SLPs: Considering retirement?

At this time of year, many speech-language pathologists (SLPs), occupational therapists, physical therapists and special educators are tired of excess paperwork/IEPs/insurance claim denials/productivity demands/etc and considering other career choices in the field. (Supervisors, beware!) Others in the helping professions are Baby Boomers who are considering retirement or want to have a second job.

 Creative SLPs for years have been combining speech pathology with other fields to find greater career satisfaction. Most of the choices do not require a new degree.

"Alternative Career Options for Speech-Language Pathologists" is a book describing the choices made by 20 of these speech-language pathologists. It covers each person's choice, how he got into it, the advantages and disadvantages, and more. The book includes a career self-assessment survey to help readers consider new possibilities.

Many of the choices in this book are suitable for physical and occupational therapists, special educators and others in the helping professions who are ready for a change, a second job, or who are considering retirement and yet want to stay in the workforce, albeit in a slightly different way.

Alternative Career Options for SLPs comes with  a special bonus that expires February 10, 2015; check here to learn about this remarkable offer!

Rehab or Education Professional: Considering New Career Choices?

At this time of year, many stressed-out professionals in speech-language pathology, occupational therapy, physical therapy and education (especially special education) are considering changing careers. With few or no salary raises and no career ladders, talented professionals often feel that they have been asked to do too much too fast for too many for too little pay for too long. The problem is that they don't know what options are out there for them, if they don't want to return to school first.

Alternative Career Options for Speech-Language Pathologists is a book that offers choices - and possibilities.
Each chapter details the story of 1 speech-language pathologist (or team of 2), who went from having a traditional career to combining speech skills with those of a different field. Extensive additional schooling was not needed, except for 1 option. Each person talks candidly about the positives and negatives of his/her new career choice, as well as how he or she made the transition. Eighteen individuals/teams are covered, with other options being mentioned briefly.

Examples of the new fields include developing and training others in related equipment, teaching speech-language pathologists specialized new skills, publishing, sales of related equipment,  visual communications consultant, and many more! These examples are intended to help spark ideas in the minds of the readers.

These options would be suitable for many types of rehabilitation and education professionals.

The book also includes a career self-assessment questionnaire, so readers can thoughtfully and systematically consider their own possible choices.

The softcover book  Alternative Career Options for Speech/Language Pathologists is available here . Get more information on it by seeing this video. There are options for you; start exploring them today!

Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) : ready for something different?

Recently speech-language pathologists in medical and educational settings spoke about situations that provoke burn-out. As one put it, "I'm swamped with paperwork!" With fewer providers, more paperwork and more productivity expected, they feel overwhelmed. Does this describe you as well? There are other professional roles for speech-language pathologists than as direct service providers. Some SLPs become supervisors, while others serve as trainers for equipment that SLPs and their clients may use. Some SLPs train other SLPs in a variety of fields, or work with communicatively-impaired clients in non-traditional ways. Alternative Career Options for Speech-Language Pathologists by Katie Schwartz is a book which describes the choices 18 SLPs made to combine speech with some other field. (The book is also appropriate for OTs, PTs, and special educators.) Each chapter covers the choice made by one SLP or team of SLPs that chose to work together. Readers will learn the process of that change, what the person decided to do, and the positives and negatives of that choice, as well as how to get started in that field. Even if the reader is not interested in those choices, learning what others have done can help to spark new ideas in the reader's mind. There is also a chapter on a self-assessment questionnaire that the reader can use, to help him or her consider appropriate choices. Additional career options are mentioned here briefly as well. To get this book, click here (and scroll to the bottom of the page).

Speech pathologists: ready for your next career?

It's one of the three most popular times a year when speech-language pathologists (SLPs) wonder what else we can do with we skills. (The other two times are Dec-Jan, and August, in case you are wondering.)

Our skills are quite versatile! Many of us choose to combine our knowledge in speech with that of some other field, such as training, coaching, product development, research, or knowledge synthesization. Others prefer a new area of specialization, such as a disorder, setting or age group. If you've reached the point of saying, "If I ever have to _______ again, it'll be one time too many!", you need a change!

Alternative Career Options for SLPs by Katie Schwartz, CCC-SLP(www.BusinessSpeechImprovement.com) is a book detailing the choices made by 20 SLPs to combine speech plus some other field. If you need CEUs, go to www.onlineceus.com for the seminar on "New Career Options for SLPs", a later work by Katie Schwartz. This lists additional career choices.

Put some new enthusiasm and life into your career - try something different!