Canadians: CDA -> SLP?

[0range]

Did anyone happen to take the CDA (communication disorders assistant) to SLP route? Is it a disadvantage to do so?

 

Edit: someone told me that CDA is an Ontario-only thing. What do they call it in other provinces?

[Persis]

Did anyone happen to take the CDA (communication disorders assistant) to SLP route? Is it a disadvantage to do so?

 

Edit: someone told me that CDA is an Ontario-only thing. What do they call it in other provinces?

Yes, i took it.  It doesn't help you in any way shape or form.  Because it is a college program.  Canada could care less about it.  Yes, CDA is an Ontario-only thing.  They call it Speech Language Therapy Assistant, Speech Assistant Speech,Therapy Assistant or Therapy Assistant in Alberta.

Edited November 9, 2014 by Persis

[0range]

Yes, i took it.  It doesn't help you in any way shape or form.  Because it is a college program.  Canada could care less about it.  Yes, CDA is an Ontario-only thing.  They call it Speech Language Therapy Assistant, Speech Assistant Speech,Therapy Assistant or Therapy Assistant in Alberta.

 

Hi! Thanks for the reply. I didn't believe that it would be an advantage - was concerned about the opposite actually! It being a disadvantage if you wanted to get into the masters program.

[Persis]

Hi! Thanks for the reply. I didn't believe that it would be an advantage - was concerned about the opposite actually! It being a disadvantage if you wanted to get into the masters program.

It is not a disadvantage nor an advantage.  But it doesn't really help your application as such.  Most schools just don't care for it.  They don't even consider the GPA at all.

[Mirage112]

Hi!

 I just applied for master of audiology, and my plan B was to do the 1-year diploma in the communicative disorders assistant, and apply again next year to audiology. I know you said it doesn't help for your application, but would you say it helps you to be more confident? Is it worth doing the CDA diploma if I want to do a master after?

Thanks.

[lindzzz]

Hi guys!! 

So I'm a Speech Language Pathology assistant in Alberta  I did a two year diploma with two clinical placements, and I've worked in the field for about six years. 

I would agree that the program doesn't really help with applications.. Sadly. Although I've heard some schools put a lot of value in assistant experience. BUT what I've learned from my application experience is that GPA is definitely number one, and if you don't have the high, high numbers.. It's less likely you'll be looked at. And yeah, your diploma won't be included in your GPA calculation. AND you essentially have to do courses twice because they won't accept the assistant courses as prereqs. All a bit crap, really. 

Having said all that - as far as preparing you for the masters program? HUGE. Especially if you work in the field for a bit afterward. I am so confident in my skills & that the masters program will be about 5000X easier for me because of my education/experience...

[OverCaffeinated]

yeah so to answer, i spoke to add com, and its entirely useless. they dont consider it one bit, also theyre not standardized at all. u wont get the same education everywhere you go, which is another reason its completely useless. dont waste your money, unless you really want to

[lindzzz]

1 hour ago, OverCaffeinated said:

yeah so to answer, i spoke to add com, and its entirely useless. they dont consider it one bit, also theyre not standardized at all. u wont get the same education everywhere you go, which is another reason its completely useless. dont waste your money, unless you really want to

haha wow!!! ^^^ a bit harsh!! Only 'completlely useless' in terms of application consideration (and not entirely true, for UAlberta anyway). My program was fantastic, and I would argue that it's a great alternative to grad school in a lot of ways if you just can't see yourself doing anything else and the silly grad programs won't let you in

 

[OverCaffeinated]

1 hour ago, lindzzz said:

haha wow!!! ^^^ a bit harsh!! Only 'completlely useless' in terms of application consideration (and not entirely true, for UAlberta anyway). My program was fantastic, and I would argue that it's a great alternative to grad school in a lot of ways if you just can't see yourself doing anything else and the silly grad programs won't let you in

 

well it doesnt help with apps and cost money.. so i say its not needed, and yours might have been great, but the add com doesnt know that. the profs arent consistent and there is no syllabus or set curricum,etc, again this is from ontario ad com, so alberta or wherever might be way better

[annmac07]

On November 8, 2014 at 2:58 PM, 0range said:

Did anyone happen to take the CDA (communication disorders assistant) to SLP route? Is it a disadvantage to do so?

 

Edit: someone told me that CDA is an Ontario-only thing. What do they call it in other provinces?

I am a Canadian student and I took the CDA program in Ontario last year, and loved it! At the time, I didn't feel prepared to apply for my masters, so I decided to do the CDA program. I thought it was the best preparation for grad school. I gained a lot of direct therapy experience in a variety of settings, and definitely feel more confident as a clinician. As for grades, I know that in Ontario the schools do not recognize them, but other provinces and the states do for sure! I've been accepted for SLP starting this fall, and I honestly don't think I wouldn't had I not completed the CDA program! Best of luck in whatever you decide to do!

[hopetobeSLP]

15 hours ago, annmac07 said:

I am a Canadian student and I took the CDA program in Ontario last year, and loved it! At the time, I didn't feel prepared to apply for my masters, so I decided to do the CDA program. I thought it was the best preparation for grad school. I gained a lot of direct therapy experience in a variety of settings, and definitely feel more confident as a clinician. As for grades, I know that in Ontario the schools do not recognize them, but other provinces and the states do for sure! I've been accepted for SLP starting this fall, and I honestly don't think I wouldn't had I not completed the CDA program! Best of luck in whatever you decide to do!

Would you be able to elaborate on your statement that other provinces and the states consider your grades from the CDA program? Were they calculated into your admissions average or were they just "looked over" at some point? 

