“You’ll never believe what Jenny said in therapy today!”

This used to be something you’d hear in the lounge or in passing amongst colleagues. Now, you’ll see this on a Facebook post or made into a meme and shared instantly with thousands of fellow therapists through the magic of social media. Sure, social media has a lot of advantages. Just ask your SLP friends who are holding down the entire district fort in some places. However, utilizing social media can also lead to some tricky ethical balancing acts or unintended consequences.  Here are a few things to keep in mind:

Positive: Collaboration has never been so popular.

Post a question, a scenario, a stumper, a funny story, or other content to a social media channel and BAM! 100 of your closest friends have commented and helped you to better understand the situation you’re in. Before social media you had to know the email addresses of colleagues. And before that, you might get to collaborate about situations and students a few times a year. This comes with so many advantages for us and for our students. If two heads are better than one… then 42,000 are definitely better than one!

Pitfall: People can be mean.

It is so much easier to state your opinion from a keyboard than in person. Some people may take this a little too far on social media. I have seen many instances where a person poses a seemingly-innocent question or situation, only to be told they are doing it all wrong and should maybe consider a different career path (well, maybe not in so many words but you get the idea). It’s mean. None of us are perfect and we sure as stuff haven’t always done textbook EBP with our clients. Sometimes you have to step back and realize that each grad program was different, each clinical rotation was different, and every career has been different. Be helpful and put aside judgment.

Positive: There are some smart and creative people out there!

You know I have a blog and social media and I’m sure you know of many other “SLP Personalities” out and about on Instagram and Pinterest, making therapy look gorgeous. It’s inspiring. I get in ruts with my therapy and I see my clients’ eyes glaze over when we overuse something. It is so helpful to hop on to Instagram in the evening and pick the creative brains of all the other #SLPeeps out there. My students have definitely benefited from the gorgeous brains of other SLPs.

Pitfall: Therapy isn’t always gorgeous – don’t compare yourself!

Sometimes my office looks like a tornado of kindergarteners and paint daubers hit. It gets messy. Learning isn’t always pretty and my desk DEFINITELY should not go on instagram on most days! It’s easy to think that everybody you see on social media has found a stash of magic therapy fairy dust. The truth is that they all struggle too. There are days they can’t see below the stacks of files and protocols on their desk. There are days they whip out a stack of artic cards and play go fish. Take some of the creativity from social media and give yourself some grace at the same time!

Positive: Learning and resources galore

If I need to find a resource, PD, or information about just about anything, I can find it online. Many conferences are hosted virtually and even some of my go-to SLPs are those who I met online first. It’s impossible to exist as an SLP off the grid. So, harness it. Learn from those around you online and in person. Start folders of great websites, online materials, freebies, apps, and smarty-pants SLPs to go to when you’re stuck. The internet is always open!

Pitfall: Professionalism

Many of us interact on social media as ourselves. We didn’t invent a fun pseudonym under which we interact in various groups. So, that means that people know who you are. And even more than that, you are STILL bound by the ASHA code of ethics and general professionalism online. You should keep in mind that other SLPs can use things they see you posting online as reasons to report an ethical violation. Also, remember that it is very likely that your coworkers are interacting in the same social media groups and mediums. I typically try to post as I would speak to a group of the SLPs with whom I work. Keep it positive, professional, private (if needed), and purposeful.

Overall, social media has changed the life of SLPs forever. There’s no going back! It is a great tool but can be a trap if you aren’t careful. So enjoy the digital water cooler… wisely!

Speech-Language Pathologists have been required to obtain a master’s degree (or equivalent) since 1965 and since 1993 a master’s/doctoral degree has been required with equivalency no longer accepted.  The majority of our master’s level degrees require about 20 more credit hours than many other master’s degree programs.  However, the scope of our profession continues to expand and the need for highly-qualified SLPs is on the rise spawning a new debate about entry-level SLP certification requiring clinical or research doctorate degrees.  This discussion, as well as a desire to increase their knowledge and specialization, has led some SLPs to contemplate continuing their education.

