I wish I'd known- Jumping the barriers

Getting onto the post-graduate SLT course is extremely competitive:

• think about what you've learnt from your experience not just how much you've done
• sell yourself!
• speak up and get noticed in a group
• be friendly and a team player
• consider your transferable skills   
• don't rule out SLT if you got onto a waiting list- chances are you'll get a call to say you're in

Placements are likely to be miles away (e.g. 90min commute each way):

• find out if you are entitled to a bursary
• organise your own block placement closer to home
• enquire about nursing accommodation etc. on site
• see if there is anyone you can lift share with
• reflect and plan sessions en route!
• suck it up and deal with it - it's likely to be a great placement!

Placement Educators expect more anatomy and physiology knowledge than you'll be taught:

• invest in a good textbook - or at least borrow one before your classmates get there
• keep lecture notes or cards with key phrases to hand
• ask questions! don't suffer in silence if you don't understand something
• use diagrams to aid understanding

The lack of direct intervention you get to give:

• keep an open mind
• consider your preferred setting to work in
• consider the evidence base for your approach
• convey your ideas to other people working with the client
• be creative and patient centred when you do make resources/ carry out therapy

It would be stressful to keep on top of work:

• print off timetables and deadline calendars in the first week!
• be organised - start work early and set earlier deadlines to motivate yourself
• consider if work is due during placement and how you will manage this
• talk to your course mates - it doesn't hurt to have a good moan every now and again!
• read the assignment title. Re-read it. Re-read it.
• Attend a CPD event to boost your motivation!
  

It would be hard to get a job at the end of it all:

• be flexible but if you really want a particular area- go for it!
• fill in an application as soon as you see it - they disappear quickly
• make the NHS jobs site your homepage
• tweak your personal statement to fit the person specification
• do your homework before an interview
• be positive, rejections don't mean you aren't a good therapist - there's just a lot of us looking for employment (including me)!

21 things I didn't realise I'd signed up for...

“Things aren't ever what they seem to be when you first look at them. What's important is that you keep your mind wide open and try to understand what's going on from a lot of different angles.”
                                                                            
                                                                             - Christopher Paul Curtis


1. The hard work didn't stop after getting a place on the MSc SLT course- in fact it hasn't stopped yet.

2. Being back at university meant I had to attend more than once a week.

3. Just because I think my essay is good doesn't mean I'll get a good mark.

4. Just because I think my essay is bad doesn't mean I'll get a bad mark.

5. Caffeine would be my new best friend.

6. On placement I spend more time in the car than doing therapy.

7. The RCSLT CQ3 would become my preferred choice of bedtime reading.

8. It becomes a huge achievement to get a library book out before the rest of my classmates get there.

9. I secretly compare every friends child to developmental milestones.

10. People ask what course I'm doing. Then ask what I want to do after. 'Be an SLT' then still prompts blank faces.

11. People will always ask what an SLT does, not listen and think I'm going to be a teacher.

12. None of my friends will understand I don't get a summer holiday.

13. The primary purpose for my Makaton training would be to communicate with my SLT friends across a busy bar.

14. In the two years I have convinced myself I have every voice disorder, social communication problem and neurological condition possible.

15. No-one else will find an SLT joke funny. I find it hilarious.

16. It would become exciting to go to a conference on a Saturday instead of shopping.

17. I panic every time I watch someone drink through a straw.

18. I start screaming 'dysphagia dysphagia' every time a crisp goes down the wrong way.

19. Meeting with classmates at lunch to discuss an essay becomes an acceptable form of 'social life'.

20. I'd turn up to an interview and find the rest of my course mates in the waiting area.

21. Twitter would provide a community who can be relied on for work distractions minus guilt.


(Still love it though)

London Voice SIG

 “I can’t reach the high notes anymore”

Last week I took an afternoon off finishing my dissertation to go to the London Voice SIG with another SLT student. I am really interested in adult acquired disorders and was really looking forward to learning from some of the most experienced SLT’s in the field.

