Lack of Speech Language Pathologist’s. What Can We Do?

Currently in the United States, there has been a lack of Speech Language Pathologists. Specifically in the school system, children are not able to receive the extra help needed to thrive. As communication challenges continue to arise, so does the need for SLP’s. What can we do?

Why is There a Lack of SLP’s?

According to ASHA (American Speech-Language-Hearing Association), the profession of Speech Language Pathology is projected to grow by 19% from 2022–2032. This is caused by several reasons, one being that several SLP’s will be retiring in the current and upcoming years. There will be a mass shortage of SLP’s until employers are able to attract graduate students, or SLP’s looking for a different environment to work in.

The shortage is also due in part because of the shortage of graduate programs. Partially related to this issue, I personally had no idea this was even a profession to go into. I had no idea what I wanted to study, so I got help from a career counselor that had me take a career and personality test. That’s when I found out that Speech Language Pathology was ranked as my first profession I could go into according to my personal interests! After looking thoroughly into the profession, I realized this is what I wanted to do. When I took initiative in looking for schools with my program, it was extremely hard. With the increase in communication issues, there needs to be an increase in SLP’s. We can’t have a wider profession without extra grad programs.

What Can We Do?

With the shortage of SLP’s, we need to come up with ways to prevent an even bigger gap before communication issues continue to increase, so what can we do?

1. Advocate for more graduate programs. As I have stated previously, there is a lack of graduate programs available to those who desire to, or aren’t even aware of the profession. With the increase of awareness and the impact of more graduate programs, we can achieve our goal of lessening the need for SLP’s, and giving those in need a fair chance at reaching their potential.
2. Improving professional development. Employers can aid in giving SLP’s more advanced training more often. As many will be retiring in the coming years, there will be fresh graduate students taking over in these environments. This means that they may not be as experienced, so they need a little help. With the addition of professional trainings, we can help future SLP’s achieve their full
3. Improving benefits and compensation. Depending on the environment that an SLP may work in, they may not receive the benefits that others do. A huge area where this occurs is within the school system. School professionals tend to not make as much compared to other professions. In order to make the profession more appealing, employers can start with a signing bonus, an increase in salary, paid vacation time off, or other systems.

Reflections

As a future aspiring SLP, I find it extremely amazing that the need for SLP’s has been increasing because it would be easier to get a job, but at the same time I want those individuals to have someone that specializes in what they need now. With the increase of graduate programs, increase in benefits, and professional development, we can make a huge difference in the lives that are still waiting.

Want To Learn More?

Editing Essential Skills of a Speech Language Pathologist — Medium

Editing What is Trending as a Speech Language Pathologist? — Medium

Resources

Supply and Demand Resource List for Speech-Language Pathologists. (n.d.). https://www.asha.org/siteassets/surveys/supply-demand-slp.pdf

Denny, N. (2024, May 9). Behind the SLP Shortage: Meeting Speech Pathologist Demand. CareerStaff Unlimited. https://www.careerstaff.com/healthcare-staffing-blog/healthcare-staffing/slp-shortage-meeting-speech-pathologist-demand/

‌Squires, K. (2013). Addressing the Shortage of Speech-Language Pathologists in School Settings. Journal of the American Academy of Special Education Professionals. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1135588

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