If you would have asked me in my final year of graduate school if I would ever consider a doctorate degree I may have laughed and emphatically stated NO!  Well… I was wrong.  I started considering a doctorate degree about 2 years ago when the first programs for clinical doctorates (CScD/SLPD) were emerging.   I wanted to share some information that I learned about all of the available routes to masters-level SLPs and which program I ultimately decided on… it may surprise you!  Read on!

Research Doctoral Degree

Leads to: PhD

Prepares you: for a faculty/researcher career to contribute to the body of knowledge that advances speech-language pathology as a discipline.

Where PhDs typically work: Colleges/universities, public/private agencies, research institutions industry, etc.

Time to complete: 3 – 5 years (with a master’s degree in SLP); 2 – 3 years (with a previous clinical doctoral degree) – Research/Dissertation required

Requirements: A master’s/clinical doctoral degree and an area of interest for research

This program may be best suited for you if you have an interest in the science behind your area of study.  Do you have questions and there aren’t answers?  Are you interested in a career focused on research, instruction, and presenting?  A PhD is best suited for you if you are in a position to work part time or to dedicate your time to your PhD full-time at different times throughout the program.  A PhD might not be suited for you if the idea of research and writing to become published gives you the Heebie-Jeebies.  While there may be some PhD programs that do not require a nearly full-time commitments at times throughout the program, many are a full-time commitment.  While some universities will pay for you to obtain the degree, you may need loans or outside income sources throughout the program depending on how it is laid out.  With a PhD in CSD/SLP, you are unlikely to see much of a salary bump within schools or medical fields.  This degree is focused on providing you with the skills to: apply the scientific method to the development of original research questions that have relevant implications for the discipline; critique and synthesize available research; design research studies, and analyze and disseminate results; implement independent and collaborative research; lead research initiatives and teams; secure research funding; and prepare and mentor future professionals and scientists. (from ASHA)

Clinical Doctoral Degree

Leads to: CScD, SLPD (depends on program – not a consistent at this time)

Prepares you: to become a master clinician (area of specialty); to become clinical educators or administrators; to become leaders in the clinical setting or specialty area; to become collaborators and supporters of clinical research.

Where CScD/SLPDs typically work: All areas of practice including schools/districts, private practice, clinics, hospitals, etc.  While some universities hire MS/Doctoral level clinicians, this degree does not typically lead to careers in universities.

Time to complete: 2 – 3 years following a master’s degree in speech-language pathology

Requirements: A master’s degree in speech-language pathology

This program may be best suited for you if there is an area in our field of CSD/SLP that you would like to become highly skilled in.  While you will likely work on a large project as part of your program, you are unlikely to conduct research and publish a formal dissertation.  Some of the coursework for this program may involve leadership, supervision, policy, business, organizational behavior/leadership, research implementation, etc.  This degree focuses more on expanding your overall knowledge in the area of CSD.  As this is typically a part-time, online, or hybrid program, most are designed for the working SLP.  This means that you would not need to cease working to obtain this degree.  However, it is very unlikely that schools with this program would provide tuition scholarships for the program.  Some programs can be up to about $60,000 total for 2-3 years of courses.  Before beginning this program, you may want to see if the investment will result in increased salary afterward to assist with paying of the additional loan/tuition amounts.  This program may not be suited for you if you will not financially be able to support the tuition or loan repayments, do not have time within your current schedule for additional time spent reading and participating in class activities and assignment, or if you don’t believe that the courses and outcome of this program will be of a personal or professional benefit to you.

