How Do You Become A Speech Pathologist?
A speech pathologist (sometimes referred to as a speech therapist) is responsible for assessing, evaluating, diagnosing and treating people with communication and language disorders. Speech pathologists work with individuals who have problems producing speech sounds or cannot speak clearly, due to an illness, injury or developmental disorder (e.g. stroke, brain injury or learning disability). Overall, speech pathologists help patients to improve their speech, voice, fluency, language and cognitive communication. There are a few things that you must do in order to become a speech pathologist. Enroll in an undergraduate program at an accredited university. In order to become a speech pathologist, you must first earn a bachelor’s degree in communication sciences and disorders (or a related field). Be sure to verify the school’s accreditation credentials with an admissions representative or enrollment counselor. Apply for graduate school and purse your master’s degree. In addition to a bac
• Obtain a master’s degree in speech language pathology from an accredited college or university. Your education will include coursework, supervised clinical work, and an internship period. • Submit your application to complete a Clinical Fellowship Year (CFY) to the American Speech Language Hearing Association (ASHA). During this time, you will practice under supervision. • Submit an application for a provisional license to your state licensing agency. • Following your 9 months as a clinical fellow, you must submit all paperwork to ASHA to apply for your Certificate of Clinical Competence (CCC-SLP). You must also be granted a licence to practice from your state licensing agency.
