Aaaaaaaand That's a Wrap! Finished with Graduate School

So I've been neglecting my blog the last 6+ months because life got a bit away from me, but I do have a few posts rattling around in my brain that I want to write about!

Possible upcoming posts:

I've graduated, now what?! The CF job search
The overseas SLPeep: How I plan (hope) to get a SLP job in (insert country here)

It's been a roller coaster ride in graduate school and I'm sure the ride will get that much more emotional/exciting/anxiety filled/amazing as a CF!

Wish me luck in the job search!

SummaTime '14 and the slp2b

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?

The Pressure Cooker

And suddenly the semester is finished. There were many times this semester that I thought I wasn't going to make it and that I wasn't cut out to be an SLP. Most of these moments were outside of the therapy room and involved paperwork, but inside of the therapy room, I morphed from a very unsure, anxious-filled student into a more confident, heck-yeah-I-can-do-this clinician. I love doing therapy. I love the fact that I can go in to a session with a plan of action and the ability to modify it on the fly. I love trying to figure out what will help my clients the most and give them support they need while fostering independence.

So, what made this semester so difficult? All of my spare time was devoted to clinic and my clients. My other

ASHA and the end of another semester...

The Fall semester is officially finished and only a few more days of work to go until I am officially on break. What a crazyemotionalbusy semester, it's no wonder I haven't had time to write many posts!

So here are some highlights from this semester:

Clinic 1 almost finished?! How did I survive?

My Top 10 Tips for Surviving Clinic

1. Be prepared to feel like you don’t know what you are doing… because really, you don’t know what you are doing. You are going to make mistakes and that’s okay.

2. This needs to be said again: be okay with #1. Or at least know that you will be okay with #1. We’ve all been there.

And all the C.E.s (clinical educators) have tissues in their offices for emotional breakdowns. Again, we’ve all been there.

3. Research your client’s communication impairment(s) and learn all you can about the etiology, assessment and treatment of their disorder(s). A good place to start is joining speechpathology.com. It is $49 for students for a year membership and it has a wealth of information.

(It’s also a great place to brush up on information from classes you haven’t had in a while or that too briefly covered a topic area. This site can help when you are preparing for your internships or even the praxis. I will definitely be using it for both my internship interviews and praxis study).

Anxious in East Michigan...

So my semester has been off and running for almost 3 weeks now and I am feeling overwhelmed, anxious, and have had a lot of self-doubt creep in. The self-doubt has been there for a while, but has been only a small little voice whispering in my ear... now it's in full shout mode. Part of it has to do with the amount of time I have to commit to my grad assistant position and being able to manage my time effectively. The other part has to do with being in clinic this semester. Clinic is all consuming and I sometimes forget that I have 2 other classes that need my attention too.

I started off this semester feeling excited with only a slight case of nerves... and then I had my first diagnostic session with my (adorable!!) client this past week and it was a slightly chaotic blur where I attempted to take

SLP and the Great Dysphagia Search

It's back to class time and today I start my dysphagia class. Since I am leaning more towards the medical side of SLP, this is a key class and I can't wait to learn more about it. We have to track down a VFSS (videofluoroscopic swallow study) observation site and I've already hit the ground running with about 7 emails sent out so far, phone calls are next.

I saw a VFSS during my post-bacc SLP job shadowing and it was pretty interesting. Too bad I wasn't closer to that observation site or I'd just go back there!

Here's to hoping I can pin down a site... let another search begin! :)

**UPDATE

The above SLP I observed a VFSS with (and who also graduated from EMU) just emailed me a contact who is willing to let me observe! She is a ROCKSTAR!!

Phew! Looking Back Winter '13

Winter semester (otherwise know as the semester of a million group projects) was a busy one! I think the hardest thing this semester has been coordinating everyone's schedules to meet and get things get done.

Favorite things this semester:

Audiometrics -
*Presenting hearing conservation and ear anatomy to a 1st grade class. They were AWESOME!! I loved this experience so much and the kids loved it too.

