jomyers.online

Try to complete your CFY in a medical setting. What’s a CFY? A CFY, or clinical fellowship year, is the first year of mentored practice for new graduates. Your CFY is not found through your school or negotiated for you by faculty. You’ll be searching for a position solo, interviewing for the first time as a full-fledged SLP! Essentially, you will be working with a license (or initial license) and toward your certification with additional support from your mentor. This is more or less comparable to other professions, like teaching or medical doctors, in which newly-minted graduates are not fully licensed or credentialed until they have a certain amount of mentorship and experience in the field. As a CF, you'll be a licensed graduate working toward your ASHA CCCs. Most newly-minted SLPs that would like to work in medical settings following certification would like to complete their CFY in a medical setting as well, but it can be difficult to find medical CF positions in areas where there are quite a few SLP programs or the market is otherwise saturated. It is after your year of mentored practice that you earn your ASHA certification, or your CCC’s, so you can move into a medical setting after your CFY if you completed it in a school setting. If you are licensed in your state to practice Speech Pathology, you are able to practice in any setting you’d like to (provided that you can find a position in the setting you’d prefer to work in). When should you start looking? Most advice suggests that you should begin looking for CFY opportunities as early as possible, because it’s much easier to secure positions if you already have an “in.” To improve your chances of securing a medical position, start developing relationships with program directors and professional acquaintances before most even think about their CFY. To do this, you can intern, shadow, or cold-call SLPs in the settings or areas you are looking at working in. You can make use of any clinical or practicum placements that you have during graduate school by excelling in those medical placements and letting SLPs at that facility know that you would enjoy the opportunity to become a colleague of theirs. Searching for a medical CFY can be different from searching for a school-based position in that medical settings usually won’t run on the typical academic calendar. Instead, they’ll post openings and hire throughout the year, and they’ll usually want to hire for open positions as soon as possible. The type of medical setting you’re interested in can also influence when you’ll start job searching in earnest: you might notice that certain settings tend to hire at specific times of the year depending on your area. Where can I find medical SLP positions for my CFY? So where do you start looking? Graduates on instagram, blogs, reddit, and here have found success on indeed, cold-calling local hospitals, and even DM’ing on instagram or facebook medical SLP groups. Another strategy that others have found success with is asking mentors or professors to put in a good word for you or provide a recommendation to their professional contacts. The search can be grueling, many have stated that they applied for 20-30 positions before they found a good fit. Something that can improve your chances of securing a medical position is if you are willing to move. This is because rural positions are typically harder to fill, so applying to rural areas could increase your chances of a job offer. This strategy could also work if you’d like to live in a more populated area and have a longer commute. If you think you’d otherwise be the perfect fit for a position, and the posting states that your CCCs are required, inquire with the hiring director and make a case for yourself. They might be willing to accommodate by finding you a mentor. An important thing to note is that you should be looking for quality mentorship in your CF. If you are the only SLP at your facility, you will not likely benefit as much from that mentorship connection as someone who has a mentor on-site 100% of the time. Would it help to pursue any additional certifications? While expensive and *usually* not required of new graduates before they're hired, you could prioritize varying your experience and improving your technical training outside of graduate school in an effort to stand out among the crowd by pursuing additional certifications. There are sometimes student discounts for training programs, so if it’s something you’re going to have to complete anyway you might as well. Don’t go all out and do everything if the facilities you’d like to work for don’t utilize these programs, it would be an unnecessary drain on your time and money. That being said, if you're interested in a few of these, go for it! MBSImP, or the modified barium swallow impairment profile, has a student discount available Passy Muir has free trach/vent CEUs FEES (Flexible Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing) trainings are offered all over the country, online or in-person. Learn more about it from ASHA. STEP by Dr. Ianessa Humbert is a community centered around swallowing training and education with a monthly membership fee of $15 LSVT LOUD, or the Lee Silverman Voice Treatment, is a dysphonia treatment program that has a significantly reduced price for students with the option to upgrade to a full membership after graduation SPEAK OUT & LOUD Crowd is a training by the Parkinson Voice Project for individual and group therapy techniques for SLPs working with patients with Parkinson’s VitalStim is a certification in neuromuscular electrical stimulation for dysphagia TEP (Tracheoesophageal Puncture and Prosthesis) is offered as a workshop by the MAYO clinic Laryngeal Imaging is offered as a workshop by Emory (with FEES included) MDTP (McNeill Dysphagia Therapy Program) can be taken as an ASHA CEU and is offered by UCSF MoCA certification PhortE (Phonation Resistance Training Exercises) can be taken as an ASHA CEU

