The ASHA Leader - February 2015 - 44

Stepping Out

Of YOur ZOne

I

graduated from college with an
economics degree and promptly started
a job at a children's book publisher in
New York. A year or so later, rather
disillusioned with the romance of
starting out in a big city-making ends
meet was hard-and the realization
that my job involved no actual children,
I started perusing career books. The
career possibilities that most appealed to
me were librarian, reading specialist, occupational
therapist and speech-language pathologist.
I chose speech-language pathology because it
encompassed a lot of my interests, involved fewer
"messy" life skills than occupational therapy, and
provided lots and lots of flexibility. Although I knew
I wanted to work in pediatrics, I liked that there
would be the option to move to different settings,
different populations and even different ages if I
chose. How many professions can offer that?!
The reality, though, is that as we start our careers
in one area, we tend to become more entrenched
with each passing year. It's as if we pigeonhole
ourselves with our own expertise.
It doesn't need to be this way. The field we love
continues to hold a wealth of opportunities that we
can grab hold of again-even if it's been years since
we opened a text on voice disorders or worked with
an adult struggling with fluency.
The big question is-where to begin? How do you
go about honing your skills in a less-familiar area
or delving into a completely different sub-specialty
while maintaining high-quality and ethical services?

The good news is that not only can you learn new
skills, but you're better equipped to both learn and
master them than you were in graduate school.

Change up your learning
I recently asked seasoned SLPs and audiologists on
social media how they develop their clinical skills.
Nearly all list "reading books and articles" as a
primary learning resource. SLP Pam Marshalla, a
Mill Creek, Washington, private practitioner who
focuses on articulation, phonology and oral motor
techniques, advises that we look "beyond our own
field and stretch-reading neurology, anatomy,
psychology and child development sources."
Audiologist Kathleen Peterson, clinical assistant
professor at Arizona State University in Tempe,
elaborates: "My method for learning new skills or
honing old ones is to find a continuing education
course in that area. If that is not possible, then I
contact a professional who is considered an expert
in that area and ask for a reading list. If that is not
possible, I look to the journals and newly published
textbooks."
Looking back on your grad school habits and
realizing long, uninterrupted study sessions are no
longer possible? No worries. Learning doesn't have
to happen in traditional ways. In fact, research
summarized in a recent book suggests that many
effective learning techniques fit well into a busy
adult's lifestyle, whether that involves juggling a
full-time job or staying at home with young ones.
In "How We Learn: The Surprising Truth About
When, Where and Why It Happens," Benedict

The field we love continues to hold a wealth of opportunities that we
can grab hold of again-even if it's been years since we opened a text on voice
disorders or worked with an adult struggling with fluency.

44

February 2015 |

THe aSHa Le aDer
The ASHA Leader - February 2015

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