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What is Speech Language Therapy?

Speech Language Therapy is a profession that specialises in human communication and feeding/swallowing. Speech Language Therapists are involved in the assessment and diagnosis of communication and feeding difficulties in adults and children. They are also involved with treatment and/or long term management of these difficulties.

FAQs

NZSTA Code of Ethics

The best way of explaining what Speech Language Therapists do is probably to have a look at some of the many and varied cases and employment places that Speech Language Therapists are involved with. Here are a number of profiles of a "day in the life of" different Speech Language Therapists.

http://www.careers.govt.nz/default.aspx?id0=50103&id1=J35412

Karen McLellan, MSLTPrac graduate and the inaugural University of Auckland recipient of the NZSTA Student Achievement Award

Karen McLellan (who was the inaugural University of Auckland recipient of the Student Achievement Award) is now working at Waikato Hospital. She is grateful to NZSTA for this award which acknowledges her academic achievement, clinical skills and extra-curricular activities, while contributing to the university and the community. She has reflected on her two years as a Masters of Speech Language Therapy Practice student at the university.
Where do I start when writing about the MSLTPrac course? How can I condense into a few paragraphs the two years of my life in which I have worked the hardest and grown the most? Here are some thoughts…
The MSLTPrac course was formidable. I thoroughly enjoyed it… although I might have enjoyed it more had there been a bit less of it. There were many moments of sheer panic – when there were more assignments to complete than there were hours in the day; when I was expected to ‘run’ a paediatric SLT session in my third week in the course; when I still didn’t have ethics approval for my research project in August (and the completed project was due in three months later); and when my adult patient slept the whole way through my final practical exam. But, with the exception of the occasional lecture, I was never bored.
The support of my lecturers, tutors, and classmates was fantastic. While I was working extremely long hours it was some consolation to know that my classmates and the staff were working just as hard. Somehow it worked out for us all in the end and graduation day was very special.
An essential part of the MSLTPrac course is the research project, and for me this was one of the highlights. I loved having the opportunity to read about aphasia and psycholinguistics and to conduct original research in that field. My results were exciting and I am looking forward to extending my research this year.
I am now in my first job, at Waikato Hospital. I work in all the hospital wards and see outpatients, which is good for variety. I travel to Thames Hospital one day a week (about a one and a half-hour drive away), which gives me good experience at working independently. I am learning a lot from all the members of the multidisciplinary team and the medical staff, but there are many challenges in my job. Sometimes I get tired of being “the new grad”. I just want to be experienced, now! I’m sure that will get better though – if there is one thing MSLTPrac taught me, it’s how to rise to a challenge.

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Undergraduate courses relevant for MSLTPrac

For a list of course relevant courses click here

University of Auckland Scholarships for MSLT

Undergraduate Courses Relevant to Speech Science

Application Forms

Application Form for 2010 Entry
Reference Form for 2010 Entry
Police Check Form

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Suggested reading

Updated: January 28, 2010