Hello @dvchay! I am looking into working in a medical-based setting as well, so I've scoured around and found as much advice as possible. I will reiterate several times that if you graduate from an accredited program and you are licensed in your state, then you are able to practice in any setting your SLP heart desires. This is more for those that are looking for ways to expand their depth and breadth of knowledge in the area of medical SLP practice, or those that are looking for ways to improve their applications while they are still in their programs to make the job search easier when they graduate. I'm not an expert, so take everything here with a grain of SALT (lol). Quick bites if you don’t feel like reading this loooooong post: Read, read, read: ASHA SLP Health Care community, Dysphagia Cafe, Tactus Therapy, Medical SLP Collective, Honeycomb Speech Therapy, SLP subreddit (search “medical” or “medSLP”) Spend too much of your time reading? Listen to some podcasts instead: Down the Hatch, Swallow your Pride Join ASHA Special Interest Groups, which are only $10 each for student membership: 2 (neurogenic communication disorders), 13 (dysphagia), 15 (gerontology) Take CEUs: speechpathology.com ($99 for all of their online courses), Aphasia Toolbox, MedBridge First, take a look at which medical settings might interest you: Acute care Working in acute care, you’ll see complex cases, with many SLPs reporting that the majority of their caseload includes dysphagia and trachs/vents. You’d be working with patients with speech, language, and swallowing difficulties stemming from head injuries, strokes, and other medical issues that result in a typical stay of a few days to a few weeks. There are options for further specializations, like working in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Click here for more information about Acute Care settings. Skilled Nursing Facility At a Skilled Nursing Facility (often shortened to SNF online, you’ll also see this setting referred to as “long-term care”), You’ll see patients for an average stay of about a month. SLPs report that most of their caseload includes patients with CVA (stroke) and work primarily in the area of swallowing. SNFs get a bad rap online for productivity standards and you’ll occasionally hear about pressure to bill insurance fraudulently. Click here for more information about Long-Term Care settings. Pediatric Hospitals At a Pediatric Hospital, you’ll be working with children from birth to 18 years old. This is another setting that you’ll see shortened online: you’ll find people refer to these settings as “Peds” or “Pediatrics.” As a SLP specializing in pediatrics, you’ll see a range of disorders. Click here for more information about Pediatric Hospital settings. Acute Inpatient Rehabilitation Working in inpatient rehabilitation (a.k.a.: “inpatient rehab” or just “inpatient”), you’ll see patients with traumatic brain injuries (TBI) and stroke patients with an average stay of a few weeks. You’ll be working with adults on memory, swallowing, comprehension, expression, and attention goals. Click here for more information about Inpatient Rehab settings. Outpatient Clinics You’ll have the opportunity to provide services to a wide range of clients in outpatient settings, with ages ranging from infancy to 80+ and a wide variety of diagnoses and goals. The average length of time for working with a patient is 3 months, but this varies. Click here for more information about Outpatient Clinic settings. Classes to look for in your program: If you are already interested in a few programs, compare their curriculum maps and elective courses. You can highlight classes that you are interested in and this process might help you narrow down your decisions. While all accredited programs will prepare you to work in any setting, you’ll find that some programs have dedicated classes in medical-based topics and concerns, while others have a larger part of their curriculum geared toward school-based SLP topics and concerns. Classes to look for include Dysphagia, Neurogenic Motor Speech Disorders, Pediatric Feeding & Swallowing, Interprofessional Practice, Traumatic Brain Injury, Treatment of Voice Disorders in Medical Settings, Dementia, Neuroanatomy & Aphasia. Opportunities to look for in your program: In addition to classes, look for clinical experiences that will help you gain knowledge and experience in medical settings. Advice is frequently tossed around online about finding programs that have hospitals nearby or hospital and medical affiliations, but I’ve yet to find a comprehensive list of these programs. For now, here’s a short list of programs that provide opportunities for specialization: The University of Washington offers a dedicated Medical SLP track and has affiliations with 17 hospitals Chapman University offers an emphasis in medically-related conditions New York Medical College offers LSVT LOUD training, FEES, anatomy dissection classes, an external clinical rotation specifically for medically based competencies, and interprofessional activities with the PT program MGH Institute offers concentrations that include electives, dedicated practicums, and mentorship in areas like Adult Neurogenic Communication Disorders and Medical Speech-Language Pathology. Portland State University offers a medical concentration with dedicated elective courses, clinical placements in dysphagia and adult medical, and two medical practicum placements

Hello @EmilyL99! For pre-requisite programs, you only need to look at whether the courses listed in the program match the required pre-reqs for the master's programs you'd like to apply to. Under most circumstances, it doesn't matter much where these courses were taken, only that you have taken all of the courses that your programs of interest require. You'll find that some pre-requisites are the same for pretty much every school, like a Physical Science (Chemistry or Physics), Biological Science, Statistics, and a Social Science course. These are ASHA requirements, so you'll probably find those requirements are necessary for all the grad schools you apply to. That being said, most grad schools have other pre-requisite requirements. They will vary from program to program. For example: To be accepted to WKU's graduate program, you will need Speech-Language Development, Speech Science, Phonetics, Speech-Hearing Anatomy, Language Disorders, Articulation Disorders, Audiology, and Assessment. To be accepted to FSU's graduate program, there is no direct information about whether pre-requisite credits will be accepted from other programs at all. Their bridge program includes: Introduction to Communication Science, Neurological Basis of Communication, Clinical Phonetics, Anatomy and Physiology of Speech/Language and Hearing, Normal Communication Development, Introduction to Clinical Audiology, and Clinical Methods. Some have stated on this forum that if you have a specific master's program in mind, attending that university's pre-requisite program can give you a leg up. I don't know if this is true for every program, and I would assume that it would only matter one way or another if you and another candidate were very similar in just about every other way. Other unsolicited advice: Try to keep those grades up in your pre-req classes!!!! That's what is going to help you most as you look into graduate programs. Take your GRE more than once if that's possible for you and if the master's programs you're interested in require it. Get involved as much as you can - there are quite a few posts about ways to improve your application and resume as an out-of-field applicant, but the advice is usually pretty similar for SLP undergraduates and pre-req students. I'll link one of my previous replies here. (These are all suggestions, they are in no way required and please don't try to do them all. You'll burn yourself out and your grades are arguably more important): Some master's programs don't require pre-requisites at all, so those might be worth looking into, as well. Best of luck to you! -Jo

see reply below, I am unable to delete this comment

Today is the last day if you were thinking about it!

Hello All! Just wanted to post a reminder that today is the first day that mentees can register for ASHA's S.T.E.P program. (You don't have to be a member of NSSLHA to join, but it's recommended) This program matches mentors to mentees in SLP or Audiology based on 6 preferences: skills that you'd like to focus on, areas of interest, areas of study, languages, work setting, and mentoring areas (career direction, bilingual service provision, careers in academia, clinical age population, conducting research, creating safe spaces and gender inclusivity, etc.). Mentors are ASHA members with their CCC's and 3 years of professional practice. The website matches you with potential mentors that match your preferences as closely as possible. From there, you are able to message the mentors that you are interested in advising you, which gives you some independence in finding a mentor that is truly going to be a good fit. Then, the mentor can decide if they would like to mentor you. In the program, you will communicate with each other regularly about your mentoring areas! The program is open to undergraduates, graduate students, and those applying to a program. They state that you should set aside approximately an hour a week for work on the program, but this opportunity is what you make of it (you get out what you put in). It's conducted via the internet, but they state that you can meet personally in certain situations (ASHA convention, etc.) Benefits (copied from the ASHA website) Access to a support system during critical stages of college and career development Insider perspective on navigating their chosen career Clear understanding and enhancement of academic and career development plans Ability to develop mentoring relationships in industries where mentoring is not readily available Enhanced understanding of the importance of mentors Exposure to diverse perspectives and experiences Direct access to power resources within the professions of audiology; speech-language pathology; and speech, language, and hearing science Identification of skill gaps before leaving school Greater knowledge of career success factors A lasting career network S.T.E.P. program info page Click here to learn more (FAQs). Click here if you're ready to register. (takes 5-10 minutes) Enrollment for this year ends February 28th. The orientation is March 3 from 8-9:30 pm ET (zoom). This post is not sponsored, I just think it's a great opportunity and hadn't seen anything posted on this forum about it.

