Are you someone who people regard as a great communicator? Do you love to talk with people and form great relationships with those around you? Are you a natural teacher who loves to share your skills and knowledge with others? If you feel these traits describe you, then you have the makings of a great speech pathologist!
A career in speech pathology means that you will often work as a team member with other health professionals to help people who are experiencing difficulties to improve their speech, voice, fluency, ability to use and understand language, ability to interact with others, spell and read, use communication aids and devices, and eat and drink safely. The good people at speech therapy NDIS (National Disability Insurance Scheme) are always eager to welcome more dedicated people to join their efforts to help others live better lives!
If this sounds like a rewarding and exciting career choice to you, the following is a basic outline of the course you would need to take to reach your goal of becoming a licensed speech pathologist!
After graduating from high school you will be able to apply as an undergraduate to study speech pathology if you can achieve the minimum required ATAR (Australian Tertiary Admission Rank) score, and meet the English language proficiency requirements.
You will then need to attend university to attain the four-year degree called the Bachelor of Applied Science, with a focus on Speech Pathology. This is where you can learn how to treat a wide range of swallowing and communication problems in both adults and children that will help them for the rest of their lives.
Upon completing your bachelor’s degree you will be able to apply to study speech pathology as a postgraduate student, but you must meet the minimum GPA (Grade Point Average) of 4.5 out of 7.0 to do so. Then you will work toward your Master of Speech-Language Pathology, a two-year graduate-entry program designed to prepare you to begin your professional practice as a speech pathologist. You will learn the skills necessary to assess and treat people of all backgrounds, cultures, languages, genders, and ages.
In addition, you may also decide to attain an undergraduate degree in a related area like psychology, linguistics, and neuroscience. While not essential, knowledge of these subjects can be of great use in your speech pathology career.
The following are the skills a Master of Speech-Language Pathology will supply you with:
- Functional anatomy of the speech system
- Functional neuroanatomy of the speech system.
- Phonetics
- Linguistics
Once you have completed your Master’s Degree, you will be eligible to begin your Certified Practising Membership with SPA (Speech Pathology Australia). New graduates who meet the specific requirements may also be eligible to receive Provisional Certification before they transition to Full Certification.
Be sure to visit Speech Pathology Australia for more information. We hope that we have inspired you to consider becoming a speech pathologist, there are thousands of people all across Australia with speech and swallowing problems who would benefit greatly from your help!