Boosting That Transcript and Gaining Knowledge

Now, lots of people might ask “why take classes you don’t need? Why torture yourself with some “classes” in the summer that don’t “count” for something? Well, there’s three reasons:

1. I’ll admit to being a nerd and enjoying learning. Crazy, I know

2. To go along with that, these classes will boost my knowledge of the field I want to work in, and related items.

3. It’ll boost my transcript and show I’m really serious about this, and not doing the bare minimum.

How will I go about doing this? Taking Continuing Education Credits (CEUs) that SLP’s have to take for their license, but without getting credits at the end. Since I’m not a licensed professional, I don’t need the credits themselves, so I’m just taking the classes. It’s fairly simple. You can search on ASHA for CEUs you’d like, online or in person,  and find their provider, then take the class through the provider.

One of the main online providers (which makes it easier) is speechpathology.com, and what’s good is they give a discount to STUDENTS! It’s only $49/ year for access to all of their courses, which can be text, audio or video! And then you can take the test at the end. Each class is worth a different amount of CEUs and is a different difficulty level and length, but most I’ve found are 1 hour long, so not much time at all! There’s even some classes related to audiology.

Another provider I’ve seen on ASHA (although it’s not for credits, I’d still prefer it to be accredited) is linguisystems.com. I’ve actually seen some SLPs mention this on Facebook… and they love it cause some of the CEUs are free! So even better. That should be an easy way to gain more insight without having to hurt the college budget.

 

Those are just two examples to help boost that resume and just keep learning. Some even say it helped for finding a Clinical Fellowship Year (CFY) after graduate school. Check ASHA for other providers, or even take ones that might not be approved! If they don’t count for credits then it may not matter anyway. Just make sure you jot down the courses and speakers to write on your resume!

 

 

Semester End Madness Is Over!

Hey all,

 

FINALLY the semester is over! The past couple of weeks have involved one thing after another! I can finally relax. So that’s exciting. I also got to shadow two professionals, both in the medical side of things. Both were great experiences and I saw a range of disorders related to my field, so I gained lots of knowledge and even more excitement for my future profession! They both did involve children, so hopefully I can find an adult clinic to shadow soon, as well ah some schools. So once I get those lined up I’ll let you know! I’m so glad I finally got my feet wet in the profession, though. Be ready for some new posts coming up now that my schedule is finally free!

I’m On A Roll… Oh Yeah!

It’s official, I’ll be starting/participating in a few different things! First, I have two different job shadows, which I can’t wait for! One of them entails shadowing a SLP who works with clients who have Cleft Lip and Palate, so that’ll be interesting to see that first-hand. I’ve seen pictures and videos and learned about it in class, but that’s nothing comparable to seeing it first-hand… and learning different treatment techniques for the swallowing and speech-related disorders! For the second job shadow, I’ll be following a SLP who works with children that are hard of hearing and have cochlear implants… that’ll be neat, especially since I just did a project on a gene mutation that causes deafness and the use of cochlear implants. These will be great experiences, and hopefully I can start shadowing some SLPs in schools, private practices and nursing homes as well. Then I’ll have seen a wide range of specialties!

The second major piece of news I have is that I’m officially volunteering in an after school program! I’m extremely excited about this, as I love working with kids, and volunteering is always a good way to spend your time. I won’t be starting until August/ the beginning of the school year, but at least I’m cleared and have the paperwork completed!

 

Have a great day everyone!

What’s Up Wednesday: Awesome Video on Extreme Autism

This is such an inspiration, yet sad at the same time. It’s hard to hear how others recommended she go to a group home, yet it’s all due to Autism. This just shows how determination can really help those suffering from these disorders and how augmentative communication like computers can help give them a voice. We can learn about about what it’s like to have Autism (especially at her extreme) while seeing how therapy really helps… and that if one method doesn’t try, try again!