Hi @Undergrad-student! I noticed you hadn't received a reply yet. There hasn't been much posted about the Queens College interview process, but I did a little digging and I'll @ people here that have stated in the forum that they've interviewed & you might be able to ask them more specific questions! @slpstudent777 @Sga71494 @slpinthemaking12 @speechie95 @ecfbbbrooklyn @goingtobeslp13 Good luck with your interview, I'm sure you'll be amazing!

@futurespeechpath1 I looked around and it seems like all of their posts about acceptances were from 2018. I was just thinking they might not be worried about admissions committees seeing this thread if they were already admitted and relatively anonymous (which could explain the negativity, and lack of apology). It makes sense now that you were only trying to introduce that perspective. Anyway, I agree with you. You never know who might make the connection, and it's better to practice professional behavior.

I believe they've already graduated: @Covidslp stated, "Chapman offered me so many opportunities to get a wide range of experience to the best of their abilities." Additionally, you can stay fairly anonymous on this forum if you choose to do so. Your name and personal information are not required to join, and TGC doesn't verify any information you provide. It's important to note that you can ask questions and offer advice on this forum anonymously, as that's part of the draw. Regardless, you're right. We're all stressed, we don't need to be adding to any negative or repetitive thought patterns! Sending good vibes to everyone. Can't wait until March!!!!!!

Oh, @smarieSLP2b, I meant to follow up earlier! Can I ask what state you're in that you were able to practice as a bachelor-level clinician, and where you looked to find it (glassdoor, linkedin, word-of-mouth)? Would this sort of position be similar to practicing as a SLPA? I haven't been able to find available positions like this in my area! Thank you ☺️

I've seen it used in and around to describe "medical based" SLPs online, but you're right, it wouldn't be used in in-person conversation! I was only referring to ways to make your application more competitive in medical settings, as these positions are notoriously difficult to secure outside of SNFs. Thank you for the correction.

I do want to note that I found out yesterday that there is an optional practicum course that is offered at my school for SPLH that I will definitely be taking now that I know about it!

@roseyelephant DM me!

The concerns that @roseyelephant raises are completely valid, and I'm happy that they are seeking out additional advice. Financial advisors charge, on average, $100-$400/hr, or one time fees of $1000-$2000 for a yearly financial plan. Suggesting that the woman going to food pantries seek financial advising is pretty out of touch. As @Xulaslp07 mentioned, the Financially Independent SLP is a great resource. It is also completely valid to choose a career based on prospective income. Several of my friends (in other majors) came to university as first-generation college students for the sole purpose of using their degree to support their extended families. That is not much of an option if you take a job in some school districts in Kansas City, where SLP salaries can start out as low as $40,000 and sometimes dip even lower. To prove my point, after taxes, that's $2,606 per month. If you're a single mother with 2 children, that's all you'd need to qualify for food stamps in Kansas. People will not bat an eye when a teacher says they are on food stamps or need help buying food for their families, but SLPs are often on the same salary schedule as those teachers. I'm going to keep going with that, based on my first year salary. (I made $2400/month as a teacher (take home pay) - it would be $2600 with a master's degree on that salary schedule, so we're going with the $2600 figure) Let's assume you have health insurance that your employer helps with, but that's an extra $300/month out of each paycheck for the halfway decent option (I was lucky enough to have insurance through my parents). If you live in a more affordable area, like Eudora, I've seen rents for as low as $700 for a studio/1 bedroom. Electric+gas+water: $150/ish. Food: for a low estimate, $4/meal * 3 meals a day * 30 days = $450 / month (that includes the coffee habit, which I sometimes had to forego). Let's assume you have a used car with a payment of $350/month, and insurance at $100/month. (and gas for your hour commute comes out to $70/month) Let's say, for giggles, that you have a dog ($80/month for food and preventative medicine). I was on an income driven repayment plan, which was only available for my government provided student loans (I went to a state-sponsored public university) - $200/month. I had to take out outside loans because I was unable to work as much while student teaching, so I owed Sallie Mae another $150/month after graduation. Oh, and a low estimate for a phone/internet bill would be $50/month. That leaves the teacher/SLP with the master's degree $0 (and me with $100 because I wasn't paying health insurance). But let's think about those things that aren't monthly expenses. For example, this is what my December looked like: What if you need new tires? A tooth filling because of that ridiculous coffee habit? You don't have Christmas presents for your family yet? (if you're an SLP, you pay ASHA around $250 in December as well) You're in the negative. No, I wasn't on food stamps, but the only way it would work out is if I had a significant other, roommates, or a second job. I went for a second job on the weekends, which netted me another $1000/month (I value financial independence from others). Keep in mind, in this example, you are working in a high-needs area and living in a very affordable small town about an hour away. I'm using myself as an example because I was definitely not an outlier: I was living a very average lifestyle as far as rent, food, transportation, and student loan repayments go. I probably could have spent less on coffee, but that wouldn't have made up the difference. In most cases, I don't think students really expect that while they are getting a master's degree in a respected profession, they will probably still need to take a second job or live with roommates the first couple of years if they work in the schools. This is where I see most of the negativity on reddit stemming from. Look at how this field is marketed: #4 in Best Health Care Jobs and #7 in 100 Best Jobs, according to U.S. News & World Report. Job creation in the profession is outpacing other occupations and is expected to grow by 18 percent from 2016 to 2026. You've seen the stats. But if you look at the actual financial prospects for freshly-minted SLPs (in the schools) you'd see a MAJOR disconnect. Don't believe me? If you were on the teacher salary schedule in the following districts (and it's highly likely that you would be paid based on this schedule in the schools), this is how much you could expect to make as a first-year SLP: St. Louis, $41,616 , Chicago Public Schools, $64,280 (208 day lane 2) , Minneapolis Public Schools, $50,011 (2018, couldn't find a more recent one) , Houston Public Schools, $55,369 (from what I've read, I think SLPs are on the counselor schedule), Phoenix, $66,974 (Elementary, District 1) As you can see, compensation varies widely. In most places you're not on the lowest end of the cost-of-living spectrum but you're not exactly rolling in it either. If money is a concern, as it seems to be for our friend here, it is absolutely necessary to contemplate this thoroughly. This is why my advice was to look at school districts that pay more, look into the medSLP route, shadow active SLPs, and continue to ask questions.

