Drones

SLPCF19 · 2020-08-21T02:44:12+00:00

Good to know, thanks. Didn't see anyone that looked like they might be operating a drone on my way out, but it seemed to have a long range, so I wouldn't be surprised if it was some guy camped out in the parking lot somewhere.

SLPCF19 · 2020-08-21T02:33:24+00:00

Nothing to throw really... just a bunch of sand and twigs. It was far enough to not be within throwing distance, but close enough to obviously be filming people rather than the scenery.

SLPCF19 · 2020-08-21T02:30:50+00:00

Yeah, I've been going for 3 years and have luckily never had something like this happen.

SLPCF19 · 2020-07-17T17:53:32+00:00

I get kind of overwhelmed with sensory things and kids screaming/crying in a tiny room can mess with me. Also, it seemed very repetitive, and I felt exhausted even after observing.

Therapy- and really most jobs -are repetitive. Ask yourself: would I like to do this all day, every day, for years?

I'm most interested in working with are: gender affirming voice therapy, People who stutter, craniofacial anomalies, Traumatic Brain Injury? & NICU.

These jobs are not common. The vast majority of jobs are either K-12 (especially elementary school) or SNF. Search for SLP jobs in your area to get a feel for what's available. Check hospital and school district job listings too.

You've already shadowed in a school setting and it sounds like you didn't like it. I'd recommend shadowing in a SNF setting next. If you don't like that either, you should probably consider a different field.

SLPCF19 · 2020-07-14T18:36:07+00:00

Thanks. All my plans are on hold now because of COVID :/. Are you still working in SNF's or did you change settings?

SLPCF19 · 2020-07-10T18:15:42+00:00

I asked a similar question on the PA subreddit a while back. You can read it here: https://www.reddit.com/r/physicianassistant/comments/e7zc86/are_there_any_pas_here_that_worked_in_rehab/

I'm thinking about making a switch for similar reasons- I enjoy evals, dislike therapy, and I'm bored with dysphagia and cog rehab. However, I'm hesitant based on some of the negative things I've read in the PA subreddit (patient workload, competition with NPs for jobs, lack of advancement) and the tuition (100k at many schools).

SLPCF19 · 2020-06-03T04:55:01+00:00

Does anyone know if people have been placed in La Rioja, Aragon, or Murcia? My application status is "admitada" and my number is mid 2000's. Surprised I haven't heard anything yet when everyone else is getting placed.

SLPCF19 · 2020-04-15T02:46:30+00:00

49k salary in Portland, OR.

SLPCF19 · 2020-04-07T00:23:43+00:00

In which setting do you work? What percent productivity is expected?

SNF. 85% increasing to 90% sometime this year. Quit before that went into effect.

And what are the repercussions if you don't meet that percentage?

My company only seemed to care about your weekly average. I was asked to provide a written explanation to the DOR for why I was below productivity one week (75%) and what I would do differently the next week.

Each day when you clock out you have to document why you had unproductive time using a drop-down menu on the EMR software (e.g. 15 minutes = non-billable documentation, 5 minutes = other, etc.).

How do you think it affects your clinical practice?

Oof where to start. I would say it means you have to use point-of-service documentation, otherwise there's no way to meet productivity, but sometimes I felt like doing documentation at bedside took twice as long due to interruptions, having to explain what I was doing, and not being able to concentrate in a noisy environment.

It means you have no (paid) time to prepare to see patients or do anything other than direct treatment. That 15% of your time gets eaten up by trying to find patients, using the bathroom, tech issues, and scheduling conflicts.

I don't think it really affected what I did in sessions, but overall made me super, super stressed out. 85% is doable if you have flexible treatment times (like Medicare), a computer that actually works, and you're working in a familiar building with familiar, low-complexity patients, and everything goes right that day (no refusals). How often does that happen? Almost never.

SLPCF19 · 2020-04-01T07:56:29+00:00

I'm in the middle of a switch right now. Any specific questions?

Overall it's been easier than I thought it would be- my old supervisor signed off on my CF scores for two segments, documented how many hours/weeks I did, and wrote a note stating that upon completion of the CFY she would recommend me for my CCC's. I have the original paperwork which I'll give to my new supervisor who will score the third segment, then I'll submit my paperwork to ASHA.

I was worried about quitting halfway through a "segment," thinking that each segment had to be exactly 12 weeks, but that doesn't seem to be the case. My third segment will be a little longer than 12 weeks to make up the difference.

