Speech-language pathology is the field where you work for the improvement of communication skills of another person. It is a very revered field and a great humanitarian cause attached is to it. Without the power of communication, a person is nothing more than body. Speech-language therapists are specialists who look into the speech and vocal production, language pronunciation problems and swallowing ailments. Giving speech therapy to a person is not a short-term process; rather it involves months of exercises for the tissues, repetitive instructions, and in many cases, the use of aids such as audio-visuals, to achieve the best of the results. This involves a lot of patience, and so this field is not for those who are short at temper!The best time to administer speech therapy to a person suffering from speech disorders is the child age, and hence the employment opportunities for speech-language pathologists are more at the places which are concentrated about children, like schools, nursing homes, child care centers etc. Well qualified personnel can take up jobs with multi-specialty hospitals, and those which focus around speech-related issues.
Although, the job of a speech-language pathologist is not physically demanding, it is essential that they should be able to satisfy the emotions of the patient and his family, because most of the times people tend to panic after getting the news of one of their relatives suffering from a speech disorder. It is needed that they should be assured that it is curable. The work environment is clean and comforting, with the utmost privacy, since most clients insist on taking treatment at homes. The speech-language pathologists may actually spend a lot of time travelling between different places!
Speech-language pathologists need to pass special exams, and most jobs require that a person applying for a position of a speech therapist should have a master’s degree. Speech-language pathologists need to undergo courses which are like those for the doctor’s, with a deep understanding of the human mind and body. Since this is a specialized field, most of the speech therapists receive handsome salaries.
The joy of enabling someone to speak, and joining the string of his life with his surroundings is immeasurable, and those with a strong humanitarian heart are most welcome into this profession.