I did Elementary Education for my undergraduate degree! With an undergrad in Education, you'd have a lens for what students do in the gen-ed classroom, which can be especially helpful if you plan to be a school-based SLP. You would also head into grad school with: hands-on experience researching and applying evidence-based practice in your classroom (one of my classes centered around writing 50+ page case studies for individual student interventions) scaffolded practice administering one-on-one assessments to students (one of my classes even utilized SLP-developed phonological assessments!) experience formulating, administering, and tracking data on formative and summative assessments a deeper understanding of literacy development and intervention strategies and best practices for lesson planning a basic understanding of linguistics, including theories and structures first-hand child development knowledge practice and observation with IEP development and meetings experience working with a multidisciplinary team practice facilitating parent meetings behavior management strategies studying for and passing PRAXIS exams proving competence with professional expectations knowledge of education case law regarding SPED and IEPs and more! With student teaching, you'd have quite a bit of internship/practicum experience: at my school, we had a full year of internships. I have experience working with a clinical and university supervisor, and improved my practice through reviews based on observations. This is great practice for clinical experiences in grad school! I was able to ask my mentor teachers for letters of recommendation, and they were able to speak to my ability to deliver differentiated and individualized interventions and supports. Working in the schools through an internship like this can even help you find a job after grad school, or at the very least inform your decisions about which schools/districts you'd like to work in. I only applied to one graduate program this round, so I my plan B is to finish up my CSD post-bacc as an undergraduate degree next semester (I only have 2 more classes that I would need). I'd really have to say that my work in the schools with my Education degree will be the experience that I draw on more when I move into graduate level work. I don't know if I'd be saying this if my CSD courses were not completed entirely during COVID, but this program doesn't have a capstone requirement similar to the student teaching requirement of my education degree - and I wouldn't feel as prepared for the challenges of grad school without this real-world experience. That being said, I'd also feel wholly unprepared without the post-bacc! @fbaerga, I don't know if an education degree is right for you, but it's definitely worth thinking about! @ccspeechie, where did you do the 4+2 program? I would have loved to do that if I had the option!

Hi @samthespeechie! I don't have much to contribute but noticed that you hadn't received any replies yet. They don't send the supplemental application to everyone: "You will be informed if you are required to complete the secondary Rush Application. Please do not complete the secondary application until you have been asked to do so." If you received the invitation, that means the initial review was favorable -- I doubt it would mean that your scores alone would put you out of the running. (keep in mind, this does not guarantee acceptance) GPA range of students admitted last cycle: 3.16-4.0 Their recommended overall GPA is at least 3.0, and recommended major GPA is at least 3.5. Average GRE scores for admitted students last cycle: V 153.94 Q 152.41 writing 4.36. Since these are average GRE scores, approximately half the admitted class scored below this. If your scores are lower you still have a chance! They do state that you need to score above the 50th percentile (151, 153, 4.0), but if those admitted stats are accurate it looks like they'll take a lower Quant score. It doesn't look like they interview Admissions decisions went out late February to mid April last year! Wishing you all the best! Have you heard anything since submitting the secondary application? What sorts of questions did the secondary application contain?

Hey! If you're still looking for audiology courses offered online over the summer, I found a few. Keep in mind, at any school you're planning to go to, even for just one class, you'll have to apply as a non-degree seeking student. It's also very difficult to get student loans transferred to another school if you didn't have them on your FAFSA, so it might get a little expensive out-of-pocket: Miami University - online, no pre-reqs for the course, the form to apply as a non-degree seeking student is on the same page UNT - online, pre-reqs for the course, the info to apply as a non-degree seeking student is on the same page Northwestern University has an online audiology course - CSD 318-DL - offered over the summer. Utah State University - all their classes are offered online, this one is COMD 3700 (offered summer 2021) I'm sure there's more, though!

I put a list up of the online programs, you can check the topic "UVM SLP 2021." There are only 13 ASHA accredited programs that are fully online right now! Some are still accepting applications for this cycle.

