t find that to be an issue, because I have a very large caseload in one school. So if one student is absent, I just move things around in my schedule, take a different student, and make up the session a different day. The only time I lose out is if a student is absent multiple times within one week, because sessions need to be made up within the calendar week.

I also agree about the burn out, it is difficult working with kids a whole day. So only go into this profession if you really enjoy working with kids and have loads of patience and flexibility.

Paperwork can also be an issue, but I have gotten used to it and have developed a system that works for me to keep it managaebale and not overwhelming.

If you speak Yiddish you can get a bilingual extension and get an increased salary for that.

The biggest advantage of the job is the flexibility! I love that I can make my own hours, and that if I need to come late/leave early I can do so without having to give anyone any explanations.

Just be aware that the schooling is HARD. People think that speech is an easy field, but it really isn’t. I did graduate school (Touro) with one baby, and it was really very challenging. But if you have the right support (dH/family members that can help out), and are willing to work very hard, then it’s doable.

Any other questions feel free to ask!

ces

Tue, Dec 12 2017, 7:26 pm

I work with adults in a rehab setting, and know many other therapists who work with pediatrics. I've been telling people for years already to avoid this field. It is really crowded in the NY/NJ area, the job openings are usually for agency positions with the negatives outlined above. Even with a high hourly salary most therapists I know are bringing home much less per year than you would think due to missed sessions, etc. And healthcare in general is a field that is getting cut cut cut, so there isn't a rosy outlook there. I project that my company will be freezing and possibly cutting salaries within the next year or two.