Speech Pathologist

Duties and Responsibilities:

Speech pathologists diagnose and treat individuals who suffer from stutters, as well as vocal and cognitive communication impairments. They also help those whose speech is affected by emotional issues, various learning disabilities and physical impairments, such as a cleft palate. To accomplish these tasks, speech pathologists conduct specialized testing and provide therapy designed for individual clients' needs. They often work closely with physicians, psychologists and teachers to carefully monitor patients' progress. Speech pathologists also keep long-term records on their clients in order to assist them with difficulties that arise throughout their lives.

In addition to providing voice and speech therapy, speech pathologists may assist patients who've been in accidents or other traumatic incidents in learning or relearning proper swallowing techniques. Stroke victims, paraplegics and the recently deaf sometimes retain the services of a speech pathologist to help normalize their speech patterns. Speech pathologists may also provide therapy and support to patients' families to facilitate social integration and recovery.

Salary:

$70,810

Education:

Graduate programs in speech pathology are offered at the master's and doctoral degree level. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), a master's degree in speech pathology is the most common degree in this field, and it is the minimum requirement for obtaining professional certification and state licensure.

Demands:

Employment of speech-language pathologists is projected to grow 21 percent from 2014 to 2024, much faster than the average for all occupations. As the large baby-boom population grows older, there will be more instances of health conditions that cause speech or language impairments, such as strokes and hearing loss.