Thank you for your courage in speaking out about your experience. I do not believe that some of the replies that you've received are warranted, and I want to apologize to you on behalf of what is usually a wonderful group of future SLPs that are just looking out for one another. This forum is the future of the profession, and it is important that we listen to one another, affirm experiences and opinions, and offer the best advice possible. There are students with positive experiences and others with negative experiences at every school. Just because your experience differs from someone else's doesn't make their experience any less valid. There is no room for that here; head on over to reddit. Additionally, we can't expect that every program will be a good fit for every future SLP, especially with Covid-19 throwing a wrench in everything. That being said, here's the best advice that I have for you. You might find this helpful, you might not. It looks like you came here to commiserate and I told myself that I wasn't going to hop on this thread with a long-winded response for that exact reason. But, here I am on my soapbox anyway trying to make things better. I tend to try to be proactive and put out fires as quickly as possible, so my advice will not be to lie down and suffer in silence: You expressed that you aren't feeling supported by your administration. You might try finding someone in your program that has a positive relationship with a member of your administration, or another student that is feeling supported. Have a heart to heart with that person, and get to the root of what is troubling you. Maybe that individual has found, or knows of, supports like tutoring options, financial assistance, placement advice, resume builders, professional networking opportunities, etc. It might just be that you haven't heard of them yet or didn't know they were available to you. At my program, the official language on the website was that undergraduate research opportunities were not available to me in the track that I'm in. The application is sent mid-year to juniors that are admitted to the bachelor's degree program; not to those taking levelling courses. I had to self-advocate: I talked to the undergraduate advisor and several professors and ended up getting an exception. At least from what I've read in and around this forum, my school, and the reddit forums, quite a few of these sorts of programs and opportunities are spread almost entirely by word-of-mouth, and weren't broadcast effectively even before the pandemic hit. What I'm trying to get at is that having a conversation with someone who is happier in your program might make the situation clearer to you: what exactly could the program do for you that would make you feel supported? You're an SLP: be clinical about it. Find real opportunities for the program to improve and present them to administration from the perspective of someone trying to improve opportunities for future students at Chapman. You could ask the individual to be an intermediary, and see if it is something that can either be corrected by a couple of brave, respectful, and honest conversations with the administrator you are having trouble with or brought to the attention of someone higher up the food chain, so to speak. I recognize that having a heart to heart with someone that is feeling supported in your program could be a minefield if, for example, those that are feeling supported come from a different background than you. You mentioned a lack of diversity, and this is something that has been a given in this profession for far too long. Your graduate program, and everyone in it, should realize that this is an institutional and societal problem that should be corrected in material ways. We should not be accepting long speeches and statements of solidarity as change: demand real, proactive, and funded outreach programs and campaigns that advocate for a demographic shift within your program and this profession as a whole. This should be happening in every grad program in the entire U.S., as none of them are doing enough. None of them. It is up to those in privileged positions to fight for those voices that aren't able to be heard: maybe there aren't supports for those that are LGBTQ+, come from a lower socioeconomic status, are first-generation college students, have a different racial background, or are otherwise not white, wealthy, cis, and female. Find others that want to make real changes in your program, and organize. If the organizations already exist, get involved. I know you're busy, but get involved. The only way things get done is when a lot of people make a lot of noise. I'm not saying this is the best solution, but when I realized that no diversity trainings or cultural awareness courses were offered to undergraduates in my program I just got some people together and made a student organization that is attempting to confront that issue. It won't happen overnight, but I am in a place where I am privileged enough to speak out and advocate for others, and I won't be the person who sits here and maintains the status quo. To anyone reading this, I know it sounds cliche but it's true: you can be the one that makes the change. If you are not in a position to do so; disregard this, you're doing the work just by being here. But I hope that there are students in your program, mine, and others are able to see this and start getting more proactive. Even if it's too late to save this experience for yourself, there will be others in the future that you have the potential to help. You probably won't manage to warn everyone off the program and make it go under, there's too much competition in SLP for a comparatively small number of schools. The reality is that there will be more people like you, so make sure that they don't have the same experiences that you do in your program. I know you don't want to feel like you've completely thrown away $10,000 every trimester. You'll eventually be an alumna; make the place better than it was when you found it so that you can be proud of the institution you graduated from. At the very least, you'll know that you tried. Thank you for reading my book.