What’s Up Wednesday: Organization/Study Methods

As any aspiring professional, or at least I hope, I’m on a mission to gain as much knowledge as I can about my future profession. I want to learn it and retain it, every little bit. I just have some slight issues: note organization and retaining the mass of information. I’m able to remember the gist of things, and most details, but I want to remember it all so I have a great repertoire to draw from. As for organization, my notes from past and current classes are slightly organized in a few folders, but I’d like to have them better filed for reference. So how do I plan about doing these tasks? Here’s what I’ve come up with:

I know I tend to learn by writing, so this may seem tedious for some. But for me, this should lead to positive results:

-Take notes in class and from readings, either in a 5 subject notebook or one notebook for all classes (you’ll see why this doesn’t matter as much later). Star/Highlight anything said multiple times or pointed out by teacher.

-Re-write these notes more neatly, and more organized, in the designated single subject notebook for each class/topic.

• color code all things that were starred/highlighted from notes: blue for terms/definitions; green for concepts; red for extra information pointed out or that seems important; yellow for assessment/treatment tests and techniques

- When it’s near test time, re-write the notes in a summarized form, with the most important information. This will be used to study for tests (and re-read the full notes a few times as well).

-Make note cards to use for random practice throughout year to stay up-to-date on information.

-Place the single-subject notebooks and any handouts in an accordion folder/ small box for safe keeping and future reference. If there is extra room in single-subject notebook, then rip out pages and place them in a folder with handouts to put in accordion folder. The extra pages can then be used for another subject, and the folder will save space in the accordion folder/box. Be a tree hugger!

I’m hoping that by using this system I can be more well organized and create a way to store/ review information when needed in the future. Hopefully you find this, or an adapted version, helpful for your studies!

Volunteering Is Almost Okay’ed!

I’m sooo excited. After quite some time passing to get many papers, tests, fingerprinting orders, etc done… I’m 99% the way to volunteering at a school! This is great, as I can get more experience with kids, and some will have disabilities, and some will also meet with SLPs! So now I can get some observation hours in as well (hopefully). I’ve been waiting for this to happen, and now it’s just about here. I love working with kids and seeing them grow, so this will just be all the better. And not only will I get something out of this, the kids will too, as I’ll interact with them and possibly help with projects and such. I’ll keep you guys updated as things get laid out more!

 

I suggest that if you want volunteer hours to look through every facet that you can! I found this by attending a volunteer fair, and a representative from United Way was there and she contacted the director of this program based on my preferences! So you can find these types of things everywhere, and networking helps. There were other great opportunities at the fair too, and just from looking online. So just keep looking, contacting, etc. You should find a good placement within some time! Just remember you’ll probably need to do clearances and possibly some medical tests to work with certain populations. AND always comply with HIPPA!

Scouring the Wanted Ads

If you’re like me, you want to know at least some possibilities for the future and where you could be headed once you graduate. Or you could just want to throw some information at your parents about why this is a good degree and how there really is a demand for SLPs and SLPAs almost everywhere (especially schools). Well, in order to feed both your parents or your conscious, there are multiple sites that show current job openings in whatever town you are hoping has openings, as well as the credentials needed, benefits, and sometimes even the pay! There are sometimes CFY postings as well! (Of course, it depends if your area has openings, most likely if you tell the search a specific town and no extra mile radius this will be difficult.. so expand your horizons!)

So here I’ve compiled a (not completely exhaustive) list of possible websites you can scour for openings:

1. ASHA’s Online Career Center

2. SLPjobs

3. JobsSLP

4. Speech Pathology Jobs

5. TopUSAJobs

6. PediaStaff  — also has CFY separately; great to follow on Pintrest– sometimes posts jobs!

7. of course, the typical: Indeed.com, CareerBuilder.com, SimplyHired

8. Salary.com  — has job postings, AND you can search for salary information based on what area you live and your job!

9. just search on Google for slp jobs and find those hidden openings or staffing agencies