SLP questions!
Hi! I’m Madison Oldfield, I’m a second year at the University of Akron studying speech-language pathology. I just have a couple questions for some for some of the SLPs. As professionals in the SLP field, if you could go back and tell your undergraduate self anything, what would that be? This can be related to school work, dealing with patients, or really anything that would be helpful to all of us aspiring SLPs. Also, what are some different ways that you have had to adapt to this virtual world while dealing with patients?
Great question! I think I would have taken more advantage of mentorship opportunities, either through my university, my state association, ASHA, or a multicultural constituency group. As an undergraduate student, do a search of opportunities that may be available to you — scholarship opportunities, study abroad opportunities, or mentorship opportunities (research or clinical).
In terms of the virtual world, you have to find ways to make treatment more engaging. My students have found all kinds of clever online games and activities to make treatment more engaging. Also, with virtual therapy, you don’t have as much control over the environment as you would in an in-person therapy room, so that takes some getting used to.