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Speech Pathologist Salary
By an allied health world contributing writer
Published: January 16th, 2010
What is the average salary of a speech language pathologist?
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in May 2006 the median yearly salary for speech pathologists in the United States was $57,710. The average SLP earned between $46,360 and $72,410. Those employed in nursing homes earned by far the highest salaries, averaging $70,180 annually.Learn more about speech pathology license.
Is the job of a speech language pathologist in high demand?
The career outlook is very good for an SLP. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, this profession is expected to grow 11%
between 2006 and 2016. With baby boomers aging, the likelihood of neurological disorders and related speech, language, and swallowing disorders rises. Also, with the continued increase in elementary and secondary school enrollments, there is an increase in special education students who likely need the assistance of a speech pathologist. Those who are trained as bilingual SLPs are in even greater demand. They can earn sometimes triple the salary of a single language SLP because there is such a huge need paired with a shortage of professionals with these skills.
Are there opportunities for advancement in this field?
In this field, there are a variety of opportunities to advance. One way to advance is to gain expertise working with certain populations such as voice patients or children with apraxia, to name a few. After gaining experience the SLP can become board certified in that specialty to increase their credibility in working with these populations, and oftentimes get a pay increase.In addition to specializing in working with a specific population, SLPs can also advance to management positions. They can manage other SLPs, as well as physical therapists and occupational therapists. Of course, with advancement, the job duties shift from clinical work and seeing patients, to administrative duties.
Learn more about speech pathologist jobs.
Another area of advancement would involve teaching speech pathology courses at the college level. Some universities require a PhD in order to teach, and others will accept those with a master’s in speech pathology.