Speech pathologist: career information
What is a speech pathologist?
A speech pathologist diagnoses, treats and provides management services to people with communication disorders including language, voice fluency and literacy difficulties.
Speech pathologists can also assist people who experience difficulty eating and/or swallowing.
What does a speech pathologist do?
A speech pathologist works with patients to:
- diagnose communication problems and identify suitable equipment and methods to assist patients
- treat children who are unable to communicate properly due to physical issues such as cleft palate, hearing loss or cerebral palsy
- treat adults experiencing language difficulty due to illness, injury or surgery
- assess and treat people experiencing issues with eating due to chewing and/or swallowing
What pathways will enable me to become a speech pathologist?
What other jobs can a career in speech pathology lead to?
With additional education and training, speech pathologists can expand their careers into areas such as:
- audiology
- occupational therapy
- physiotherapy
- rehabilitation counselling
How can I gain employment as a speech pathologist?
To be recognised as a qualified speech pathologist you must complete a Bachelor Degree of Science (Human Communication), a Bachelor of Science (Speech Pathology), or a Bachelor of Speech Pathology.
These are 4 year courses that are available through Curtin, Edith Cowan and UWA Universities.
To enrol in these courses you are required to have completed Year 12 or equivalent. Mature-aged students can enrol through a STAT exam.
Additional information
The Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations provides programs, training and support for Indigenous students.
Curtin’s Gunada Centre for Aboriginal Studies located in Bentley, Perth can be contacted on (08) 9266 7091 or go to www.gunada.curtin.edu.au
Edith Cowan’s Kurongkurl Katitjin School
of Indigenous Australian Studies can be
contacted on (08) 9780 7710 or go to
www.kk.ecu.edu.au/future/isit.html
UWA’s School of Indigenous Studies can be contacted on (08) 6488 1100 or go to www.sis.uwa.edu.au
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