Doctor Of Education (optional Emphasis In Special Education)

Leads to: EdD

Prepares you: to become a leader in education (and with the emphasis area, in special education)

Where EdDs typically work at: School district administration, school administration, state agencies, advocate agencies

Time to complete: 3 – 5 years following a master’s degree/specialist’s degree – Research/Dissertation required

Requirements: Varies – Depends on program/state.  Typically a master’s degree and/or specialist’s degree in education (some will accept a master’s degree in speech-language pathology with experience working in schools)

This program may be best suited for you if you would like to specialize in the area of special education in schools – namely public schools.  It may also be best suited for you if you would like to pursue leadership opportunities in school districts, agencies, and state-level positions.  This program is typically part time, online, or hybrid and therefore is well-suited for those wishing to work while pursuing their degree.  This program is likely to require research and/or a dissertation.  There may be additional state requirements for administration licensure that may be fulfilled by this program but the majority of these requirements are addressed in master’s or specialist degrees.  This degree program will include courses on research, law, supervision, fiscal management, leadership, cultural issues, and more.  A large portion of coursework in the majority of EdD programs is research/dissertation.  This program may not be suited for you if you do not want to hold an administrative position, would like to focus on speech-language pathology, or do not want to work in school districts or other public agencies.

Other options mentioned by SLPs in various groups include: Doctoral Degree in Audiology (AuD); Additional master’s degrees in business or other areas; Doctoral degree in curriculum/instruction, applied linguistics, neuroscience, early childhood education, health care administration, public health, etc.

So… If you were to achieve an additional degree, which would you choose?

I initially considered an SLPD as I wanted to increase my knowledge in therapy provision.  However, after becoming Lead SLP in my district, I saw the need for leadership and administrators with knowledge of special education.  As I worked in this capacity I found that I could have an impact on a larger scale from within the administration circle.  I also found a university within the area that I am living that accepted my master’s degree in SLP and experience in schools and accepted me into their EdD program.  Technically, my program is a Doctor Of Education in Organizational Leadership with an Emphasis in Special Education.  This program will take approximately 3 years to complete coursework and then additional time to complete my dissertation.  Typically, students complete the full program within 4 years.  I take 1 class per week on campus, except for the special education emphasis courses which will be online.  While this program will require additional loans, the university has a scholarship for those working in my school district.  I plan to update the blog with occasional posts about the program and the journey.

Anything to add to this post? Personal experiences, questions, and comments are always welcome in the comments section below!

I’m going to start by assuming… assuming we’ve all had a conversation similar to this:

“What do you do?”

“I’m a Speech-Language Pathologist”

“Oh, like a speech therapist?”

“Yep”

“Oh, I had speech for my R when I was in school”

“Yeah, I work in a school.”

“Wow, that must be so rewarding!  Do you love it?”

And this is where I want to stop you.  You probably said “yes”.  I did – too many times to count.  But here’s the secret… I typically didn’t mean it.  *Insert gasps galore*  Don’t give up here, I promise that there is a point to this post.

The Truth: I didn’t love being an SLP

Aside from photography and softball, becoming an SLP was the thing that I had worked the hardest to earn.  I found that I could mesh my love of technology with giving children the ability to communicate through AAC.  However, in every position I took, I found myself looking for more – looking for something that I loved waking up for each morning.  And, the truth is, I wasn’t finding it.  I worked in preschools, elementary schools, programs for children with Autism, early intervention, and middle schools from 3 different states and different districts/companies.  Every job was “fine” and I worked extremely hard in each job, giving it my all, but when I looked around me I saw SLPs who appeared to genuinely love what they did while I felt like it was just “work”.  This made me feel that I was missing something.  I went between believing that I didn’t need to “love” my job (does anybody ask a car salesperson, a mail carrier, or a chef if they “love their job”?) and wondering if I was in the wrong profession.  Plus, I had started this blog in my 2nd year of my career and felt pressure to maintain a peppy SLP persona.

The Choices: What do you do when you don’t love what you do?

