West Virginia Speech Language Pathology Schools - WV
The type of industry in which a speech language pathologist practices affects their earnings. A great number of speech therapists are concentrated in school settings. (According to US Labor Statistics, the number is more than 50%.) Speech language pathologists are also employed by government agencies, long-term care and nursing home facilities, as well as hospitals and private practitioner offices. The Occupational Outlook Handbook, produced by the US Department of Labor, lists nursing care facilities as paying the highest wages to speech therapist with the median annual salary nationally at $70,000.
In West Virginia in 2008 the West Virginia Workforce organization, which researches, analyzes and compiles occupational data for the state reported that 90% of employed speech therapists in West Virginia earned approximately $74,000. However, there was no breakdown of the industries in which speech therapists are employed in the state.
Speech Language Pathologist Education in West Virginia
To be a practicing speech therapist you will need to achieve a bachelors degree or higher. Many employers desire speech therapists to possess a doctorate. Continuing education, professional credentials and published, scholarly research papers are also the norm and expected for speech language pathologists.
Training for a speech therapist must be accomplished at an accredited four year university or college with courses in English, mathematics, writing and research as well as the biological sciences. Additional studies in foreign languages, phonetics, and linguistics is also suggested. Necessary topics should also include voice disorders and articulation, planning and administration of patient clinical therapy, and motor speech. Speech pathology schools in West Virginia are designed around fulfilling all these didactic and clinical requirements.
The National Student Speech Language Hearing Association (NSSLHA) which is affiliated with the national, professional organization, the American Speech Language Hearing Association is an organization for “pre-professional�? individuals who wish to study communication disorders, the causes and the therapies. (www.nsslha.org)