Why be a speech pathologist?
Dr Catherine Gregory: When people think of speech pathologists, they often think of us working with children in helping children speak. But speech pathologist's can help people in a lot of different ways.
Dr Lucy Bryant: A speech pathologist accesses, diagnoses, treats and managers a range of communication and swallowing disorders. So things like speech, language, literacy, fluency, voice and social communication.
Helen Blake: And because we also learn about all the anatomy and physiology you need to speak, we know about any difficulties you might have with swallowing and feeding, so we can help with that too.
Dr Amy Freeman: It's such a diverse profession. We work right through the age spectrum. So from infancy right to old age.
Associate Professor Emma Power: Speech pathologists work with individuals, but we also want to change systems. So, can we make systems accessible for people with communication and swallowing disorders.
Professor Bronwyn Hemsley: Here at UTS in Speech Pathology, we're looking to prepare practice-ready graduates so they're ready to go out and perhaps work in a private practice or eventually run their own private practice.
Dr Lucy Bryant: We have specialized learning classrooms that offer our students the chance to work in small groups to apply the skills that they learn, rather than just being lectured and obtaining loads of knowledge, so that students can actually apply their skills in the types of settings that they would see in clinic rooms.
Professor Bronwyn Hemsley: The other thing we're doing is helping them to work with other professionals, inter professional practice. The job prospects for our graduates are extremely good and growing.
Dr Amy Freeman: Speech pathologists work in hospitals, health care settings, community health, schools, mental health, private practice. It's just so broad, it's a really diverse range of settings.
Professor Bronwyn Hemsley: And we're really focused on the future of Speech Pathology, so areas such as virtual reality, augmented reality, gaming technologies, the smart home devices and 3D printing of food are all areas that Speech Pathology might be going into.
Harmony Turnbull: I chose to be a speech pathologist because I really like the mix of science together with really connecting with people and making a different in people's lives. Dr Lucy Bryant: I chose to be a speech pathologist because I believe that every human needs to have the ability to communicate.
Dr Amy Freeman: I knew I wanted to work with people and I loved science and I loved teaching.
Associate Professor Emma Power: I really loved communication. I love science. I like connecting the two because we're in a profession that involves interpersonal skills where we have to deliver the science through the medium of communication.
Helen Blake: I also love the fact that I'm actually helping people to be able to participate fully in whatever opportunities they want to have across their life.
To communicate freely with others, to be listened to and understood; these are communication rights for everyone. But some people miss out. There are many reasons to study Speech Pathology, but this is the most powerful: you will forever be in demand to support the 1.2 million Australians with a communication disability. As well as that, you’ll also have a role in enabling people who have difficulty eating, drinking, or swallowing to have safe and enjoyable meals.
If you need to more reasons to be convinced, here are just a few to help tip the balance:
Be people-centred
Do you like working with people? Speech pathologists engage with people from many cultural backgrounds and clients of all ages – from infants and their parents, to adults and their family members and supporters. In many settings, you’ll work in a vibrant interprofessional team of health professionals all focused on creating the best outcomes in partnership with the client.
Enjoy a variety of stimulating workplaces
With a wide range of skills, you’ll find a variety of workplace options to consider once you graduate. Speech pathologists work in hospitals, nursing homes, local health clinics, schools, private practice, rehabilitation centres and corporations – and can work anywhere using telehealth online. Better yet, you’ll find it easy to switch career direction at any time – your skills, person-centred values, and leadership qualities will see you contribute meaningfully wherever you choose.
Own your destiny and create a business
Satisfy your inner entrepreneur by setting up your own private practice. At UTS you’ll not only learn the skills needed to become a successful speech pathologist, but we’ll show you how to choose a great practice at the start of your career and create your business plan too.
Work with children, or adults, or across the lifespan
You will graduate with the skills and experience to work in any setting with many clients, but if you have a passion to work mainly with children or with adults, or want to work with both, you can. People need speech pathology services at many different stages over their lives, and your own talents and preferences can help to guide your continual professional development.
Embrace innovation in communications technology
Love digital technologies? So do speech pathologists who are embracing modern innovations such as telehealth, mobile devices, social media, Generative AI, and assistive technologies to help people everywhere to access services, and to get their message across.
Embark on a life-long learning journey
Speech pathology is an evolving profession and you’ll find opportunities to broaden your experiences and learn new things constantly.
Be in-demand
The National Disability Insurance Scheme being established, the ageing population, and increased focus on inclusive education in schools, have created an increasing demand for speech pathologists across Australia.
Unleash your creativity and imagination
At UTS, we’re adopting Speech Pathology Australia’s ambitious vision for the profession. We need speech pathologists with an eye on the future and a strong desire to transform evidence into practice, enabling many more people and addressing the current large gaps in service provision. Being ready and able to collaborate and connect across cultures will really help to move new advancements in technology into clinical practice.
Make a meaningful difference
Lastly, a list of why study speech pathology would not be complete without mentioning the great feeling of achievement you get once your client builds new communication skills or has their first enjoyable meal without coughing and choking. There’s a real sense of satisfaction in knowing that you’ve enabled progress and are changing people’s lives for the better, forever.