I want to preface this by saying I’m not an expert here.  I’m just sharing some options that you could consider.  (So please don’t sue me if you try one of these things and it doesn’t work out so well – because let’s remember, “You do you”)

• Quit – I thought I’d start with the obvious.  If you are truly miserable, quitting may be the best option for you and for your clients.  The stress of being unhappy at your job does not translate well into quality therapy.  I’m not saying you have to quit being an SLP, but this might be a good time to look for another position.  You are a hot commodity – don’t live unhappy!
• Change it up – Looking for a new setting/population to work with may be an option.  It’s okay to admit that you don’t like working with kids.  Head to a SNF or rehab and try it out.  Try private practice or home health.  Try something.  Even if you aren’t sure you will love it… life is surprising!
• More school? – Within our degree area there are a few things you can look for.  If you are thinking that research or working at a university is where you would feel fulfilled – check out PhD programs.  Clinical Doctorates are a great way to further explore areas of therapy provision that you would like to become an expert in.  This is a great route if you are looking to obtain a particular position and want to be a better-qualified professional.  Or… maybe it’s time to think about exploring other degrees (if we’re being honest).
• Leadership – When we were in school, the major areas of leadership that were discussed were owning a private practice and ASHA.  However, I have discovered a few other great ways to move into leadership.  You can serve on your state organization and impact the speech/hearing services in your state.  There are also available positions working with college students as a clinic supervisor or mentor.  Many districts have lead SLP roles.  These vary greatly from place to place but they typically involve communicating, coaching, developing PD, hiring, advocating, training, etc.
• Extra Curricular Activities – Sometimes the key to finding happiness in your job is finding happiness outside of your job.  For many people, this is their family and friends.  Finding something that helps to fulfill your creative needs, geeky needs, sports needs, etc. can help you to feel more fulfilled throughout your life.

My Decision/Results: Most of the Above

“Yes, those choices are all well and good but what did you do?”  I am finally finding my balance and happiness in my job.  This year I have been so fortunate to serve as lead SLP in my district.  I have really loved working in this capacity.  It has allowed me to advocate for our team of SLPs/SLPAs/OTs/PTs, create professional development, train new employees, and coach related service providers to help increase our efficacy as therapists.  I am really enjoying leadership!  Because of this, I have started to explore additional options such as a Doctorate of Educational Leadership and moving toward more district-wide administration roles.  We’ll see!  Also, this semester I enrolled in a ceramics course at my local community college.  This class has allowed me to work in the area of art and to learn something new.  It allows me to disconnect, take a night off of IEPs/evals, and meet new people.  These changes have made a huge impact on my enjoyment of my job.

Sure, I’m not doing exactly what I thought I would when I was in grad school.  I’m not sure how many of us are.  The truth is that our job may be just a job… or it may be a calling.  Whatever it is, work to make yourself happy in how you spend so much of your life… your job.

Flexibility remains one of the most rewarding features of a career as an audiologist or speech-language pathologist. Working with various ages and populations as well as in diverse settings allows audiologists and SLPs to explore all areas of their profession and work around the world. However, along with excitement, changing specialties or even just jobs might bring uncertainty and questions.

More times than I would like to count, I have failed.  I have failed to be my best, failed to leave personal issues at my speech room door, failed to educate a family adequately, failed to engage my clients, failed to take adequate data, failed to complete paperwork on time, failed at many things.  If you are reading this, I hope you have failed too. (Spoiler Alert: You have failed!)  That may sound like a terrible thing to say, but I promise that it is not.

Failure is one of the most important learning tools you will ever encounter.

When I was in my CFY I expected that I should know everything and was extremely hard on myself when I made mistakes or didn’t know an answer.  What did all of those letters after my name mean if I didn’t know how to do everything perfectly?  Failure scared me and made me feel insecure.  Thankfully, as I have continued in this career, and in life, my outlook on mistakes and failure has changed drastically.  I found out that mistakes didn’t mean the end of the world.  Nothing exploded… or imploded.

