What do you do?
I work in paediatrics and see babies and children with sucking/swallowing and communication difficulties.
Why did you choose to work in health?
It is a very exciting and diverse area. There is always new research coming out and lots of learning to be done. I love being around people and I’m passionate about what I do. It is such a rewarding career.
What advice would you give a high school student interested in becoming a Speech Language Therapist?
Keep your options open at school and take subjects you are passionate about. If you like what you are doing, you will do it well.
What's been your most memorable experience on the job?
My most memorable experience was feeding a baby his very first bottle!
What subjects would you recommend taking in high school?
It’s a good idea to take English, maths and biology.
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What's a typical day like for you?
I start work at 7:00am with administrative tasks, like checking emails, collecting referrals and planning my day. I then attend handover meetings to hear how my patients are and find out if there are any new referrals.
During my day, I may assess a baby’s ability to suck, swallow and see how effective they are when offered a bottle or watch a young child eating lunch, to check for any signs of aspiration or swallowing difficulties.
Because I work with children, I often turn my treatments and assessments into play, so I may take children to the playroom to assess their speech. I will also talk to parents about how to provide good models of language to their child and make sure they are able to play a role in their child’s care.
In the afternoons, there are often meetings and I may have some time to look up information about my patients’ conditions before I finish work at 4:00pm.
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