By Talia Weintraub
UShadow has
provided me with an enlightening experience in my continuing search for a
profession that best suits my interests. I have been considering many possible
careers paths, such as that of a nurse practitioner, a speech-language
pathologist, and an industrial organizational psychologist. When I learned
about the UShadow program offered by the Toppel Career Center as a chance to
obtain a deeper understanding of one of these careers, I jumped at the chance.
I was assigned to shadow a speech-language pathologist from the University of
Miami Hospital. A speech-language pathologist, in short, is a highly-trained
professional who evaluates and treats children and adults who have difficulty
with speech, language, or swallowing. I really benefited from my UShadow
experience and highly recommend the program for any student interested in
learning more about a particular profession. Applying to the UShadow Program
can help students gain a better grasp of what their career of interest may
entail.
I
started my day of shadowing at 8:30am in the Mailman Center at the University
of Miami Hospital, where I met the speech pathologist I would be shadowing for
the day. We briefly discussed her type of work as we waited for her first
patient of the day, expected at 9:00am. The patient was a young boy of about 10
years of age needing an evaluation for potential speech problems. I observed
the evaluation and watched the speech-language pathologist at work with the child,
flipping through booklets and asking the child to answer questions about and
describe what was occurring in a variety of pictures.
After
the child left with his parents, my UShadow host took the time to answer all of
my questions about the field of speech-language pathology, such as why she selected
this type of work, opportunities for higher earnings in this field, the
possibility of running your own business, and what opportunities exist for
part-time work.
I am quite
thankful for the UShadow Experience organized by the Toppel Career Center, as the knowledge
gained from my one-on-one time conversing with the speech pathologist could not
be matched by any article, blog, or video posted online about the field of
speech pathology. Shadowing a speech-language pathologist has helped me
to realize that I would like a career that involves a bit more physical
activity and more potential for higher earnings. A career as either a nurse
practitioner or a nurse anesthetist would be a better fit, and I would still
have the option of working with patients in a hospital setting. I highly
encourage anyone who is curious to learn more about potential career paths to
take advantage of this opportunity. Through the program, I have gained a
unique, insightful perspective that has helped me figure out my desired
lifestyle and professional ambitions.
1 comment:
Nice post thhanks for sharing
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