From the UVM website: The department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at the University of Vermont is actively working to be inclusive and implement fair and equitable treatment during the graduate application process. We are aware that bias and other forms of unfair treatment have historically put some students, especially students of color, at a disadvantage with regard to standardized testing (GRE) and grade point average (GPA). In response, we are committed to a holistic process of review to consider the entire profile of every applicant. Basically, it's not that the program isn't competitive, it's just that they have a holistic review process for applications. They'll put additional weight on letters of recommendation, personal statements, and your resume. Last year, they received 110 applications, admitted 72 students, and had 16 enroll. These are some strange stats. I'm assuming it's verified, so for SLP schools, that's a pretty good chance for an acceptance letter or at least a chance to get off the waitlist! (65% acceptance rate) The last few years, they've been sending admissions decisions between mid-February and late March. SUNY Plattsburgh: Out of 43 applications, they admitted 29 students, and 19 enrolled. (67% acceptance rate) From meandering around the forum, some schools will offer acceptance and allow you to complete levelling courses if you're out-of-major. Just make sure that the schools you're looking at accept out-of-major students, and email the program to make sure. All of the 2021 fully online programs, w 20-21 stats (I was working on this list for myself anyway, I'll update this comment when I'm done): Western Kentucky University Online Application deadline: February 3 (Fall start only) Admitted student GPA range: 3.5-4.0 Admitted student stats: 223 students applied, 74 were admitted, and 74 enrolled (33% acceptance rate) Requirements: writing sample, writing sample, references, video clip, prerequisite courses Accept out-of-majors? Yes, required prerequisite courses for admission include Speech-Language Development, Speech Science, Phonetics, Speech-Hearing Anatomy, Language Disorders, Articulation Disorders, Audiology, Assessment, Physical Science (Chemistry or Physics), Biological Science, Statistics, Social Science. These can be completed at a different university. See Prerequisite Courses Approved for Equivalency Average GRE: V 152 Q? writing 4 Total ballpark tuition cost: $45,000 Contact: Kimberly.green@wku.edu About: Synchronous online classes during the evening between 6 and 10pm. Six week on-campus Summer internship (first year) required. West Virginia University Online (requires move to WV, concurrent employment as a SLPA in WV) Application deadline: January 4 recommended date to submit application through CSDCAS to ensure verification by February 1 (Summer start only) Admitted student GPA range: 3.15-4.0 (min 3.0) Admitted student stats (residential and online): 132 students applied, 60 were admitted, and 33 enrolled (45% acceptance rate) Requirements: GRE, Personal interview, 3 recommendation letters, writing sample, from the WVU website: "Eligible to obtain Speech-Language Pathology-Assistant licensure in West Virginia. Students in this program will need to be eligible for a Speech-Language Pathology license in the state of West Virginia as well as follow the guidelines of the West Virginia Department of Education for Speech and Language Assistants." Accept out-of-majors? Yes, required prerequisite courses for admission include Phonetics/Phonology, Language Acquisition/Development, Anatomy & Physiology of Speech and Hearing, Speech & Hearing Science, Introduction to Audiology, Physics or Chemistry, Social/Behavioral Science, Statistics, Biological Science. Can be completed at a different university, see requirements. Average GRE: V 151 Q 149 writing 4.22 Total ballpark tuition cost: In-state ~$40,000 Out-of-state ~$102,528 (based on full courseload, 8 semester program. Keep in mind you'll be making a salary as a SLP-A during this time) Contact: jayne.brandel@mail.wvu.edu About: "The program begins in the summer and is eight semesters in length. Students accepted to this program will work as an SLP Assistant in the West Virginia schools while completing coursework online with periodic on-campus activities. Students will acquire clinical experiences in healthcare and educational settings. Students will receive a salary as an SLP-A, but may be expected to cover their WVU tuition and living expenses. Supplemental benefits and assistance may be available through individual counties within an SLP-A job offer." University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire Online (Part-time, not available to intl. students) Application deadline: Nov 1 (Summer start only) Admitted student GPA range: overall 2.89-4, CSD major average GPA 3.94 Admitted student stats (residential and online): 334 students applied, 130 were admitted, and 40 enrolled (39% acceptance rate) (total applicants to online program: 184) Requirements: GRE, 3 letters of recommendation, Personal Statement, 36 credits of post-baccalaureate coursework Accept out-of-majors? Yes, according to their website 78% of the online program's admitted students in 2019 had a non-CSD undergrad degree. Average GRE: V 151.4 Q 148.4 writing 4 Total ballpark tuition cost: $37,800 ($700 per credit, 54 credits) Contact: CSDOnlineGraduateCoordinator@uwec.edu About: "if you’re looking to take courses part time, our online program is set up so you can graduate in three years. Our online graduate program requires a short residency each summer while the rest of your clinic work can be done in your home community." University of South Florida Online (requires current employment at a Suncoast Consortium school district) Application deadline: Jan 15 (fall start only) Admitted student GPA range: 3.3-4.0 Admitted student stats (residential and online): 385 students applied, 118 were admitted, and 67 enrolled (31% acceptance rate) Requirements: Letters of recommendation, letter of intent, resume, GRE scores, and official transcripts should be submitted through CSDCAS, undergraduate degree in CSD and current employment at a Suncoast Consortium school district as a Speech-Language clinician Accept out-of-majors? No. Average GRE: V 153.4 Q 150.1 writing: 4.3 Total ballpark tuition cost: $26,660 ($430ish per credit, 62 credits) Contact: cford@usf.edu About: "The Suncoast Master's Consortium Track is specifically designed to assist bachelor's level professionals working full time as Speech-Language clinicians in one of the Suncoast Consortium school districts to complete their Master's degree. The Suncoast Consortium track is a 9 semester program that uses a combination of distance and on-site teaching to offer the same curriculum as taught on the Tampa campus. University of South Carolina Online Application deadline: December 15 (Fall admission only) Admitted student GPA range: 3.08-4.0 (3.0 min) Admitted student stats (residential and online): 461 students applied, 194 were admitted, and 71 enrolled (42% acceptance rate) Requirements: transcripts, 3 letters of recommendation (at least two from former professors), writing sample, resume/cv, GRE optional Accept out-of-majors? Yes, "Students with undergraduate majors in other disciplines take background coursework during fall and spring semesters prior to entry into the regular MS (distance education) curriculum that begins in the summer." No prerequisites required prior to admission, aside from the usual 4 sciences & statistics requirements. Average GRE: V 152 Q 150 writing 4.0 (GRE optional) Total ballpark tuition cost: $43,472 non-resident online ($572/credit, 76 credits not including prerequisite courses) Contact: cmholden@mailbox.sc.edu About: Part-time, 3 or 4 year curriculum, usually 2 courses each fall and spring w clinical practicum during the summer. University of Cincinnati Online (must live within a 4 hour radius of the university) Application deadline: January 1 Admitted student GPA range: 3.25-4.0 (3.0 min) Admitted student stats (residential and online): 303 students applied, 179 were admitted, and 110 enrolled (59% acceptance rate) Requirements: A grade of "B-" or better in all CSD courses, GRE, 3 letters of recommendation Accept out-of-majors? Yes, but they "recommend that you have completed some speech and hearing courses prior to application to help our admissions committee determine your potential for success in our program." Pre-reqs: Anatomy/Physiology, Audiology, Speech and Language Development, Statistics, Physical Science, Biological Science, Social Science, Human Growth and Development Average GRE: V 150 Q 146 writing 4 (GRE required) Total ballpark tuition cost: $44,164 Part time ($724/credit, 61 credits) $28,936 full time ($7,234/term) Contact: csd@ucmail.uc.edu About: "At this time, admission to the University of Cincinnati for this program REQUIRES that you live within a 3-4 hour radius of the University of Cincinnati as we are not able to support clinical supervision from greater distances." Minimum of 2 years full-time or 3 years (8 semesters) part-time. James Madison University Online Application deadline: Feb 1 (Summer start only) Admitted student GPA range: 3.38-3.99 (3.25 min) Admitted student stats (residential and online): 242 students applied, 71 were admitted, and 34 enrolled (29% acceptance rate) Requirements: GRE, writing sample Accept out-of-majors? Yes, pre-reqs: language development, Anatomy & Physiology, Phonetics, Acoustics, Statistics, Physics or Chemistry, Biological Science, Social Science, Average GRE: V 155 Q 151 writing 4.3 (GRE required) Total ballpark tuition cost: in-state $21,956 out-of-state $54,164 Contact: slp@jmu.edu (though you might have a difficult time: “Due to the number of inquiries receive, the JMU Online MS SLP program is not able to offer advising prior to offers of admission.”) About: “Admitted students progress as part of a cohort, and follow the curriculum as outlined. Academic coursework is offered online. Students will enroll in 2-3 courses per semester, over a three year period.” Part-time/online students are not eligible for funding. Idaho State University, Pocatello Online Application deadline: Feb 1 Admitted student GPA range: 3.21-4.0 Admitted student stats (residential and online): 365 students applied, 152 were admitted, and 58 enrolled (42% acceptance rate) Requirements: CSD Undergraduate degree, 3 letters of recommendation, writing sample Accept out-of-majors? Yes, but the pre-requisites should probably come from the university. They require 13-14 pre-requisite courses. Average GRE: no stats (GRE waived permanently) Total ballpark tuition cost: $29,778 (full time, resident) $79,644 (full time, nonresident) Contact: olcsd@isu.edu About: "Our online program is 3 years. It is an innovative program that allows students to complete academic coursework in the comfort of their own homes. It is designed for those who live in rural areas, or those who have work or other personal/family obligations that would make a traditional graduate program difficult. The academic coursework is completely online. There are two on-campus clinical practicum experiences held during the summers. The first summer clinical experience is held on the Pocatello Campus and requires 8 weeks of participation. The second summer clinical experience is held on the Meridian Campus and is 1 week. Summer clinical experiences on campus enrich the program and prepare students to continue with clinical work in their home town area. In the final summer semester, the student will complete an 8 week full-time externship in their hometown area." Emerson Online Application deadline: rolling admission (start fall, spring, or summer) Admitted student GPA range: 2.1-4.0 Admitted student stats (residential and online): 1545 students applied, 617 were admitted, and 352 enrolled (40% acceptance rate) Requirements: the usual sciences and statistics requirements, GRE (waived for 2021), resume, 3 letters of recommendation, essay, interview Accept out-of-majors? Yes, and pre-requisites are required but you can apply without having completed all of their specific pre-reqs; they will transfer credits from other universities Average GRE: V 153 Q 149 writing 4.0 (waived for 2021) Total ballpark tuition cost: $69,984 Contact: admissions@speech.emerson.edu About: "Build relationships with peers and Emerson faculty during face-to-face online class sessions. Choose between 5-term or 9-term tracks, and finish the program in as few as 20 months. Receive dedicated support, including assistance finding Emerson-approved, in-person clinical field placements. Complete any foundational courses you may need online as part of the program. Join our tight-knit community of supportive faculty, students, and alumni." +two weekend-long immersion experiences at the Boston campus. +team of dedicated placement specialists will help you find local sites within our national partner network where you can experience hands-on training. Used to have a complimentary wework space but I can't find anything about it on the website now but the post is still up on their instagram. Baylor Online Application deadline: rolling admission (start fall, spring, or summer) Admitted student GPA range: 3.0-4.0 (3.4 or greater preferred) Admitted student stats (residential and online): 1200 students applied, 396 were admitted, and 355 enrolled (33% acceptance rate) Requirements: GRE, 3 letters of recommendation, personal statement, resume Accept out-of-majors? Yes, no info on their website about transferring pre-requisites but you can apply without having taken theirs yet. Average GRE: V 150 Q 150 writing 3.5 (GRE required) Total ballpark tuition cost: $98,175 (full-time online) Contact: csdadmissions@onlinegrad.baylor.edu About: Christian university; they help find your placements. "The 45-credit SLP online program can be completed in five semesters (full time) or six to 10 semesters (part time). As part of the program, you will be required to complete clinical practica and a clinical internship." + "Both full-time and part-time students will complete a total of 400 field hours across three practica and one internship, totaling nine credit hours. The practica are each one credit and require a commitment of 16-20 hours per week. The internship is six credits and requires a commitment of 35-40 hours per week." University of Northern Colorado Online (Concurrent SLPA employment required) Application deadline: Feb 1 Admitted student GPA range: 2.5-4.0 Admitted student stats (residential and online): 229 students applied, 83 were admitted, and 26 enrolled (36% acceptance rate) Requirements: CSD Undergraduate degree (or their pre-reqs), GRE, 3 letters of recommendation, writing sample Accept out-of-majors? Yes, but "this program assumes an undergraduate background in Speech-Language Pathology, Audiology, or Communication Disorders. Students who do not have such a background must complete a core of undergraduate courses prior to beginning the program." Levelling courses that are accepted Average GRE: V 153 Q 149 writing 4.25 Total ballpark tuition cost: $93,150 ($10,350/semester, 9 semesters) Contact: kim.murza@unco.edu About: 3 year program. "students must be employed as an SLPA or the equivalent, or under a Temporary Teacher Endorsement (TTE)/SLP, to participate in the online program." + "On-campus class meetings are required for two to three weeks during the first summer (third semester) of the program and a full-time, 12-week internship in a medical setting is required during the final summer of the program. All students must have access to the Internet" Tennessee State University Online Application deadline: July 1st of every even year (e.g. 2018, 2020, 2022) Admitted student GPA range: 2.98-4.0 Admitted student stats (residential and online): 416 students applied, 18 were admitted, and 18 enrolled (4% acceptance rate) Requirements: GRE or MAT, 3 letters of recommendation, writing sample Accept out-of-majors? Yes, 15 credits of levelling courses required Average GRE: V 150 Q 145 Total ballpark tuition cost: $39,697 ($749/credit, 53 credits) Contact: dhayes10@tnstate.edu, tsmith31@tnstate.edu About: HBCU, "The “Distance Education” format for the Master of Science (MS) degree in Speech and Hearing Science, offered thorough the Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology at Tennessee State University (TSU), is a 53 hour degree program which begins in the spring semester of every odd year" East Carolina University Online Application deadline: January 15 Admitted student GPA range: 3.52-3.64 (3.0 min, 3.2 CSD major hours min) Admitted student stats (residential and online): 230 students applied, 132 were admitted, and 36 enrolled (57% acceptance rate) Requirements: CSD Undergraduate degree, GRE (waived 2021), Personal interview, 3 letters of recommendation, writing sample Accept out-of-majors? Yes, but their levelling requirements are different than most: 6 hours of biological sciences, 6 hours of behavior/social sciences, phonetics, language development, audiology, aural rehabilitation, phonology, anatomy and physiology of speech and hearing, speech science, all with a B or better. Average GRE: V 153 Q 150 writing 4.2 (GRE waived 2021) Total ballpark tuition cost: $48,240 ($16,080/yr, 3 years) Contact: masterscsdi@ecu.edu About: "The MS degree is a 3 year, 54-60 credit hour program of study. The academic coursework is delivered mostly on-line; the clinical component is accomplished by completing direct patient contact hours in a variety of clinical settings. Graduation requirements include completion of at least 54 graduate credit hours and 400 clinical hours."