Aphasia -
*Ummm... pretty much the whole darn class, but if I had to pick a couple of favorites I'd go with the aphasia observation that I did in Royal Oak and the AAC assignment I did at the Apple Store. I can't rave enough about this class. The prof of this class is a great teacher and I've learned a lot in this class. This is definitely emerging as an area of interest. :)

Diagnostics -
*Though scheduling has been a big issue with our clinic diagnostic, I really enjoyed this experience a lot. It was great to finally get some hands-on experience with standardized tests and work with a client!
*My observation at the Autism Collaborative Center - the SLP there is a graduate of EMU's SLP grad program and it was great to observe another alumni from my school out in the field. (First EMU alum I observed was up in the U.P. at Marquette General Hospital for some of my 25 hours of observation for my post-bacc.)

Early Intervention Language Disorders -
*This class has spent a lot of time on the back burner and has felt like a lot of review, but I've enjoyed some

Full Speed Ahead!!

February has been BUSY so far and it doesn't look like it will slow down for a long while yet. Just had my first exam in aphasia and though it was a bit challenging, I think (I hope!!) I rocked it. Will find out for sure on Tuesday. This is definitely my favorite class this semester and I'm learning a lot. I'll have another exam in aphasia at the end of this month... only 2 weeks of lecture on that one!  

Next up is my clinical readiness test (CRT) on Monday, which is a test I need to pass with an 85% or above in order to take clinic this summer. It's offered twice, so if I don't pass it the first time I have a chance to re-take it again next month. Here's to hoping I pass it the first time! I've been studying for it over the past couple of days and have been neglecting studying for my 1st audiometrics exam which is the day after I take the CRT. I will be power cramming for that exam after I take the CRT... can I do it?! I can dooo it! Also this month in audiometrics, I will get to bring in J and practice a hearing screening on him as well as immitance

SLP and the Great Aphasia Search

I'm taking aphasia this semester and it has captured my attention completely. One of our class assignments is to complete an observation of either a treatment session (individual or group) or attend a meeting of an aphasia support group. I love that we have to do this and have begun the process of tracking down SLPs in my general vicinity who work with clients who have aphasia. A great resource I'm starting off with is Find a Professional with ASHA's ProSearch. I've already sent off about 6 emails today and I've heard back from 4 SLPs, though no sites secured as of yet... just one possibility (no patients with aphasia on her caseload atm but keeping my contact info and will let me know if that changes) and a lead from an SLP to a site that she observed at when she took this class (Emich alum!). I still have a bit of time and I can expand my search area, but I'm off to a good start!

First Week - Finished!

It's Tuesday night and I am finished for classes for the week.  Yep, you read that right... I have one class on Mondays, three classes on Tuesday and then I am finished for the week.  Good thing though, is that almost all of my classes have a few outside of class components besides homework and studying for exams.

For my diagnostics class, we are being broken up into pairs and will be matched with a faculty member to perform a diagnostic in our university clinic.  We also have to set up an observation with a local SLP to observe (or participate in - if the SLP is comfortable with that) a speech and language evaluation of either a child or an adult.  For our aphasia class, we have to set up an observation of a treatment session (either individual or group) or attend a meeting of an aphasia support group.  Then for our audiometric disorders class, we are putting together a hearing conservation project, then going out into the community to a class (1st grade classroom or a middle school classroom, etc.) teach them about the anatomy and physiology of the ear, the loudness scale, hair cells damage, and hearing conservation.

There are also a lot more presentations this semester in comparison to last semester... I definitely need practice with public speaking so I am glad we will have many opportunities to do so.  My goal is to not use note cards at all since I tend to over-rely on them.  This semester I'm also going to set up some volunteer hours with the SLP at the Autism Collaborative Center on campus.  It's definitely going to be much busier this semester compared to last!

Overall I am really excited about this semester.  I love that we will go out into the community to observe and to teach.  Going off of first impressions of first days in classes, my favorite so far is diagnostics and aphasia as a close second!
     
Oh! Another cool thing about today - I met someone who also did the Utah State University online post bachelor's in communicative disorders and deaf education!  We overlapped by three semesters so we probably had a class or two together but didn't know each other then.  She's in two of my classes this semester and happened to mention that she attended USU online.  I've only "met" my former classmates online and not in person, so it was great to finally meet someone IRL.  Definitely made my day!

