How Accurately Do Grades Affect Your Abilities to Succeed in the Field of Speech-Language, Essay Example

A speech-language pathologist is a professional who should possess the knowledge of both linguistics and medicine as well as be a good teacher for young children. Each of the three components can constitute a separate profession, but a speech-language pathologist should master all of them to the point of excellence. The job is among the most responsible ones. It is within the powers of a speech-language pathologist to restore one of the key human abilities – the ability to use language and to open so many doors for a child or to deprive him or her of access to many careers and leave the mark of ‘having special needs’ on the person. The success in the job largely depends on the correctness and timeliness of diagnosis and on effective teaching.

It is natural, therefore, that speech-language pathologists are expected to study hard and to do proper internship before starting to practice. The overwhelming majority of educational institutions require speech-language specialist to have a master’s degree and supervised clinical experience (a minimum 350 hours) as well as post graduate experience. These are the crucial elements which entitle a young professional to obtain the Certificate of Clinical Competence from the American Speech Language Hearing Association. Some universities establish grade ‘B’ in practicum courses as the required minimum.

I believe that the strictness of requirements is completely justified, especially in the view of the increasing demand for speech-language pathologist. The grade one earns in a practical course is a good indicator of how well an individual has acquired the theory and how he or she is going to perform later. The grades one earns in the course of study can be viewed as signs of career prospects of a speech-language pathologist and they should be given serious consideration by the students because the signs are harmless and can warn one. It would be disastrous if one ignores possible warnings and proceeds to harm children. A doctor and a teacher should first of all be honest to oneself.