Can I ask, what area do you live in and where would you be interested in working? Direct hires (those that are employed by the district) at the schools tend to work more stable positions with better benefits and consistent raises than contract hires (those that are working for contract companies) in the schools. Direct hires are usually placed on the teacher salary schedule. You can look up school districts that you would be interested in working at, and their salary schedules are almost always available online. You can usually just look up "so and so school district salary schedule." These salaries are usually based on a regular school year, and you will often find options for additional pay working an Extended School Year (ESY; or what non-SLPs would call summer school). For example, if you were to live in Denver and work for Denver Public School District on the regular teacher salary schedule, you would start your first year at $50,343 and cap out after 20 years at around $82,174. For this specific school district, you could also use their salary finder, which puts that initial salary at closer to $57,091. If you were to go for your SLP-D, you could start at $65,335 and cap out at $106,000 after 20 years. I'd love to help you find salary stats for where you plan on working - just PM me! In any care profession, you often sacrifice 6 figure salaries for meaningful work. That being said, there are other tracks for SLPs that will usually command higher salaries: acute care, Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNFs), inpatient, outpatient, etc. If you are worried about how to secure these sorts of positions, there are ways to make your application more competitive, especially if you start early on while you're still in grad school. Actually, you can even start to think about this before grad school: if you want to go the medSLP route, make sure you're applying to programs that have contracts with hospitals or that promise their students medical placements. Even if you choose to start your career working in the schools, you can take CEUs and become certified in areas that would catch the eye of employers in the healthcare sector. You can work your way up from there. When you make decisions about your future career, you have to be honest with yourself. How much debt do you have, how much will you incur by the time you graduate, and what will the monthly payments look like? When you look at places that you would like to live, go on apartments.com or zillow and figure out what you'll be spending on a house or apartment. Look up the prices of food in the area and budget in your preferred leisure activities. How much do you want to save each month for retirement? What's your car payment? Do you have any dependents? Do you want pets, or frequent vacations? Do you have a significant other? Really take a look at what your preferred standard of living would require of you, make a mock budget, and then make your decisions based on which careers in that pay range have the potential to make you happy long term. The key here is to be honest and make a truly informed decision: a master's degree is a huge investment and you don't want to feel stuck in 15 years because you didn't do your research. The last (and most important) thing: Don't look for career advice on reddit! While you'll only hear about the good things from grad schools, insta, and pinterest, you can expect the exact opposite from reddit. Everyone on that site is venting; and the anonymous nature makes it safe to do so. If you want real advice, salary figures, and info on job satisfaction, shadow practicing SLPs in your area. Again, for the people in the back: shadow practicing SLPs in your area. Ask questions, ask for honest answers, and remember: the grass is always greener on the other side. Even if you don't end up choosing SLP; your career is what you make of it. If you want to complain and feel stuck, you will. If you want to improve and work your way up the ladder to the position you really want; don't get discouraged and continue to look for ways to make that happen for yourself. You got this!