Ready... Set...

I'm excited to get back into the grad school groove, but I have to admit I wouldn't have minded another week off before starting.  I had a great winter break!  I went on road trips to see family in WI and upper MI, I overindulged in lots of delicious food (my mom and J's mom are superb cooks!), and indulged in lots of sleepsleepsleep.  There were also many netflix marathons and of course a lot of time wasted spent on facebook, twitter, and pinterest. A lot of laziness all around!  

And speaking of laziness, after the new year I decided to get more active and participate in the #ASHAFit13 challenge and incorporate other exercises into my daily routine.  I have been so focused on school and studying these past couple of years that I have been completely neglecting my body... and it's starting to show.  I've never been a super active person to begin with, but while living overseas I walked EVERYWHERE... now, it's get into my car and go.  And when I have any down time from school and studying, I have DOWN TIME.

When I saw the #ASHAFit13 challenge on twitter, I became motivated and today was my 6th day of getting my arse into shape.   I've been pretty sore since starting, but once I get moving and I've done a workout I feel AWESOME! I'm glad I started this before I went back to school... I will stay focused.  Exercise is supposed to be good for the mind too!

Now it's back to school time so there will be no more exercise talk on this blog beyond this post.

No more excuses.  

I'm off to my first class of Winter '13 so... ready... set... goooooooo!

source

Looking Back: Fall '12

I survived my first semester as an speech-language pathology graduate student!!  There were a few moments around finals that I wasn't so sure I was going to make it, but I did.  :)

Looking back on my first semester in SLP grad school, I thought I would focus on all the positives and here are all the good things that have come out of going to Eastern Michigan University so far:

-My clinical methods class: I learned so much in that class.  The prof. had many relevant personal examples about working with various clients in different settings.  He really explained things well and helped us analyze our mistakes.  He also gave us many opportunities for "hands on" practice with case studies, videos, and developing goals in small groups collaboratively as well as working individually on our own.  My favorite class this semester and it has made me

Gearing up for Finals...

Remember to breathe...

Breathe in... breathe out...

Deep breaths... deep breaths... 

Oh crap!  I'm hyperventilating!

source

The end is in sight!

The end of my first semester in grad school is in sight!  There's lots to do between now and my last final, but it's good to be almost finished.  A lot of this semester has felt like review, which means that Utah State got me off to a good solid start. 

   

There have been a few unexpected surprises this semester, the biggest being a much longer time in grad school than expected (7 semesters vs the typical 5 semesters of most programs).  The other unexpected surprise is a very unorganized professor (who teaches two of my classes this semester) and her very specifically-vague directions with a dash of inconsistent grading.  Yes, specifically-vague... and sometimes the inconsistent grading was in my favor and other times it was not.  I definitely have higher expectations for grad school professors... but, yeah... moving on.

Next semester should have a bit more new information and I will also one step closer to getting clinic hours.  I can't wait to get into clinic!

All signed up!

Just finished registering for Winter '13!!  Overall, this has been a good semester but I feel like a lot of it has been review with just a little bit of new info thrown into the mix.  This next semester has a bit more meat to it!

-Diagnostic Methods: Assessment of Speech and Language Disorders in Children

-Diagnosis and Treatment of Audiometric Disorders

-Early Intervention for Speech and Language Impaired Children 

-Aphasia

I'm really excited about Aphasia!!

Clinical - It's okay to suck... a 2018 UPDATE :)

Clinic is always on my mind... even though we don't start clinic until our 3rd semester at Eastern, I think about what it will be like to work with a client, in particular a child in an SLP clinic setting.  I have lots of experience working with kids: 5 years teaching English in South Korea, just over 2 years at a daycare, and now at the Children's Institute at Eastern.  I'm sure it will translate at least a little if not a lot into the clinical setting, especially behavior management, but the paperwork, goals, and actual therapy...

