hey i can't decide whether to do speech pathology or pharmacy (at orange).
can someone tell me why i should do speech path, is it interesting? what is it mostly about? what do you learn? is it hard to get jobs after you leave?? is the uni life (at cumbo) good?
please help! >.<!
I graduated with a speech pathology degree 8 years ago. If you are interested in language/how speech is produced & and like children or the elderly, you may find it interesting. The main disorders that you see/treat as a speech pathologist, depending on the area you work in, are:
* speech (pronunciation of sounds - e.g. kids who mispronounce sounds, adults who slur after a stroke or other neurological disorder, children or adults who are unable to speak due to a medical problem)
* language (comprehension and use of spoken vocab/sentences/grammar - e.g. children with learning disabilities, adults with language impairments after a stroke)
* voice (the sound produced by the vocal cords - e.g. adults or children with vocal nodules, adults who have had their larynx removed due to cancer, male-to-female transsexuals who still sound like men)
* fluency (stuttering, in children and adults)
* swallowing (e.g. adults who've had a stroke and cannot safely drink/eat food of certain consistencies or who risk choking, babies with feeding difficulties)
You will earn more as a pharmacist, so if money is a deciding factor and you're good at chemistry, I'd say go for pharmacy. Speech pathologists working in the public system usually earn about the same/slightly less than teachers, though you can make more money from private practice if you work in an area where there is demand and people can afford to pay private rates. Many people speech pathologists serve (e.g. children from a low socioeconomic background) probably couldn't afford to have private therapy very frequently (if they even realise/care there's a problem). Pharmacy would be more 'scientific' than speech pathology, so if you're good at/enjoy science, pharmacy would probably be the better option.
If you want to work in an acute hospital (other than a children's hospital) as a speech pathologist, chances are that the bulk (if not nearlly all) of your caseload would be doing swallowing assessments, as this takes priority over speech/language. Assessing a patient's swallowing involves giving them small amounts of food/fluid of varying consistencies, feeling their neck as they swallow, and trying to judge if any has gone down the wrong way (down their windpipe, into their lungs). Be aware that if you work in this area, you will have to do videofluorscopic assessments (X-ray) of patient's swallowing, which involves potential radiation exposure. You don't actually perform the x-ray, but are there to give the food/fluid to the patient and judge whether more food/fluid trials are needed. Not every patient requires a videofluoroscopic assesment.
If you worked with adults in a rehabilitation hospital/center, you would do much more speech/language assessment/therapy, but also a small amount of swallowing assessment.
If you work with kids, you may see conditions including - cerebral palsy, autism, Asperger's syndrome, intellectual disability, Down syndrome, cleft palate, hearing impairment. If you work in a mainstream school, you would see mostly children with primary speech/language delays (that is, of unknown origin/not due to another condition such as those I have listed).
The ease of finding a job as a speech pathologist depends on where you wish to work, and which clincal area. It's generally quite easy to find a job, but not necessarily in the geographical area/clinical speciality you desire. Jobs in rural/regional/remote areas would generally be easy to find. There would tend to be more competition in major metropolitan areas.
The subjects studied as part of the degree include - language development, linguistics: syntax (the study of grammar) & phonetics (the study of speech sounds), anatomy, physiology, neurosciences, psychology, sociology, research methods, audiology (hearing), as well as speech pathology-specific subjects.
