Healthcare Articles
Speech-Language Pathologists

Most of us take for granted our ability to speak and be understood. But for millions of Americans, communication is a struggle, and no one knows it better than speech-language pathologists.

From helping a child overcome an articulation problem or a stutter to treating a senior trying to regain speech after a stroke, speech-language pathologists positively affect the quality of patients' lives. "It's very rewarding helping people communicate better. We're working with an essential human function," says Janet Brown, M.A., CCC-SLP, associate director of health care services at the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.

A patient's will to improve or regain speech can be inspiring, Brown says. For example, when she started working with a 39-year-old stroke victim, he couldn't move his arms or legs or speak at all. He wasn't expected to return to work or to speak fluently again. But the father of two proved his health professionals wrong by regaining a high level of movement and speech and heading back to work within nine months. "His speech is somewhat halting, but not particularly noticeable. I attribute his recovery to his tremendous spirit and determination," Brown says.

Denise D. Taylor, M.A., CCC-SLP, has been in the business for 20 years and still gets a thrill watching -- and listening to -- her clients make progress. For example, a child with an articulation problem worked with her for eight months recently and improved at each session. "When I discharge clients, they're like birds. They have wings and fly away," she says. On the flip side, "there are no quick fixes" for most communication disorders, points out Taylor, who runs a private practice in Monroe, Louisiana. "Sometimes, everything you do doesn't make the outcome better for the client and it's very discouraging," she says.

About 80,000 speech-language pathologists currently practice in the U.S., according to ASHA. More than half work in schools, Brown says. Other common settings are hospitals, rehabilitation centers, long-term care facilities, home health agencies and centers for people with developmental disabilities. In 1997, the median annual salary for SLPs -- who are required to have a master's degree -- was $39,950 for those working on an academic-year basis and $44,000 for those working on a calendar-year schedule.

Although the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts faster-than-average employment growth for speech-language pathologists during the next six years, Brown cautions that the current job market for SLPs is unsteady. In fact, job prospects in healthcare settings are declining because of recent changes in federal Medicare policy that limit patients' access to speech-language therapy and other therapies. Private managed care plans are also limiting access to SLP services, she says. "The economic picture is challenging," Brown says. "Practitioners are being squeezed and pushed to spend less and less time with patients, and non-professionals are dictating to professionals how much they can treat a patient and what they can treat."