Starting Your Career as a New Grad Speechie
Starting your career as a new grad Speechie can be exciting, nerve-wracking, exhilarating, and overwhelming all at once. It’s safe to say that during this time of change and transition it makes a big difference having some idea of what to expect.
As a new graduate or someone considering a career in Speech Pathology, we want to give you an insight into what to expect when starting your career.
Read on to learn from the experience of one of our new grad speechies, Hayley, who has recently joined our Townsville clinic fresh out of university.
What to Expect When Starting Your Career as a New Grad Speechie
#1: You’ll ask A LOT of questions at first
As the saying goes, there’s no such thing as a bad question. When you are first starting your career as a new grad Speechie you’ll find yourself asking A LOT of questions. That’s a good thing!
If you’re in a workplace and team that’s supportive you can rest easy knowing you’ll have plenty of people to look to for guidance, advice, and practical answers to any questions that come to mind.
After all, everyone who is an early career or senior Speech Pathologist has been in your shoes before! They’ll know what it’s like to be a new grad Speechie, and your team will be there to give you a push in the right direction.
#2: You’ll discover opportunities for growth
While you’ve studied long and hard to get to where you are as a new grad Speechie, you can’t expect yourself to know everything! As you begin your new career, you’ll come across plenty of opportunities for growth along the way.
For example, you may have a session in your first few weeks where you’re shadowing a clinician working with a client that uses a PODD book (a form of augmentative and alternative communication). This type of AAC may be completely new to you, and it’s an area that you can pursue continued professional development in if it interests you.
At SpeechEase we value professional development highly, and that’s why we offer all of our team members (including new grads!) the opportunity to take part in paid professional courses including PODD and Alternate Access.
#3: Your role may be more diverse than you thought
After choosing the area of Speech Pathology that you’d like to pursue straight out of university, you might just find that it’s a lot more diverse than you originally thought.
For example, when Hayley joined our Townsville team as a new grad Speechie she didn’t know that private practices also offer external appointments. This means our team members can go and visit clients at school, at home, or within the community.
In Hayley’s view this diversity of appointment setting is a huge bonus! She enjoys the ability to change things up and deliver therapy in a whole new way.
#4: You’ll get good at adapting to new situations
As someone starting a career as a new grad Speechie you are sure to find yourself in brand new situations and scenarios over the course of your first year of employment. This is a good thing!
Whether it be a client session, clinic team meeting, group therapy session, supervision, or shadowing opportunity, you’ll find yourself in new situations that will keep you on your toes.
Throughout this you’ll develop a skill for adapting to new situations, and over time your skills as a clinician and professional will grow.
#5: You’ll feel out of your comfort zone sometimes
While starting a career as a new grad Speechie is incredibly exciting and rewarding, it’s natural to feel out of your comfort zone at times.
This is where it’s useful to seek support from your teammates, your manager, and potentially, a mentor. If you ever get overwhelmed by all the newness, know that there are others who’ve been in your shoes that can help guide you in your new career.
Are you excited about starting out your career as a New Grad speechie? To help you finish your studies strong take some time to read our 10 best tips for SLP students.
