Second Year as an MSCD Student..

It's been about 8 months since my last post, so I apologize for my lack of input!  Since April, a lot has changed in my academic and work life.  This past summer consisted of two classes and my first clinical (taken at Stockton's Speech & Hearing Clinic).  Over the summer, I was able to take my first elective.  I chose "School Programs in Speech-Language Pathology" and this was extremely helpful because of what I had in store for the fall.  This class, taught by Dr. Hernandez, provided the students with insight into everything an SLP needs to know while working in a school from creating a schedule with a full caseload to writing an IEP.  The second class, and the only required class for the summer, was Audiology.  Lastly, I completed my first clinical at Stockton's Clinic.  Including my undergraduate career, this was my second clinical completed at Stockton's Clinic where I was providing therapy.  It was a great experience and I was fortunate enough to be able to work with an adult and a child, which was great for my resume.

In September of 2014, I began working as a speech therapist at Middle Township Elementary #1 School while completing my fall semester.  I work full time, five days a week, and am extremely lucky to have an SLP within the district agree to supervise me.  This means that while being a Middle Twp employee, I am also completing clinical hours.  I am able to count my supervised treatment and diagnostic hours towards the required 400 hours needed for a Master's Degree.  I love my job and I have learned so much from the exposure, my colleagues, and my supervisor.  Being part of a Child Study Team is rewarding and I feel as though I am able to have a positive impact on the lives of the children I am treating.  I look forward to work and seeing the kids I have in therapy everyday!

The classes I am taking now are my favorite classes I have taken thus far in the program.  This fall I am taking Motor Speech Disorders, Dysphasia, and Research Methods in Communication Disorders. I absolutely love my classes this semester because the fields we are learning about in these classes is where I want to be when I graduate.  I would love to work in a hospital or rehabilitation setting.  If you have any desire to work in a medical based setting, this semester will be your favorite.

What I can say about this year so far is that it is completely different than last year.  Although I have a lot more on my plate, I can confidently say that I am much less stressed than I was last year.  I've learned to not stress too much about school work because I always get it done.  I have learned so much from my Clinic I&II and my job as a Speech-Language Specialist has taught me better organization skills and that being conscientious is very important.

I am looking forward to the hours of treatment and diagnosis at my clinical placement/job.  I learn something new every day.  I am particularly excited for the summer when I will be completing my Adult and final clinical practicum at a Rehabilitation Hospital.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful and productive fall semester!

- Kaitlyn