Congratulations on finishing your Speech Pathology degree!
Now is the time you are stepping out on your own and finding your feet in the speech world. Sounds scary, I know. But we are here to provide you some of our top tips and resources that can help you settle into your new role. It is a time where you will be consolidating the knowledge and skills you learnt at university, as well as learning to navigate the workplace. Our speech pathologists had a think about what they wish they knew when they started their first job, and this has helped us to collate our top tips.
- Make sure you are getting adequate mentoring and supervision in your role. Stepping into your first role is going to be an exciting and challenging time. It is important to know that you are not alone, and a good workplace will provide you adequate mentoring and supervision to support your clinical skills (e.g., case study discussion) and as well as to support you to manage the challenges of the role (e.g., managing your caseload). Speech Pathology Australia (SPA, 2022) requires a minimum of 12 hours of supervision for new graduates, however, most good workplaces provide mentoring and supervision supports more frequently to allow you to manage your caseload and develop clinical skills.
To make sure you are landing yourself into a workplace that values providing support, we have thought of some questions you might want to ask in an interview to find out if you will be well supported:
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How frequent will I get support such as supervision and mentoring?
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What will supervision and mentoring sessions cover (e.g., both clinical and general workplace support)?
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What does their onboarding process look like?
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If new graduated have supports, such as reduced KPI’s (Key Performance Indicators)?
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- Use already-made templates and resources to save time. In your new role, you are going to learn that time can be scarce. You will find that having templates in place will make the paperwork side of speech much more manageable. By using premade templates, such as our NDIS review report templates and progress note template, you will find yourself completing these tasks much quicker and will have more time for the things that matter (such as planning an awesome session for your next client!).
- In terms of time saving, we also recommended having a range of resources already prepped so that they are ready and can be used in session. This means you will have a set of resources that you can use with clients based on their goals, without having to prep activities for each individual child. Some resources that we find we use constantly are Oral Musculature Assessment templates, minimal pair cards and games or resources that can be adapted for multiple speech or language goals. When looking at resources, you can constantly think about new ways to use it or tie new goals into it.
- Prioritise self-care. Starting a new job can be very challenging, especially in roles where you care for others. It is so important that you learn self-care routines to help you manage this and reduce burnout. Some ideas of self-care may be taking time to exercise, learning meditation, breathing exercises and mindfulness activities (e.g., mindfulness journals). It is also important to prioritise a work-life balance, so you can continue doing and enjoying your usual activities whilst having a full-time job. If you are finding it difficult to maintain a work-life balance and find yourself constantly taking work home, talk to your supervisor about ways to manage this.
We hope these tips have helped you to feel prepared for your new speech pathologist role. We are sure that you are going to thrive in your new role and make a huge impact on the lives of those you help throughout your career.
references
Speech Pathology Australia. (2022). Information for new graduates. Speech Pathology Australia. https://www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au/SPAweb/Members/PSR/SPAweb/Members/Professional_Self_Regulation/Professional_Self_Regulation.aspx?hkey=1a793d97-f224-46e8-a6eb-9aa776c3450d