Making Career In Speech Therapy - Essay Example

"Making Career In Speech Therapy" is a perfect example of a paper on the health system. 
A speech therapist, also known as a speech-language pathologist is a professional endowed with the mandate of assessing, diagnosing and treating or helping prevent speech disorders. The disorders range from fluency, cognitive-communication, swallowing, and voice development. The specialists work with people with difficulties in making speech sounds or those with problems in the speech rhythm or those who cannot understand or produce language. They may also work with people who want to improve their communication by way of modifying accents.

This profession also involves working with people with difficulties in swallowing resulting from brain injury, illnesses such as stroke, mental retardation, among others. The problems may either be environmentally acquired, congenital, or developmental. To facilitate diagnoses, the therapist uses specialized instruments which provide them with both qualitative and quantitative results concerning the extent of the disability (Nickell 63).

A person interested in taking up a career in speech therapy must possess certain qualifications. The person should possess a master’s degree with units covering anatomy, physiology, and development of areas concerned with speech. Though not always, accreditation from The Council on Academic Accreditation may be required for licensing while it is mandatory for credentialing by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. The minimum entry level is essentially a master’s degree though it may vary with the institution.

To practice, licensing and certification should be provided upon the sitting and passing of the national examination of Speech-language Pathology. This should also be accompanied by a minimum of 300 hours of supervised clinical experience and nine months of professional, clinical experience after graduation (Hodgson 544).

Speech therapists find employment opportunities in hospitals, nursing care facilities, daycare centres, and offices of other health care practitioners. On a self-employment basis, the therapists provide home healthcare services and individual services. The personnel develop customized care to fit the individual patient needs. In their role, they teach patients how to communicate more effectively by way of making sounds or writing (Bernstein 462).

The therapists earn a median of $63,000 annually. The range stretches between $ 50,000 and $79,000. The career offers continuity in practice even past retirement age. With projected growth in employment opportunities in educational centres, the career offers an excellent opportunity for people interested in enrolling in the field (Hicks 194).

Through the experience obtained in raising two children, a passion for speech development was developed. This was facilitated further by being sensitive to the needs of people and the challenge to help them overcome their problems. I believe that people with speech disabilities should be empowered to communicate effectively in order for their needs to be addressed. When growing up, a child goes through most of the phases in oral communication that people with disorders undergo. This has created in me the belief that the conditions of people with disabilities can get a solution. The experience gained during the past career in nursing coupled with the mothering experience in bringing up my children provides an advantage in taking up the course. This ensures attention and care to clients (Bernstein 462).

The remuneration would also ensure a comfortable life for my family. We have faced a lot of challenges as a single-parent family, and I feel the opportunity offered by the career would help alleviate them. The advantage provided by indulging in private practice means that I can join self-employment. The career also offers a stable source of income past the retirement age which means a person can continue being productive (Hicks 194).