CAREER OPPORTUNITIES

• Speech-Language Pathologists
• Audiologists
• Speech, Languge and Hearing Scientists
• Research and Academic Careers
• Job Market Outlook
• SpeechPathology.com Career Center
  

The field of communication sciences and disorders is made up of speech-language pathologists; audiologists; and speech, language and hearing scientists.

Speech-Language Pathologists
Speech-language pathologists are professionals concerned with evaluation, treatment, prevention and research in human communication and its disorders. They treat speech and language disorders and work with individuals of all ages, from infants to the elderly. They diagnose and evaluate speech problems such as fluency (e.g., stuttering), articulation and voice disorders; language problems such as aphasia; and delayed language and related disorders such as dysphasia (e.g., swallowing difficulties). They design and carry out comprehensive treatment plans to achieve the following:

• help individuals learn the correct production of speech sounds
• assist with developing proper control of the vocal and respiratory systems or correct voice production
• assist children and adolescents with language problems, such as understanding and giving directions, answering and asking questions, understanding and using English grammar, using appropriate social language, and conveying ideas to others
• assist individuals who stutter to increase the amount of fluent speech and to cope with their disorder
• help individuals who have had strokes or suffered other brain trauma relearn language and speech skills
• help individuals to use augmentative and assistive systems of communication
• counsel individuals with speech and language disorders and their families or caregivers to understand their disorder and to communicate more effectively in educational, social and vocational settings
• advise individuals and the community on how to prevent speech and language disorders
  
  Video
  Click on the images below to meet UCF alumni who are now working as speech-language pathologists.
  

  	Jennifer Oelfke (B.A.’00, M.A.’03) is a speech-language pathologist in private practice.
  	Kathy Revoir (B.A.’84, M.A.’86) and Mike McCormick (B.A.’79, M.A.’82) are brain injury speech-language pathologists at a hospital.
  	Angie Greenwood (M.A.’04) is a speech-language pathologist working in the public schools (24:10).

The practice and work of speech-language pathologists may take place in various settings:

• public and private schools
• hospitals
• rehabilitation centers
• nursing-care facilities
• community clinics
• colleges and universities
• private practice offices
• state and local health departments
• state and federal government agencies
• long-term care facilities
• home health agencies (home care)
• adult day-care centers

Audiologists
Audiologists are autonomous professionals who identify, assess and manage disorders of the auditory, balance and other neural systems. Audiologists provide audiological (aural) rehabilitation to children and adults across the entire age span. Audiologists select, fit and dispense amplification systems such as hearing aids and related devices. Audiologists prevent hearing loss through the provision and fitting of hearing protective devices, consultation on the effects of noise on hearing, and consumer education. Audiologists are involved in auditory and related research pertinent to the prevention, identification and management of hearing loss; tinnitus; and balance system dysfunction. Audiologists serve as expert witnesses in litigation related to their areas of expertise. They perform services and activities that include the following:

Speech, Language and Hearing Scientists
Speech, language and hearing scientists are professionals concerned with exploring trends in communication sciences and disorders, as well as developing strategies for improving or adding to the knowledge base within the fields of speech-language pathology and audiology. These scientists provide the foundation on which clinicians base their practice methodology. Research scientists:

• investigate the biological, physical and physiological processes underlying normal communication
• explore the impact of psychological, social and psychophysiological factors on communication disorders
• collaborate with related professionals (e.g., engineers, physicians, dentists, educators) to develop a comprehensive approach to diagnosing and treating individuals with speech, voice, language and hearing problems
  
  

Research and Academic Careers
To learn more, visit the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association's Web site on research and academic careers in communication sciences and disorders.

Bernard Rousseau (’98,’00) is an assistant professor in the Department of Otolaryngology at Vanderbilt University. Click here to learn more.

Job Market Outlook
By the end of this decade, speech-language pathology and audiology will be among the fastest growing professions in the United States. The professions are ranked among the top 30 — out of 700 —- fastest growing professions in the country in the next decade, with the number of speech-language pathology positions growing by 39 percent and the number of audiology positions climbing by 45 percent from 2000-2010, according to the Burea of Labor Statistics' November 2001issue of Monthly Labor Review.

Growth in Individual States
Data from states show where jobs can be found in the future, according to data collected from each State Employment Security Agency in cooperation with the Burea of Labor Statistics.

Across the United States, the growth rate for speech-language pathology and audiology jobs ranges from 19 percent in South Dakota to 63 percent in Nevada from 1998-2008. Another nine states — Arizona, California, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Maryland, New Mexico, North Carolina and Virginia —- will have the highest rate of job growth, with a 50 percent or more increase in jobs in the next decade.

Other states will have a larger number of job openings over the next decade as a large employment base grows slowly, creating more jobs than in states where a small employment base grows rapidly. Growth in the number of jobs over the next decade will range from 50 jobs in Alaska and Delaware to 4,500 job openings in California. Another 10 states — Florida, Illinois, Indiana, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia and Washington — top the charts with 1,200 or more job openings expected between 1998 and 2008.

Trends Contributing to Growth
Changes in the United States population are contributing to this trend. There will be rapid growth in the population age 55 and over, and the hearing loss associated with aging will become more prominent. Baby boomers, of which there are approximately 76 million, are approaching middle age, increasing the possibilities of neurological disorders and the associated speech, language and hearing impairments. Additionally, medical and technological advances are improving the survival rates of premature infants and trauma and stroke victims, increasing the need for professionals trained in these areas.

Earnings
Salaries of speech-language pathologist and audiologists depend on their educational background, specialty and experience, along with the geographical location and type of setting in which they work. In 2001, the median annual salary for certified speech-language pathologists employed on a calendar year basis (11- or 12-month contract) was $45,000. Persons in supervisory positions, such as administration and management, may earn well over $64,000 per year. The median annual salary for certified audiologists employed on a calendar year basis (11- or 12-month contract) was $50,000. Persons in supervisory positions, such as administration and management, may earn well over $59, 000 per year.

For additional information, please contact the Career Services and Experiential Learning at
407-823-2361 or visit its Web site at www.crc.ucf.edu.