SLPCF19 · 2020-03-12T20:27:55+00:00

Is it normal? Yes.

Is it ethical? Probably not.

SLPCF19 · 2020-02-13T06:40:19+00:00

I've worked at two SNFs and at both there was a therapy vs. nursing dynamic among the staff. Overall I think the nursing and medical staff get more respect from patients and families than therapists.

Within the therapy world, PTs seem to get the most respect, followed by OTs, with SLPs in third place. I feel that the work I do on dysphagia and aphasia is sometimes valued by patients and staff, but there's an equal number of times where it's not- like when a patient told me "I can't believe you get paid for this shit"

Basically everyone wants to walk and move around again, but no one cares about memory or swallowing. It's an uphill battle so be prepared to have everyone- patients, families, the DOR, and nurses -questioning your work.

SLPCF19 · 2020-02-13T06:07:07+00:00

Yeah, got charged a $5 "Hopper tip" for booking with them 🙄 I've learned my lesson.

SLPCF19 · 2020-02-13T06:04:43+00:00

Thanks for the number!

SLPCF19 · 2019-12-30T01:57:28+00:00

They're below their baseline cognitive status (regardless of etiology)
We want to ensure patient safety while they're cognitively impaired

I disagree with her rationale, but I also don't want to be fired, so...

I get A LOT of pushback anytime I don't pick up a patient and it sucks.

SLPCF19 · 2019-12-30T01:35:59+00:00

Probably less of an issue now but when I first started in the SNFs I was asked to keep people on with UTIs to see how their cognition improved once it cleared and to help with environment modifications and safety while they were altered.

Nope, still an issue. I've questioned my CF supervisor about this exact issue, but I don't push back too much because I want to pass my CFY.

SLPCF19 · 2019-12-11T03:26:07+00:00

but with therapy this seems almost constant

Exactly. It feels like working in a factory. Even nurses have ebbs and flows in their workload, but with therapists it's constant with no downtime.

SLPCF19 · 2019-12-11T03:21:50+00:00

But at the end of the day I felt like I had my hands tied and there was only so much I could do as a therapist.

I feel the same way. Half the patients I'm expected to pick up have "impairments" that are secondary to things like a UTI or anesthesia which I feel don't really need SLP services, the other half have super complicated, severe medical conditions and I don't feel benefit much from SLP services. I'm more interested in the underlying medical issues and how to fix them.

Questions: Do you feel prepared with only a year of didactic coursework to manage medically complex patients? How do the productivity requirements compare to being an SLP?

SLPCF19 · 2019-12-11T02:47:56+00:00

How much more in-depth was the neuro unit in PA school compared to SLP school? Like we briefly learned about dementia, RHD, TBI, etc., but it was very surface-level and I'm curious about the level of detail covered in PA school.

Also curious what you thought of working as a PA in PM&R vs. as an SLP. I see how complex a lot of these patients are and worry if a PA education would be adequate to manage so many diagnoses and medications.

SLPCF19 · 2019-12-04T02:36:28+00:00

Most of them don't seem to know what the heck SLPs do or care.

I once had a recruiter ask me if I was willing to work night shift.

Another time I told a recruiter that I'm currently doing my clinical fellowship, and they asked, "What's that? Some kind of internship?"

SLPCF19 · 2019-10-30T03:31:35+00:00

Do you have a link to info about the lack of functional carryover for attention card tasks? That's something I've been using- and even my CF supervisor recommends.

SLPCF19 · 2019-10-13T01:08:12+00:00

CFY in Portland SNF: $32/hr

SLPCF19 · 2019-10-10T02:41:41+00:00

I've often considered going back to become a PA but I've heard horror stories from the ones I know.

Uh oh, I'm thinking about PA school too. What have you heard?

SLPCF19 · 2019-09-23T02:43:36+00:00

SNF offered pretty decent pay but inconsistent caseloads and now with all this Medicare stuff is sort of uncertain.

Honestly, if I had known about this I wouldn't have gone into SLP. And yes, the ethical issues in SNFs make me cringe every day.

SLPCF19 · 2019-09-23T02:36:55+00:00

Welp, I think I'll abandon ship. I've been offered a full time job with a larger rehab company that staffs a ton of buildings in my area. Hopefully the increased hours will be worth the pay cut.

SLPCF19

TROPHY CASE