By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    physical health
    5 Ways Playing Games Can Improve Neural and Physical Health
    September 9, 2022
    Reasons For Hair Loss and Its Treatment
    Reasons For Hair Loss and Its Treatment
    February 16, 2022
    healthcare organization
    5 Actionable Strategies For Healthcare Organizations
    August 15, 2022
    Latest News
    Grounded Healing: A Natural Ally for Sustainable Healthcare Systems
    May 16, 2025
    Learn how to Renew your Medical Card in West Virginia
    May 16, 2025
    Choosing the Right Supplement Manufacturer for Your Brand
    May 1, 2025
    Engineering Temporary Hospitals for Extreme Weather
    April 24, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    email marketing in healthcare
    Harnessing the Power of Email Marketing in Healthcare
    October 26, 2023
    healthcare claims
    The Role of Communication in Resolving Complex Workers’ Compensation Claims in Healthcare Settings
    September 22, 2024
    Wounds and Wisdom: What Motorcycle Accidents Teach Us About Health and Healing
    Wounds and Wisdom: What Motorcycle Accidents Teach Us About Health and Healing
    February 12, 2025
    Latest News
    Building Smarter Care Teams: Aligning Roles, Structure, and Clinical Expertise
    May 18, 2025
    The Critical Role of Healthcare in Personal Injury Recovery: A Comprehensive Guide for Victims
    May 14, 2025
    The Backbone of Successful Trials: Clinical Data Management
    April 28, 2025
    Advancing Your Healthcare Career through Education and Specialization
    April 16, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Demand For SLP Services Grows, Turns To High Tech Training
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > eHealth > Demand For SLP Services Grows, Turns To High Tech Training
eHealth

Demand For SLP Services Grows, Turns To High Tech Training

Larry Alton
Last updated: November 28, 2018 8:27 am
Larry Alton
Share
6 Min Read
Demand For SLP Services Grows, Turns To High Tech Training
SHARE

 

Contents
Educating SLPsThe Importance Of InterventionDesperately Seeking Solutions

If your practice provides or regularly refers out for speech language pathology (SLP) services, you’ve likely noticed that there’s a shortage of providers and a growing client base. Of course, SLPs aren’t the only providers with long wait lists – there are plenty of specialties where patients wait months to get in – but SLPs are part of one of the fastest growing industries in the United States, with projected 18% job growth through 2026. But how can healthcare and education programs, both of which rely heavily on SLPs, meet this demand?

In order to bridge the employment gap between available SLPs and the number of jobs, training programs are turning to a modern approach: online education. Just as many other healthcare professions, like medical assisting, have turned to online educational resources, SLPs are bound for the digital schoolhouse to prepare for the workplace.

Educating SLPs

Despite the name of the field, SLPs treat more than just speech disorders. They also treat feeding and swallowing complications, common in premature infants, older patients who have suffered strokes, and children with oral aversions. To prepare for these many and varied interventions, SLPs need to complete a Masters degree and a clinical internship or fellowship. They also need to pass the national Speech Language Pathology Exam and receive appropriate state licensure.

More Read

Image
The Power of Simplicity in mHealth
Doctor Busted For Patient Information Inadvertently Exposed on Facebook
What’s Next for Wearable Technology and What It Means for Health Data
The Rise of the Healthcare App Industry
Doc Punished For Treating Patients Via Skype: What to Make of It?

SLP programs can be completed either online or in person, but online programs are generally more affordable, and in either case, most students will rely on some high-tech tools to master the necessary skills. In particular, since SLPs need to learn a variety of oral exercises for speech and swallowing, most record the proper form to use when practicing. Using a Video Audio Learning Tool (VALT) to record and organize clinical skills allows SLPs in training to study the exercises needed to complete coursework and review them in advance of certification exams.

The Importance Of Intervention

Preparing SLPs for the workplace isn’t just about filling jobs or reducing the length of waitlists; their services are often urgent. Children with speech delays, such as those caused by autism, can fall even further behind their peers when they can’t access SLP services, and in other children, SLPs are the first professionals to diagnose autism. Additionally, even in autistic children who may not be capable of speech, SLP services can help teach alternative communication methods, such as the use of a picture exchange communication system (PECS) or an augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) device.

Another area in which access to SLP services is vital is in the NICU. Premature infants and those with birth defects may require SLP intervention to learn to feed properly and prevent aspiration of fluids. At present, a growing number of NICU programs are training nurses to identify potential feeding problems based on a feeding skills checklist, but NICU nurses have dozens of other tasks to attend to and aren’t specialists in the area. Greater access to SLP services can help prevent long-term feeding tube use, reduce cases of pneumonia from feeding problems, and minimize the likelihood of a serious oral aversion, which can require years of intervention.

Finally, SLPs also work with older adults who have been in accidents, had strokes, or experienced other injuries that impair speech and swallowing. Without these services, adults can experience many of the same problems as children with speech and swallowing problems, yet their needs are rarely considered when we think about the lack of SLPs available.

Desperately Seeking Solutions

Even with supplemental digital resources and access to online Masters degrees, healthcare providers and school systems are desperately seeking solutions to the SLP shortage. Until recently, for example, Indiana schools were authorized to hire people who had completed an undergraduate SLP program and had been accepted into a Masters program to provide services in order to cope with the shortage. Unfortunately, that emergency hiring authorization has expired and without it, Indiana can’t meet the needs of its students. One-fifth of special education students in the state require SLP services, but because schools pay less than nursing facilities and other SLP jobs, this emergency permit program is often the only way to reach sufficient staffing levels.

Indiana is hardly alone in its struggle to meet the demand for SLPs in schools and healthcare facilities, and more states will likely need to develop alternative pathways to certification or new incentives in order to serve the local community. With adequate access to SLPs, large populations can suffer. Lack of SLPs isn’t just about the inability to correct a lisp or a stutter. Early intervention can determine which children eat by mouth or learn to communicate in any way. Training more SLPs must be a top priority.

Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

Clinical Expertise
Building Smarter Care Teams: Aligning Roles, Structure, and Clinical Expertise
Health care
May 18, 2025
Grounded Healing: A Natural Ally for Sustainable Healthcare Systems
Grounded Healing: A Natural Ally for Sustainable Healthcare Systems
Health
May 15, 2025
Learn how to Renew your Medical Card in West Virginia
Learn how to Renew your Medical Card in West Virginia
Health
May 15, 2025
Dr. Klaus Rentrop Shares Acute Myocardial Infarction heart treatment
Dr. Klaus Rentrop Shares Acute Myocardial Infarction
Cardiology
May 13, 2025

You Might also Like

A Message To Our Bloggers

September 27, 2011

Apps for Heart Attack and Stroke Prevention

April 7, 2012

Can We Manage a Democratized Healthcare Technology?

May 21, 2012
Artificial IntelligenceBusinesseHealthMedical InnovationsTechnology

How Could AI Help Your Practice Evolve?

April 4, 2018
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?