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What is a speech pathologist and how to become one
A speech pathologist is an individual who specializes in diagnosing and treating communication and swallowing disorders. They work with people of all ages, from infants to the elderly, in a variety of settings such as schools, hospitals, and private practices. A speech pathologist evaluates a person's speech, language, voice, fluency, and cognitive-communication skills to determine if there are any issues that need to be addressed and to work with patients to improve their communication and swallowing abilities.
What general advice would you give to a speech pathologist?
Dr. HyeKyeung Seung Ph.D.
Professor and Chair, California State University, Fullerton
Avg. Salary $62,640
Avg. Salary $59,228
Growth rate 21%
Growth rate 0.3%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.36%
Asian 4.49%
Black or African American 4.85%
Hispanic or Latino 9.53%
Unknown 3.78%
White 77.00%
Genderfemale 88.07%
male 11.93%
Age - 38American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%
Asian 7.00%
Black or African American 14.00%
Hispanic or Latino 19.00%
White 57.00%
Genderfemale 47.00%
male 53.00%
Age - 38Stress level is manageable
7.1 - high
Complexity level is advanced
7 - challenging
Work life balance is good
6.4 - fair
What are the pros and cons of being a speech pathologist?
Pros
Opportunity to make a positive impact on people's lives
Variety of work settings (schools, hospitals, private practice)
Flexibility in scheduling and work hours
High demand for services
Competitive salary
Cons
May encounter challenging cases or clients
Emotional toll of working with individuals with communication disorders
Required continued education and certification upkeep
High stress workload at times
Possible need for extensive paperwork/documentation
Speech pathologist career paths
Key steps to become a speech pathologist
Explore speech pathologist education requirements
Start to develop specific speech pathologist skills
Skills Percentages Patients 18.36% Language 17.36% Speech 17.06% Patient Care 7.96% Rehabilitation 7.07% Complete relevant speech pathologist training and internships
Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New speech pathologists learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a speech pathologist based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real speech pathologist resumes.Research speech pathologist duties and responsibilities
- Manage staff development activities including sensory integration and IEP goal writing.
- Provide speech and language therapy under the supervision and guidance of assign SLP supervisor.
- Administer and interpreting diagnostic evaluations on children with a variety of speech and language disorders in an out-patient facility.
- Develop specific treatment plans and family education plans for rehabilitation patients in anticipation of discharge home or to appropriate rehabilitation facilities.
Prepare your speech pathologist resume
When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your speech pathologist resume.
You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a speech pathologist resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.
Choose from 10+ customizable speech pathologist resume templates
Build a professional speech pathologist resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your speech pathologist resume.
Apply for speech pathologist jobs
Now it's time to start searching for a speech pathologist job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:
- Browse job boards for relevant postings
- Consult your professional network
- Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
- Watch out for job scams
How did you land your first speech pathologist job
Are you a speech pathologist?
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Average speech pathologist salary
The average speech pathologist salary in the United States is $62,640 per year or $30 per hour. Speech pathologist salaries range between $43,000 and $89,000 per year.
What am I worth?
How do speech pathologists rate their job?
Speech pathologist reviews
working with kids on their learning disabilities and to see their improvement everyday
the little time we sometimes offer so little
Speech pathologist FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
