Exploring the Career Opportunities for Speech Therapists: Where Can They Work?

After graduating with a Masters degree in Speech-Language Pathology or Communication Sciences and Disorders, a speech therapist can choose a variety of settings to start their career. Some settings including:

• Education (e.g. early intervention, preschools, K-12 public schools, private/charter schools)
• Colleges/Universities (e.g. teaching, research, clinical supervision)
• Health Care (e.g. hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, home health, outpatient services)
• Private Practices (e.g. general or specialty practices)
• Corporate (e.g. provide services for a company - assessments, training, etc.)
• Government Agencies (e.g. local/state/federal, public health departments, uniformed services)

The top 3 most common settings speech therapists work are:

1. Schools - 53%
2. Health Care - 39%
3. Private practice - 19%



Many speech therapists work in multiple settings at a time. For example, in the beginning of my career I worked at an elementary public school during the day and was per diem at a skilled nursing facility in the afternoons. Other speech therapists might see private clients on the weekends after working at an inpatient hospital setting during the week.

Being a speech therapist allows them to make a difference in their community, specialize in a variety of areas, integrate their passions, grow in understanding, and teach others.

Resources:

ASHA. (2023). Employment settings for SLPS. American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. https://www.asha.org/students/employment-settings-for-slps/