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Day in the Life
Speech-language
pathologists usually work at a desk or table in clean comfortable surroundings.
In medical settings, they may work at the patient's bedside and assist in
positioning the patient. In schools, they may work with students in an
office or classroom. Some work in the client's home.
Although the work is not physically demanding, it requires
attention to detail and intense concentration. The emotional needs of
clients and their families may be demanding. Most full-time speech-language
pathologists work 40 hours per week. Those who work on a contract basis may
spend a substantial amount of time traveling between facilities.
As speech-language pathologists gain clinical experience and
engage in continuing professional education, many develop expertise with
certain populations, such as preschoolers and adolescents, or disorders, such
as aphasia and learning disabilities. Some may obtain board recognition in
a specialty area, such as child language, fluency, or feeding and
swallowing. Experienced clinicians may become mentors or supervisors of
other therapists or be promoted to administrative positions.
Note: Some resources in this section are provided by the US
Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor
Statistics.
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