Career as a Speech Therapist

By the word speech, it is clear that something related to voice or communication. The term speech therapy means to apply therapy on the individuals suffering from speech disorders.

Speech therapists (a.k.a. speech and language therapists) work with patients across multiple age groups to facilitate the treatment of speech and language disorders, such as stammers, stutters, Tourettes and mutism.

Speech and language therapists diagnose and treat people of all ages with speech, language and communication difficulties. Working with other professionals in multidisciplinary teams, the therapist works closely with patients and their families to establish a treatment programme to help each patient communicate as effectively as possible.

Job Profiles

Ø  Audiologists

Ø  Certified Hearing-aid Audiologist

Ø  Clinical Speech Pathology Assistants

Ø  Educational Audiologist

Ø  General Audiology or Speech Pathology Assistants

Ø  Research Assistants

Ø  Research Audiologist

Ø  Speech Pathology Service Manager

Ø  Speech Therapists

Ø  Language Specialist

Eligibility

Students can take admission in bachelor courses after clearing higher secondary examination in PCB group from a well-recognized educational board with 55% marks.

Courses

Diploma

Ø  Diploma in Hearing, Language & Speech (DHLS)

Ø  Diploma in Hearing Aid and Earmould Technology (DHAET)

Ø  Post Graduate Certificate Course in Auditory Verbal Therapy (PGCAVT)

Bachelor

Ø  B.Sc. in Speech and Hearing

Ø  Bachelor of Audiology & Speech Language Pathology (BASLP)

Masters

Ø  Master of Audiology & Speech Language Pathology (MASLP)

Ø  M.Sc. in Speech and Language Therapy

Ø  M.Sc. in Audiology

Ø  M.Sc. in Speech Language Pathology

Doctoral Course

Ø  PhD (Audiology)

Ø  PhD (Speech-Language Pathology)

Admission Criteria

Most of the colleges admit students to bachelor and master courses on the basis of entrance test which is a NEET. Many Institutions/Universities conduct their own entrance test for offering admission like All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education & Research, Jawaharlal Institute Postgraduate Medical Education & Research (JIPMER) and many others. Admission process varies from college to college. Some institutions provide admission based on the marks students scored in the qualifying examination.

Subject/Syllabus

Ø  Introduction to Speech and Language Pathology

Ø  Introduction to Pathology

Ø  Fluency and its Disorders

Ø  Adult Neuro-Communication Disorders

Ø  Psychology related to Hearing

Ø  Childhood Communication Disorders

Ø  Diagnostic Audiology

Ø  Articulation and Phonological Disorders

Ø  Otorhinolaryngology

Ø  Educational Audiology

Ø  Noise Measurement and Hearing Conservation

Ø  Pediatric Audiology

Ø  Assistive Device for the Hearing Impaired

Some Institutes/Colleges/Universities

Ø  Ali Yavar Jung National Institute for the Hearing Handicapped, Mumbai

Ø  All India Institute of Speech and Hearing, Mysore University, Mysore

Ø  Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh

Ø  All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi

Ø  J.M Institute of Speech & Hearing, Inderpuri, Keshrinagar,

Ø  Patna Institute of Speech & Hearing , Patna

Ø  Kasturba Gandhi Medical College, Manipal

Ø  JSS Institute of Speech & Hearing, Mysore

Ø  Sri Ram Chandra Bhanj Medical College and Hospital (SCBMCH), Cuttak

Cost of the Course

The average course fee in India ranges between ₹ 20,000 and ₹ 4,00,000, varying across institutes.

Careers Prospects

Helping individuals cope with limitations is very rewarding and job opportunities in this field are rising. Speech and hearing limitations are no longer ignored, resulting in high need for speech therapists. You can work in a hospital, school, social welfare department or NGOs. Salaries vary and working abroad is a strong possibility too.

A large part of the human population suffers from speech and hearing impairments. Such population needs specialists who can cure them or improve their abilities. It is here that the employment opportunities lie for the Speech Therapists. With growing awareness among the Indian people about the physically challenged people the job opportunities for speech therapist are on the rise. People now do not ignore speech defects; rather they want to correct them. Therefore speech therapists are in great demand in India. They can be appointed as practitioners in hospitals, teachers in institutions, they can be hired by social welfare departments of governmental as well as non-governmental organizations. The West has always been more liberal and has had a more liberal approach towards people with physical handicap. Along with speech therapists, speech language pathologists also find jobs in the west. In addition to defective speech, they also deal with the problems of cognition of speech, swallowing and other such related problems

Employment Sector

Ø  Health Care Institutions

Ø  Government Agencies

Ø  Government Health Departments

Ø  Hospitals

Ø  Nursing Care Facilities

Ø  Rehabilitation Centres

Ø  Private Practice

Ø  Academic Universities

Ø  Hearing Aid / Cochlear Implant Industries

Ø  Medical Hospitals/Clinics

Ø  Special Schools

Income

In India, Speech therapist earns the salary of around ₹ 2.5 to 3 lacs per annum. With the years of experience, salary increases. Private hospitals offer better salary as compared to government hospital. Your remuneration will depend upon job title and organization you are working for.