The main thing that I took from the day was the impact of a voice disorder on someone’s identity – especially somebody who uses their voice to make a living. One of the speakers was a professional singer/ actor who had received surgery. The emotion that she showed during her talk really hit home how distressing and life changing having a voice disorder might be.

She highlighted some really important points that I believe gave every SLT in the room food for thought:

-          She was given loads of information about the risks of surgery, possible benefits and information about how much voice rest she should take afterwards

BUT

She was left in the dark about the potential physical and emotional changes that she might experience following surgery. The singer was shocked to discover that she could no longer sing in the way that she used to- even after following the advice from the professionals.

She was unprepared for the impact this would have in terms of…

-          financial burden when not being successful at auditions

-          social isolation because it is difficult spending time with friends in noisy environments

-          other people not understanding because she still sounded ‘normal’ to everyone else

-          losing sight of her identity – a feeling that it wasn’t ‘her voice’  

With an emphasis on evidence based practice and outcome measures it is easy to get caught up in the impairment based stuff that we are trained to deliver. However, I believe it is vital to keep in mind the most important thing. The person with the voice disorder.

The team were promoting a group they ran for singer’s pre and post operation, called ‘Vox Op’. It gives an opportunity for the members to gain practical and emotional support in confidence. It is a shame more support is not available for professional voice users but hopefully this is something that will change in the future with the continued success of groups like Vox Op.

Which SLT course?

Msc? PGDip? PGcert? BSc?

Speech and Language Therapy? Speech Sciences? Evidence based practice in communication disorders?

NHS funded? Self- funded?

Apply by UCAS? Apply by post? Apply directly to uni online? Apply for more than one course at once?

Just an application form? Interview? Group tasks?

If you don't get in first time round do you wait until next year?

The process of getting onto a Speech and Language Therapy course is pretty complicated. Knowing which is the best option for you is not easy. Combine this with the limited amount of courses and the competition for places, the process can be pretty stressful!

I applied for two courses and also contacted another one for more information. I was basically told by one that my degree was not that relevant so not to bother applying. My work experience was not taken into account. This really knocked my confidence and I didn't think I'd get onto a course at all. However, after a successful English/ Maths test, group task and interview I got onto my current course straight away.

I have enjoyed my course, loved being on placement but found it stressful at times. Our grade is based entirely on essays and a dissertation which I have found a bit tricky as someone who prefers exams to writing assignments. Some of these have been due in whilst we are on placement. As a well organised person I have tried to get these finished before they are due, but sometimes there just aren't enough hours in the day! I have found myself rushing placement preperation in order to meet deadlines. We are also not graded on our placements and as this is the main reason we are on the course it seems a shame that this is not reflected. Having said that, I can see how the process of marking these is more subjective than an essay marking grid.

Having almost completed my course, I have met students from other universities. Most are shocked when I tell them we do not have end of year exams. Obviously I haven't met everyone, but those that I have seem to have a better grasp of the terminology that is used within the workplace and the medical model. In contrast (again this is just an opinion) I feel whilst finding some of the background knowledge difficult, I have been able to apply my thinking flexibly, which can be useful when outside factors are impacting on what you are seeing during assessment/ therapy.

I think universities need to be clearer about what their course gives you in terms of a qualification and what the courses will actually involve in terms of assessment and placements. I think its obvious there are a lot of people applying for many places but information will help the person find a course that suits their learning style.

"If I had a walking stick you'd slow down to walk with me, why won't you do the same with my talking?"

Why an almost full recovery isn't always as good as it seems

The quote from the title is something that has stayed with me throughout my first week at placement. I have had a brilliant opportunity to meet all sorts of clients- aphasia, dysphagia, voice, cancer, long term neurological conditions...the list goes on. It's been a bit scary but I've survived, loved every second and am looking forward to the remaining four weeks.

I have observed and assessed aphasia in acute, neuro-rehab and outpatients settings. Beforehand I thought the acute setting would be most difficult, from a client and family point of view.

