SLP and International Students

[seaotter3]

Hello everybody! Quick question... Can I still be a SLP in the USA if English is not my first language? Thank you!

[JustJay]

yes. Most schools have a some way that they require you to show full competence of the english language and you'll have to contact programs about that. But simple answer is yes. 

[seaotter3]

yes. Most schools have a some way that they require you to show full competence of the english language and you'll have to contact programs about that. But simple answer is yes. 

Thank you! That's good to know!  I've been living in the USA for a while, have a good TOEFL score and everything, but I worry about my accent. It's not terrible, but some words are just hard to pronounce correctly (world, Charles, island, etc) Would that be a problem? 

[Missthang]

Thank you! That's good to know!  I've been living in the USA for a while, have a good TOEFL score and everything, but I worry about my accent. It's not terrible, but some words are just hard to pronounce correctly (world, Charles, island, etc) Would that be a problem? 

My graduate program offers services for accent modification (all services provided by graduate clinicians for university employees/family members are reduced rate and even free if you're a student in the department!). I think if you know this is something that you could benefit from definitely try it out. The added bonus if you do seek services for reducing your accent is you have the added benefit of knowing what it's like to be the clinician AND what it feels like being the client as well. Hope this helps!