I was accepted to a CDA program and am trying to determine whether it is worth it for me at this time or not!

Thanks!

[annmac07]

8 hours ago, hopetobeSLP said:

Would you be able to elaborate on your statement that other provinces and the states consider your grades from the CDA program? Were they calculated into your admissions average or were they just "looked over" at some point? 

I was accepted to a CDA program and am trying to determine whether it is worth it for me at this time or not!

Thanks!

I applied to Dal and they wanted to see all post secondary grades, regardless if they were from my undergrad degree. I'm not sure how much they were considered, but I have been waitlisted at Dal so I was very happy with that result, as it is such a competitive pool of applicants. As for the states, they considered the grades a post baccalaureate degree, which made my gpa for my CSD courses a 4.0, and covered all of my required speech prerequisites. Some schools required me to complete a WES evaluation for all of my credits, because the schooling was not completed in the States, and in this case they evaluated all my undergraduate and post graduate credits together, and gave me a total gpa that was almost 3 points higher than my undergrad gpa alone.

What CDA program were you accepted to? I went to Georgian in Barrie and really enjoyed it. I know it will depend on the person and what's right for them, but for me, this program was definitely the right route, and I'm glad I did it before deciding to apply for SLP. 

Hope this helps! If you have anymore questions about the program, I'm happy to help! 

[Mirage112]

I'm in the same situation that hopetobeSLP .

I applied to Durham and St Lawrence as a plan B if I'm not accepted into audiology. I was wondering if you know about the "reputation" of other CDA programs (like the one in Durham and in St Lawrence).

Thank you!

Edited March 22, 2016 by Mirage112

[annmac07]

31 minutes ago, Mirage112 said:

I'm in the same situation that hopetobeSLP .

I applied to Durham and St Lawrence as a plan B if I'm not accepted into audiology. I was wondering if you know about the "reputation" of other CDA programs (like the one in Durham and in St Lawrence).

Thank you!

I don't know too much about the different CDA programs in Ontario other than Georgian. I have heard some negative stories about St Lawrence and their program (not enough insurance for students so they could not complete certain placements), and more positive stories about Durham's program, but I don't know that much about the reputation of each program. Sorry that I couldn't be of more assistance! 

[hopetobeSLP]

8 hours ago, annmac07 said:

I applied to Dal and they wanted to see all post secondary grades, regardless if they were from my undergrad degree. I'm not sure how much they were considered, but I have been waitlisted at Dal so I was very happy with that result, as it is such a competitive pool of applicants. As for the states, they considered the grades a post baccalaureate degree, which made my gpa for my CSD courses a 4.0, and covered all of my required speech prerequisites. Some schools required me to complete a WES evaluation for all of my credits, because the schooling was not completed in the States, and in this case they evaluated all my undergraduate and post graduate credits together, and gave me a total gpa that was almost 3 points higher than my undergrad gpa alone.

What CDA program were you accepted to? I went to Georgian in Barrie and really enjoyed it. I know it will depend on the person and what's right for them, but for me, this program was definitely the right route, and I'm glad I did it before deciding to apply for SLP. 

Hope this helps! If you have anymore questions about the program, I'm happy to help! 

Wow! That is amazing, I honestly thought the CDA program would be pointless if I knew I wanted to get into SLP but now that definitely makes it worth it! 

I was accepted to the CDA program at Lambton, I applied on a whim and it was the closest program to where I'm form. I have heard really good things about the Georgian program though! 

Would you mind sharing the schools that you applied to in the states that accepted the CDA program? If you're not comfortable sharing on here, feel free to personal message me instead!

Thanks again! 

[annmac07]

5 minutes ago, hopetobeSLP said:

Wow! That is amazing, I honestly thought the CDA program would be pointless if I knew I wanted to get into SLP but now that definitely makes it worth it! 

I was accepted to the CDA program at Lambton, I applied on a whim and it was the closest program to where I'm form. I have heard really good things about the Georgian program though! 

Would you mind sharing the schools that you applied to in the states that accepted the CDA program? If you're not comfortable sharing on here, feel free to personal message me instead!

Thanks again! 

No problem, I'm happy to help! For the states, I applied to Syracuse, SUNY Buffalo State, SUNY University at Buffalo, SUNY at Fredonia, Ithaca, College of Saint Rose, Edinboro, Bowling Green, and Michigan State. I sent all of them my CDA grades, and Ithaca, Fredonia, Edinboro, and Buffalo State required the WES evaluations. So far, I have been accepted to Ithaca and wait listed at Michigan State and Bowling Green for the States, and I still have more schools to hear from. 

What is your other option if you do not do the CDA program? 

I hope that this information is helpful! If you have anymore questions, either reply on here or message me!

[SadieMarie]

I'm a CDA and I definitely think it was helpful. Maybe not for schools in Canada, but for schools in the states and for gaining experience in the field, it was definitely helpful.

As for the CDA programs not having a course syllabus or set curriculum - that's not true at all. In order for students to graduate with a Communicative Disorders Assistant title and to be eligible for membership with CDAAC (Communicative Disorders Assistant Association of Canada) the program needs to go through a program advisory committee where employees work with executive members of CDAAC going over required courses, the number of hours spent in each course, the number of direct and indirect hours with clients during the two 8-week practicums, etc. in order for it to be approved by CDAAC. I believe the program is assessed every 1-2 years during the first couple years of the program is running, and then every 5 years or so thereafter. It was a great program, I went to Lambton and absolutely loved it. I learned a lot and have heard that some schools along the border set aside a few unofficial spots for Canadian CDAs within their program. Whether or not that is true, I am not sure. A girl can only hope!