Hello @opieandlola & @Ilovedogz3! Admissions decisions for Fall have historically been sent at UTD around mid-March to early April. Admissions decisions for Spring have historically been sent at UTD around mid-November to early December. That being said, it looks like decisions are not sent all at once. It's more of a trickle. Someone received their decision mid-October for the Spring '21 cohort, for example. Keep in mind that all bets are off this year: professors are dealing with a lot more than usual, just as we are! On the off chance you haven't checked out the results page, these are the decisions at UTD back to 2012. You can usually infer when decisions are likely to be made based off of past years! (If you're comfortable, make sure that you add your decisions to the results page to help future hopefuls see when they should expect to hear back! There is less data for UTD Spring cohorts than Fall) If you are really anxious to know when you might expect to hear, you might consider writing a brief & polite email to the admissions officer (communicationdisorders@utdallas.edu). This could look something along the lines of: Good afternoon _________, My name is _______, and I applied for the ______ cohort on _______. I'm very enthusiastic to know my admissions decision, and I was wondering when I could expect to hear from the program. Thank you for your time, __________

Hello @selfmadeslp! In short, yes, but you should expect to lose your deposit. I don't believe you are overthinking it, this could be a tough decision to make. Don't be hard on yourself! Some considerations: If you're going to rescind your acceptance, do so as quickly as possible. Universities, at least at the MA level, still function more or less as a business entity. They'll want to fill your spot. You gave them your word, but ultimately they want students who want to be there. You need to make the decision that is best for you and your future. I only recently felt that any advice I had to offer would be worth anything, so I finally made an account. But from my relentless snooping over the years, those schools with early decisions deal with this quite a bit. You're not alone! I'm not going to claim that I'm going through the same thing, but you might want to find others that are, or have in the past. Some keywords to search for: Click search, select the speech pathology forum, and then you could try "after admission" (exact phrase) "after I've been admitted" (exact phrase) "after accepting their offer" (exact phrase), "rescinding admission" (exact phrase), "rescind" or "rescinding" You should write to inform them of your decision, should it change: Thank them for the opportunity, stay professional, and keep in mind that this is a small field. You will likely see them again at a convention, or you might have the opportunity to work with them in the future. Speaking of this being a small field, the professors at the school you end up at will likely know the professors at the school you decided against. Keep it polite, and do not speak negatively of that program. *I wanted to add, make sure that you read any acceptance materials that you are given and understand them fully. Schools have been known to put in clauses like this in the past: "a student must obtain a written release from the school to which they previously committed, if they wish to accept another offer." (see cgsnet.org for more info on acceptable practices as far as that goes)

@SLPending State licensure takes precedence, you can hold ASHA's C-SLPA and still be unable to practice in your state if you have not met the state's requirements. (TL;DR at the bottom) On the other end of the spectrum, you might be able to practice without the rigorous requirements of the C-SLPA certification if your state does not yet require it. (Some states only require a high school diploma.) Illinois would fall in the middle: https://www.ishail.org/illinois-licensures This is because state laws and regulations govern the schools and medical facilities where you'd be working. There are no national laws or regulations (that I know of, and I've done some extensive digging) stating that you must hold a C-SLPA, or CCC-SLP for that matter, these requirements are left up to the states. That being said, the first SLPA certifications should have been given toward the end of 2020. I believe that many states will move toward aligning their requirements with ASHA's, or just require ASHA certification in lieu of specific state certification (I.e., you'd be licensed to practice if you can give them a copy of your certification + whatever additional documents they might need in the application.) As of now, I do not know of any states that have made these moves, as changing state regulations takes quite awhile. This is similar to state regulations for SLPs. Though ASHA is nationally recognized, and the designation CCC-SLP is the standard, there are states that do not require it to practice as an SLP. Most states require a clinical fellowship of 36 weeks (equivalent to ASHA requirements) and around 400 hours of supervised clinical practicum. States that do not require a CCC-SLP still require candidates to meet similar educational standards and to pass the same Praxis exam used to meet CCC-SLP requirements. From ASHA: What is the difference between ASHA certification and state licensure? Licensure is designed to protect the public from harm. Certification is the public’s assurance that an individual has voluntarily met rigorous, peer-developed and reviewed standards endorsed by a national professional body. Do I need to apply for ASHA certification? The Certificate of Clinical Competence (CCC) is a credential that offers many benefits. Holding the CCC is voluntary; it is your decision whether or not to apply. TL;DR My advice? Take the path of least resistance. The goal here, I'm assuming, is having relevant work experience before applying to grad school. So, if your state only requires a high-school diploma: do that. But always make sure that you are at least meeting state requirements if they happen to be more rigorous than ASHA's C-SLPA. You MUST have state licensure or certification; certification from ASHA is VOLUNTARY unless your state requires it.