With my imminent GRE date approaching I am starting to seriously panic about my future. I can’t help but wonder what my steps should be if I don’t score well on the GRE and ultimately don’t get accepted into a grad program (my heart is pounding as a type out this sentence!).
I’ve heard about Speech-Language Pathologist Assistants (SLPA) before and figured I should dig a bit deeper to learn more about this option.
An SLPA is defined by ASHA as: “support personnel who, following academic coursework, fieldwork, and on-the-job training, perform tasks prescribed, directed, and supervised by ASHA-certified speech-language pathologists.” Throughout their page, they emphasize that an SLPA is strictly there to support the SLP – they only perform tasks designated to them by the SLP they are working under.
In order to become an SLPA ASHA has provided a list of minimum recommended qualifications: academic study (the equivalent of an associate’s or bachelor’s degree in speech-language pathology or communication disorders), supervised fieldwork (at least 100 hours completed with a licensed SLP), and on-the-job training (specific to where you will be working and what will be expected of you). These are just an overview of what an SLPA should have – every individual state has different regulations for support personnel. One helpful page is ASHA State-by-State which provides a link to each state and informs you whether or not the state allows the use of SLPAs. It also provides links to gain more information about the rules the state has in terms of SLPAs becoming licensed, how many support personnel an SLP is allowed to supervise as a time, and further resources to help you find the correct path towards becoming an SLPA.
As I’ve mentioned, not every state allows the use of support personnel; not every state license SLPAs; and there is no set guideline for how to become an SLPA. This may be a viable option, especially if graduate school is not possible for you at the moment, but it will require a lot of research to understand and fulfill all the requirements. I stumbled across this Facebook group for Speech-Language Pathology Assistants that appears super helpful! True to the SLP community, the members of this group are willing to answer any questions from other SLPAs and potential SLPAs.
I’d love to learn more about this option, so any SLPAs out there or anyone with anymore helpful tips please let me know!
xx. Victoria
Speak Easy. 