I learned from my failures.

Every time I fail, I learn.  I learn new techniques, new approaches, new facts, new methods, and more.  And that makes me a better SLP.  Did you catch that?  Failure makes me better.  We are often so afraid of failure, of mistakes, of anything less-than-perfect that we don’t take risks.

I get it, we don’t like to look ridiculous or uninformed or unworthy of those 8 letters behind our name.  But, you must take risks, it’s an important part of our lives.  Nothing incredible can come without risks – even the tiniest of risks!

Risk a new technique.  Risk acting silly.  Risk becoming “too” invested.  Risk a different approach, a new activity, a parent phone call, and changing “how you’ve always done things”.  You might fail enormously.  Or you might succeed enormously.  Either way, you’ll learn an incredible amount about yourself and your strengths, weaknesses, and techniques.  You’ll be better prepared for the next situation and a better SLP.

We all have days that we count as failures.  Days like those are only a true failure if we refuse to learn from them.

So, what are the best failures teachers you have had?

Almost nothing!

Now before I get to the best part (an insanely awesome giveaway from some of my favorite SLP bloggers) I wanted to tell you a few ways that you COULD use the Oscars to your advantage after this weekend’s big show:

• Host a “Speechies Awards” in your room:  You can give away awards for whatever you’d like.  This would be a great way for children to practice nominating peers and justifying their nomination.  Be creative!
• Acceptance Speeches: These don’t have to actually be acceptance speeches but could be fluency or articulation passages that are said like acceptance speeches.  Have the students get up, accept their “award”, and say their speech.  Don’t forget to thank mom and dad!
• Perspective-taking: If you can find some clips from the Oscars past/present on YouTube you can do a great perspective-taking activity or social skills activity talking about how the winners/losers feel, what they should say to their fellow nominees, why they think they were nominated, why the clip you show is funny/sad/etc.  There are several good clips… just make sure to pre-watch them for content!

Many of your students will probably hear about or watch part of the Oscars this weekend.  They start pretty late so they may only catch the red carpet and first few awards but it could be a fun activity to integrate into your speech rooms!

Now…. for the winner in the category of “Best Giveaway in a Leading Blog Role” goes to…

Click on the graphic above to head to the form to submit your predictions for 16 award categories.  One winner from the most accurate entries will be drawn to win a prize bundle from 18 SLP Bloggers!!!  So awesome!  1 entry per person and all entries must be entered by 7:30P CST on 2/22/15 to be valid (I will disallow entries at 7:31 on the dot so don’t be late!)

Enjoy!

]]> http://sublimespeech.com/2015/02/red-carpet-slps-oscars-contest.html/feed 0 http://sublimespeech.com/2014/11/asha-2014.html http://sublimespeech.com/2014/11/asha-2014.html#respond Thu, 20 Nov 2014 05:06:25 +0000 http://sublimespeech.com/?p=2030 It’s the most magical time of the year… for SLPs!  ASHA!  If you haven’t been to ASHA you should put that on your SLP Bucket list.  It’s amazing!

This year, we’re in Orlando!  (I was SO sad about leaving snowy Chicago behind for the short-sleeve weather of Florida…)

If you ARE at ASHA this year, I would LOVE to meet you!  I’ll be having a party with some of my SLP Blogger friends at Booth #1359 and hanging out in sessions!

You can find me at our booth on Thursday morning from 10:30-12:30, Friday from 3:15-5:00, and Saturday from 12:45-2:00!

If you’re at ASHA, you’ll also want to participate in our sweet contests shown above!  Plus, I’ll have a few exclusive goodies on Instagram so be sure to follow and check in to see what those will be!  But if you happen to see any bloggers in Raspberry shirts on Thursday grab your phone and take a selfie… it could pay off!!!

Not at ASHA?  Don’t worry… we’re extending the party to wherever you are with our rafflecopter opportunity!  Don’t miss your chance to win a great SLP survival kit!