However, it has been really surprising to see how the people that have made amazing progress and appear typical communicators on the surface seem to have found it just as difficult. When you have a communication difficulty that is invisible to the non-SLT it can be easy for the family and other communication partners to forget, not notice how the person with aphasia feels or just ignore the problems because it is the easiest, least upsetting thing to do.



By continuing to talk how they've always talked - interrupting each other, talking loudly, talking quickly, using complex language.. the person with aphasia is at risk of becoming socially isolated and feeling upset, frustrated and overwhelmed.

The need to educate and work with communication partners has been highlighted more than ever this week - it has really shown how even at a high level of recovery, the person with aphasia needs the support from their family to access the community and enjoy communication again. Impairment based therapy can seem like the most appropriate thing for an SLT to do, but sometimes a simple 'you know what, your family member has done amazingly well but now they just need you to just slow down and wait' can have more effective results.


Lauren

How did YOU get interested in SLT/ SLP?

We all know there is a lack of awareness of SLT and in particular a lack of males within the profession. I recently guest-blogged on the lovely Gemma's blog here http://www.speechandlanguagethera-peers.blogspot.co.uk/2013_01_01_archive.html about my current research into male SLT's that I am doing for my dissertation.

Earlier today I posted a simple 'how did you first become aware of SLT/SLP?' tweet. I was overwhelmed by the responses I got. Reasons given have been consistent with the very limited amount of research in the literature.

• family members already SLT's/ SLP's or in other areas of healthcare that work closely with an SLT
• A family member/ friend that has received SLT
• Working in education (mainstream or learning disability) and having contact with an SLT
• Careers day at school/ college
• Careers matching service/ website                                           (thank you #slpeeps!)

On a personal level, I admit I didn't know what an SLT was until a few years ago. I wanted a career in sport initially and did a sport science degree. I then got a job in a school to get experience for teaching and found myself carrying out indirect SLT programmes with some children and had some training from the SLT - I was hooked and applied for my masters.

The way I think about it - we need to understand what influenced and motivated us to go through what is quite a tough process to become clinicians in order to influence others.

The one thing all your reasons had in common was that you had exposure to an SLT or at the very least information about SLT before you considered it as a career option. If people don't see it, how are they meant to decide they want to do what we do? I hope we can all continue to raise awareness through twitter, training others, giving voice and just by talking about what we do to other people.

Lauren   

Working abroad as a Newly Qualified SLT

Over the last few months I have been trying to decide what area of SLT I want to work in when I qualify in September. Most of my experience before getting a place on the course was in paediatrics but I have really enjoyed the adult acquired side of things this year.

One thing I have decided is that I really want to spend some time abroad - most of my friends have travelled or worked abroad since leaving school/university and every single one of them has loved their experience. At the moment I am not tied down so it feels a bit of a now or never situation. However, having dedicated 2 years of my life to becoming an SLT I really don't want to lose my clinical skills or miss out when (limited) job opportunities present themselves in the UK. 

I have looked into some options - volunteering with projects such as Operation Smile and private work with clients in countries such as Dubai. I must admit I am disappointed that you need 2 years clinical experience before you can consider working in the USA, Australia or New Zealand, however, I do understand that their graduate programmes have a different focus to British qualifications, and it is already a daunting prospect having a caseload in this country without added confusion!

So do I..

travel now whilst not tied down and needing a break OR wait until I have two years experience when I may gain more clinically?

Whilst the RCSLT offers some advice regarding working abroad, I don't think there is much information out there about the options. Can you still develop your skills? Is there any use for you if you don't speak other languages? Can you get your NQP competencies signed off if you work privately for one family? Would I be completely out of my depth with a lack of support/supervision?

With the research world and the twitter world being so close in terms of sharing information between different countries, I find it hard to believe it is so difficult to get information and seek out opportunities - I almost feel I'm missing something obvious!!

If anyone has any information about opportunities or has travelled/ worked abroad themselves I would love to hear from you- whether your experiences have been positive or negative...