Speech Therapy
Duration
2 years
Entry
Graduate
Scope of practice
NZ & Global
Cohort size
24
Speech Therapy
The Master of Speech-Language Therapy Practice is a two-year programme that will prepare you to become a speech language therapist. Speech language therapists are healthcare professionals who specialise in diagnosing and treating patients with communication and swallowing disorders.
Speech-language therapists work with individuals of all ages, ranging from infants to seniors, and effective communication and patience are essential qualities for the job. These professionals develop personalized treatment plans to help individuals overcome speech and swallowing challenges.
What does the programme involve?
We recommend you to check out the University Master of Speech Language Therapy Practice page for entry information.
Anatomy and Physiology
Anatomy and physiology related to Speech therapy
Research
Research project in Year Two
Hands on Experience
Practical labs and placements
Communication
Learning different communication skills
No one knows the course better than a Speech Language Therapy student! We asked a student for their perspective of the course.
Year One
Semester 1:
– Anatomy & Physiology for speech language therapy
– Linguistics & Intro to communication in children & Adults
Semester 2:
The focus then shifts to learning about the difficulties and disorders affecting children and adults. We learn about various assessments, their uses and learn about appropriate therapy approaches. In this semester students also learn about dysphagia (swallowing difficulties) & how they are assessed and managed.
3 weeks into the degree, clinics begin. During the course of first year, we have 2 clinic days every week in both an adult and child/Paediatric setting. A typical clinic day involves observing others in the clinical group deliver their sessions, going over your session plan with your supervisor (this is emailed to supervisor a couple days before your session, it includes session objectives and the rationales I.e evidence base behind objectives), carrying out your session and finally completing session notes (session notes are usually sent within 24 hours of session completion). At the end of the year, all students have their 5-week block placement. The director of clinical education tries to ensure all students get a placement based on their interests.
Finally, in year 1 towards the end you also have to pick a supervisor and indicate what your research project will be about next year. I was unsure about my project but knew which supervisor I wanted to work with. So I emailed her and asked for what projects she had in mind and ended up going with one of the projects she suggested.
Year Two
5 week block placement in Year 2 in the middle of semester 1 so we have no midterm break in this semester
In terms of content, there’s more audiology content so we have an OSCE this semester on Pure Tone Audiometer and hearing screening. We also cover communication disorders in adults. For our research project we have some tutorials and a day is assigned as our research day. Clinics are now once a week. My placement is at Auckland Hospital and it’s been a great experience so far as I’ve seen what SLT role entails when managing swallowing difficulties and have seen a bit of communication work too. Later on in this semester we will have a motor speech disorder OSCE where I believe we will be diagnosing what type of Motor speech disorder a client has as seen in a video.
There are 2 OSCE’s (Objective Structured Clinical Exam) that are completed in Year 1 semester 2.
OSCE 1: this OSCE is completed online in students’ own time. Students can attempt this as many times are they like until they secure a 60% or over grade. In this OSCE students analyse X-ray and work out where in swallowing anatomy a pt may/may not have a problem. It helps students develop understanding of swallowing physiology and videofluoroscopy analysis skills.
OSCE 2: phonetics OSCE where students have to transcribe some non-sense words in IPA. This is evidence of their competency with transcription (a skill SLTs need when working with children and adults with communication problem. SLTs often have to transcribe clients responses to assessments as well)
For me, I expressed my interest in pursuing MoE experience. Having hailed from Psychology background, my experience with children was minimal. So I felt MoE placement would help me orient myself towards how things run in a school and what SLT’s role looks like in that setting. I can confidently say, it was a very enlightening placement with lots of one-on-one experience and showed me all the BTS work (I.e. transitional meetings, IEP meetings, workshops etc.) that SLTs do.
You’ve got to remember this course covers content that is otherwise covered in a 4 year BSLT degree in 2 years. So in terms of content and workload things can get overwhelming. But since this degree has a small cohort (ranging from 14-22 students) you get to know people closely and develop some great friendships. If you’re struggling with something chances are others are having a hard time with it too so we reach out to each other and check in on each other to ensure we are all on the same page. Lecturers understand how tough Year 1 can be so are flexible with deadlines and are happy to push them forward as long as you email them in advance.
The degree begins 2 weeks prior to the official semester 1 commencement date. In the first year, mid-term break was only 1 week for both semesters, and block placement tends to begin immediately after exams. So burnout can be bad, but that’s why it’s important to reach out and ask for support if you’re feeling that way. The expectation is that students attend lectures and tutorials in person, so this degree cannot be completed remotely.
Here’s what a speech therapist says:
What do you do as a speech therapist? What type of patients do you work with?
“Speech therapists support people with their communication and/or swallowing. I work at the Ministry of Education. The children I work with often have speech, language or communication difficulties.I support children, families and schools by giving them strategies. There are also speech therapists who work in a healthcare setting – helping people with their communication and swallowing rehabilitation following a stroke, or working with people with neurodegenerative diseases.”
What is your favourite part about being a speech therapist?
“My favourite part about being an SLT is working with people together – building relationships with children, family and teachers.”
What type of person do you think will suit this role?
“Someone who is passionate about helping people and working with people. Someone who is kind, patient, creative, a good listener and a good communicator.”
What does the job involve?
There are a wide range of opportunities available for Speech-Language Therapists, with flexibility in what they can do.
Hospital & Rehab Clinics
Infants and Elderly
Treatment Plans
Advising Patients & Families
For more information, visit CareersNZ.
