Two posts in one day?! I figured that making it through my clinical practicum deserved it's own post and that this one would be more of what's coming next.
So what does the summer have in store for this slp2b?
-For the first time since I started grad school, I will not be working. April 28th is my last day and I will be sad to say goodbye to my awesome co-workers and my adorable toddlers! I love my job at the Children's Institute and have really enjoyed being a G.A. there, but I am looking forward to just focusing on school, especially on my internship.
-Speaking of my internship, on May 5th I will be starting my first internship which will be at DMC Children's Hospital in the department of Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology in Detroit, MI. I will mostly be working with an outpatient therapist for 2 days a week for 16 weeks. I've been told that I will have an opportunity to observe with the cleft palate and cranial facial team, as well as, spend some time with the inpatient therapist and an SLP who works exclusively with AAC. I'm excited and will be learning a lot at this dynamic placement. It will be a steep learning curve and will definitely help me to continue to develop my professional skills. My supervisor sounds like she will be tough and will have high expectations, but I would not expect anything less!
I will have a lot of studying to do before I start, especially in the areas of pediatric dysphagia and motor speech disorders. Both of these classes are only 6 weeks each at EMU and mostly focused on the adult population. I've signed up for several speechpathology.com courses to help me review and have already spent a day becoming more familiar with the 4 standardized tests my supervisor suggested I look at before starting my placement. I will be reviewing and studying before I start, but it's not until I get the hands-on experience that I will really be learning.
-And then there's the Praxis. I've signed up to take the Praxis on August 16th. Since I will be at my internship 2 days a week with some outside research/studying and I won't be working this summer, I will have plenty of time to prepare for the Praxis. I am hoping to combine some individual studying with studying with a group... I can doooo it! I just have to buckle down and stick to a study schedule.
My summer will be full, but it will be a nice balance of school, internship, praxis prep, and just enjoying life.
Hi! I've followed your blog and hope that you did great on the Praxis. I live in SE Michigan and am currently taking classes online through USU to get my second bachelors. I'm still trying to figure out what I want to do for grad school and am very interested in learning more about Eastern Michigan's program. Would you be willing to answer a few questions for me? Thanks in advance!
ReplyDeleteHi! I am very happy to report that I passed the Praxis! Definitely feel free to ask questions... if you would like to put your email in a comment, I will contact you directly (I won't publish your comment with your email in it... all comments are moderated).
ReplyDeleteHi there~
ReplyDeleteI've actually only just stumbled on to your blog so I haven't read much yet but so far I'm really interested. To be honest, I'm working on applying to this very program at EMU. I'm just writing the personal statement now.
It's a little jarring though seeing what you've said about anxiety and self-doubt throughout your experiences because I know that's going to be me without a doubt. I almost feel like I've got a crystal ball here. Still, I'm up for it. (Actually, my BA was not in SLP so I need the third year to catch up. Do you happen to know anything about it?).
Anyway, if it's alright I'll probably end up asking you a bunch things. :)
Hope you're well,
-L
Hi L!
ReplyDeleteIt's a roller coaster ride for sure, but definitely worth it! I graduate in just over a week and I'm currently looking for my first job. I'm sure I will have many anxiety filled moments of self-doubt, but I also know that as my clinical competence grows, so will my confidence!
I did get my post-bacc in slp before applying to EMU, but I can tell you a bit about taking pre-reqs. If you have a bachelor's in slp already, the program is 7 semesters. If you don't, then it's 8 semesters, so really it's just one extra semester difference.
Please feel free to send me your email address in a comment (all comments are moderated so I will delete it instead of posting it) if you have any more questions and I will contact you directly. :)