These next two semesters are supposed to be preparing us for clinic, we have Clinical Methods in SLP this semester (my favorite class!) and next semester we will be taking Diagnostic methods which seems pretty comprehensive: procedures and routines used in the evaluation of speech and language disorders in children. Emphasis on familiarization with available evaluative tools, interviewing procedures, case analysis, test interpretation and report writing.  I feel I should be well prepared to go into clinic, but... yeah, I think no matter prepared you feel, I'm sure the first time will be nerve-wracking.     

Came across this blog post on tumblr:

It’s okay to suck: a story of my first client.

http://popslp.tumblr.com/post/33100986731/its-okay-to-suck-a-story-of-my-first-client

I just got to remember... it's okay to suck, at least at first.

UPDATE - 01/13/2018... Wow, 2018 already! Such a long journey from this post to where I am now... so the above link to "It's okay to suck: a story of my first client" no longer works and it looks like the post no longer exists so I wanted to say a few words (or more!) about being okay to suck.

From your very first client to your 100th to your 1000th and beyond, you will have times you "suck". This will happen less often as you gain more experience, but I don't think this feeling ever completely goes away. This is not a bad thing because we always need to improve and learn and grow.

No two clients will ever be completely the same. There will be times where you will be hit, spit on, kicked, yelled at, ignored, and you feel like all you are doing is trying to manage behavior. Sometimes just getting a child to even interact with you feels like it's impossible. There will be tears and screams (the clients hopefully and not yours... at least not until you get home!) and times where you feel like you are failing because the progress is so slow or there is regression or... yeah, you will have times that you feel incompetent. It happens to all of us and it's okay.

There are many frustrations in this field (hello redundant mountains of paperwork, never ending meetings, and a few other things), but there are also so many moments of joy. The AHA! moments, the smiles and giggles, the connections you get to make with our clients and if you are lucky, their families as well, all the little and big moments.

Just gotta keep growing and learning...

Ima gonna be in grad school until...

December 2014.

Just had my meeting with my grad advisor about what my entire grad program will entail and how long it will be… 7 semesters total.  So that will be: 3 Fall semesters, 2 Winter semesters, and 2 Summer semesters (Spring/Summer). The most credits I will have in one semester is next semester when I will be taking 12 credits. Fall ‘13 will be 6 credits (but will be spending a lot of time in the campus clinic) and my least amount of credits in a semester. University clinic will be Summer ‘13 and Fall ‘13, my adult placement will be Summer ‘14 and my child placement will be in my last semester, Fall ‘14.  

I like that they don’t throw a bunch of classes at us every semester at Eastern, but man that is a lot of extra time in school I wasn’t counting on. It is nice to know what classes I am taking each semester until I graduate and with the amount of time we will have to focus on our classes, I should definitely be well prepared when I get out!

How long will I be in grad school?

Got a meeting with my advisor on Monday and should be getting all the the inside scoop on what exactly the Eastern Mich SLP grad program will entail.  The big question on my mind right now is whether I will be graduating in August 2014 like I thought or will it be December 2014 like some of my other classmates with an SLP bachelors.  From what I have seen, most programs across the country are 5 semesters.  Eastern is 5~8 semesters depending on whether you are coming in without a comm. dis. undergrad, you have a comm. dis. degree from Eastern or you do have an undergrad in SLP from another school, but you may be lacking in a few important classes.  Since clinic doesn’t start until the 3rd semester at Eastern and I didn’t take a fluency class nor a voice disorders class (like another classmate), it’s looking like I will be at Eastern for 7 semesters.  Will know for sure on Monday…  

Clinic

Many of my former classmates from USU are posting about their clinic requirements and are already seeing clients in their first semester.  From what I’ve read about SLP graduate programs, clinic in the first semester is the norm.  Not at Eastern Michigan.  I won’t start at the university clinic until my 3rd semester and even before I can start, I will have to take and pass the Clinical Readiness Test with a score of at least a 85%.  If I pass and after I complete my university clinic, I will have a choice of either 2 medical externship placements (1 adult, 1 child) OR an adult medical placement and a school OR an adult medical placement and a school placement while pursuing a teaching credential. I like it that we get to ease into it all, but at the same time I am kinda itching to get “my hands dirty.”