SLP in the NICU

[Amber K]

Hello, 

As I continue to plan for applying to graduate schools in the fall of 2021 I am spending more and more time researching what it takes to become an SLP in the NICU setting. I worked as a nurse for several years in a low-level NICU, which sparked my interest in the feeding aspect of SLP, and, ultimately, I'd love to end up back in the NICU. 

Does anyone have any advice and/or experience about how to go about fulfilling this goal? 

Thanks! 

-Amber

[meadymalarkey]

It's intimidating, but finding SLPs in those settings and talking with/shadowing them is your best bet. This year is rough for observing in hospital settings, but it's possible that as things are starting to open up, there will be more opportunities. It sounds like you might know people who know people, based on your nursing background? If not, start by targeting teaching hospitals. Sometimes clinicians will also allow observations during tele-therapy sessions, which based on the population your interested in will primarily mean coaching caregivers. 

You might also consider starting early on MBSImP training/reading more about it, which you will likely be expected to do as a graduate student during the dysphagia courses. It's a lot cheaper when you do it as a student, but you have to pay the difference after you graduate to be considered certified. 

[bibliophile222]

Your best bet on breaking into this setting is to have an externship in one during grad school. You might want to look into medically-focused grad programs or programs that have connections with lots of different hospitals. Once you get to grad school, communicate with your placement supervisor that this is your preferred setting. 

Of course, even then it's still a super niche area and hard to start off in first thing out of school. When you're looking for a job, be willing to move ANYWHERE that will hire you, including rural areas or areas with lower pay. You'll probably need to start off in a related medical setting like adult in-patient or a children's hospital, and even those are hard to get as a CF, so be patient, because it might take you a few years.