Florida is the Sunshine SLP State this week!  #ASHA14

]]> http://sublimespeech.com/2014/11/asha-2014.html/feed 0 http://sublimespeech.com/2014/09/amazing-autumn-acorn-adventure.html http://sublimespeech.com/2014/09/amazing-autumn-acorn-adventure.html#comments Tue, 23 Sep 2014 15:18:27 +0000 http://sublimespeech.com/?p=1937 Happy Autumn!  

This is my favorite season of the year.  Changing colors, school is in full swing, apples, hoodies, festivals, and so much more!  So, on this first day of Autumn, I would like to launch a fun social media adventure!  It’s a pretty easy adventure and will lead to a very fun reward for many of you!

Here are the details:

1. Head to the social media sites below to find each of the 5 hidden acorns needed.
2. Write down the letters located on the acorns – you will need these to enter.
3. While you’re at each social media site, follow Sublime Speech… this will gain you EXTRA ENTRIES!
4. Head back here to enter to win a free material from my TpT store!
5. Spread the word on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook (as per instructions on each) for additional entries!

It’s that easy… 5 acorns for an entry to win free speech/language goodies!  Click each acorn below to be taken to the page where you can find the acorn clue for the contest:

Check the most recent images for the phrase letters!

Check the most recent freebie for these phrase letters!

Check the newsfeed for this image of the phrase letters here!

Check recent tweets for these phrase letters!

        And here is your first acorn!  Follow Sublime Speech on Bloglovin’ by clicking the heart icon acorn below.  This will help make sure you never miss a post from Sublime Speech and other bloggers!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Have you seen the new esurance commercial where a man working in an office is taking a “selfie” by copying his face on the copier and then says “Hashbrown Selfie” to which the co-worker replies, “That’s not how it works”.  I laugh each time I hear Hashbrown Selfie because it reminds me so much of some conversations that I’ve had with others about the Hashtag developments in the past few years.

I know that Hashtags may be confusing and somewhat overwhelming for some but I wanted to do a quick post about how using #Hashtags can be helpful to you as a Speech-Language-Pathologist or parent.

Twitter:

Twitter is really not as scary as it may seem at first.  Hashtags (any word/phrase that starts with a # symbol) is a way to “label” or “tag” posts.  Some common tags for SLPs are: #SLPeeps (general SLP tag) #SLP2b (For new SLPs/graduate students) #SLPbloggers (when commenting about SLP blogs/bloggers) and #medSLP (medical site SLPs).  Within a tweet, these hashtags will act like hyperlinks and allow you to click on them and be connected to all other tweets with the same hashtag.  You can also perform a search on Twitter for hashtags.  This is an incredible way to find out interesting information about SLP, follow conversations, and see what’s new in the Twitter world for SLPs.

An example of the results from searching by hashtag on Twitter.

Instagram:

On Instagram, hashtags act very similarly to twitter hashtags.  (However, this does not work by accessing on a computer – only the mobile app)  You can utilize these hashtags to label your photos on Instagram.  These are clickable and will link you to similar posts that used the same hashtag.  Common Instagram hashtags are: #SLPeeps, #SLP2b, #ASHAigers (ASHA Instagramers), and #InstaSLP.  Utilize these hashtags to explore what other SLPs on Instagram are sharing!

An example of results from searching #SLPeeps on Instagram.

Facebook:

Facebook allows users to utilize hashtags but they do not serve as much of a purpose yet.  While you can utilize hashtags and click on them, most individuals do not use hashtags on Facebook and there is not much to explore when you click or search by hashtags.

Overall, hashtags are a great way to discover and explore the social networks.  They also allow you to label/tag your posts in those networks for others to find and interact with.  Social media continues to be an excellent way for SLPs to network and hashtags make it a bit easier to do so.  Now… go celebrate your knowledge by taking a HASHBROWN SELFIE!