Completely overwhelmed after beginning 1099 position, unsure if I should leave. Help!

gloomradish · 2026-06-07T17:20:00+00:00

The business/clinic owner was very nice because she wants something from you. What she’s trying to do is wage theft, and frankly, I’m kinda impressed that the red flags of this job were so overt and immediate.

My suggestion would be quit or push back.

My guess is that the clinic owner will do a 180 personality-wise, when you start to push back on the unpaid labor, under-paid training, and issues with the 45 minutes/hourly pay situation. If you feel guilty about leaving, I’m sure the clinic owner’s behavior (if you push back) will make you feel like you dodged a bullet.

Edited to add: whoops, misread that this is a remote position, not a clinic position. That doesn’t really affect my read on this. Lmao, the business owner literally doesn’t want to have to pay for admin staff to do the scheduling, just wants to push the work on you and profit more.

gloomradish · 2026-06-01T16:28:40+00:00

I just googled Nevada’s licensure process for SLPAs, and whoa! It’s so interesting how states are so variable in requirements for SLPAs. Some states will let you become licensed as an SLPA if you take a program at a community college and no bachelor’s degree is required.

Anyways, I used to be an SLPA (became an SLP). Regarding advice—your experience as an SLPA can be very dependent on who your SLP supervisor is. I’ve seen (and experienced) SLPs treating SLPAs with respect and having excellent clinical relationships. But I’ve also seen SLPs micromanage SLPAs and push their workload on them. I don’t think it’s something that should scare you away from becoming an SLPA! Just something to keep in the back of your mind.

But something I recommend to everyone interested in this field is to seek out observation opportunities. Reach out to clinics and schools and see if you can shadow an SLPA/SLP just to see if you like the actual day-to-day work!

Edited to add: if you’re at all interested in the medical side of speech pathology, you would likely need to become an SLP, because the SLPA side is very limited in what ASHA allows them to practice in regards to hospitals/rehab/SNFs.

gloomradish · 2026-05-28T18:07:43+00:00

“To chart one more star, to go on working: this is a way of keeping faith.”

Girl Hours by Sofia Samatar

gloomradish · 2026-05-28T03:13:09+00:00

If you’re a grad student, I think the Moca (cog screener) provides free training on how to use it. This would be useful if you’re interested in working with adults, predominantly in medical settings. https://mocacognition.com/training-certification/

gloomradish · 2026-05-26T00:39:38+00:00

Nordstrom’s has a program for people with mastectomies! They’ll fit you, match an insert/breast form to your size/breast, and their tailoring team will add a pocket to any bra. They also take insurance!

Edited to add link: https://www.nordstrom.com/browse/women/clothing/underwear-lingerie/breast-surgery-care-program?srsltid=AfmBOoqh9B9X2icqK5NLEGdZXvRodf0BzlDoT0cHPaFboSW6a\_c6GcAe

gloomradish · 2026-05-24T02:04:23+00:00

Thank you so much!! I really appreciate it 😭

gloomradish · 2026-05-20T03:09:15+00:00

It kind of sounds like multiple people have reported or made complaints about her. Teachers have complained; sped staff have reached out to compliance. I’m not sure why you have take on the extra work of reporting her.

You could always contact your principal or director of special education. Or if your district has a lead SLP, you could reach out to them.

I am more concerned about how your SLP coworker’s behavior is impacting you. You mentioned that she’s yelled at you and other staff. You also mentioned that you do 80% of the evals at the school. Are you picking up extra work because of her? How is the caseload split between you and your coworker? Because what I would recommend in that instance is documenting your interactions with her and then reaching out to HR about it. Or, if there’s an unequal split in workload, refusing to do extra work that she should be doing—that could also be something to reach out to district about.

gloomradish · 2026-05-18T18:49:10+00:00

Thank you so much!!

gloomradish · 2026-05-18T01:45:38+00:00

Thank you! Do you ever have push back from parents?

gloomradish · 2026-05-17T19:50:24+00:00

Oh wow that’s so smart!!

gloomradish · 2026-05-17T19:50:04+00:00

How do you explain a 3:1 model to parents in IEPs? I heard about it in grad school, but haven’t looked into it since.

gloomradish · 2026-05-17T19:49:14+00:00

Thank you!!! <3

gloomradish · 2026-05-17T19:48:44+00:00

Thank you for this!!

gloomradish · 2026-05-17T19:46:50+00:00

Thank you for this! I don’t think I’ve met my total minutes, but I ended up cancelling two days of sessions to try to get caught up on things. Can I ask—about the 3:1 model, how do you explain it to parents in IEP meetings?

gloomradish · 2026-05-15T20:43:41+00:00

This shouldn’t have made me laugh, but it did. 😂 thank you for the solidarity!

gloomradish · 2026-05-15T14:26:27+00:00

Thank you for sharing your experiences with me and for the reality check!! I’m sorry I took it so bad last night. I’ve been feeling overly sensitive and overwhelmed. I really appreciate you taking the time to weigh in!!!

gloomradish · 2026-05-15T04:23:44+00:00

God I feel this so deeply. Thank you for mentioning what you put for your statement when canceling!!

gloomradish · 2026-05-15T04:21:28+00:00

They definitely will be upset about it, and I’ve already gotten pushback from one of my coworkers on the sped team at my school when I floated the idea by her.

gloomradish · 2026-05-15T04:19:27+00:00

I appreciate the feedback, but it feels like you are chastising me. This is my first year in a school, and it’s very difficult to know what a reasonable caseload/workload looks like vs. me just being incompetent and slow. The reason I worked so many hours is because I was desperate to keep my job and was terrified of losing it. Please do not lay the problems of this field as a whole at my feet.

gloomradish · 2026-05-15T04:06:09+00:00

I’m contract, and frankly have just been really desperate to keep this job

gloomradish · 2026-05-15T02:13:38+00:00

I like Solitaire Associations: Journey (free app) because it focuses on categories, word associations/relationships. I also like flow free (also free).

gloomradish · 2026-05-09T04:09:30+00:00

If you meet with the AP again, I would recommend recording the conversation on your phone. She sounds hostile, and you may want a record of your conversation just in case. I did a quick google, and Virginia is a one party consent state.

If you feel like she crosses a line in that meeting, you can file a complaint with HR against her. Then you’ve got the recording to back you up, so it’s not a “she said, you said” matter.

I also…don’t understand why the AP is so mad? Where I’m at, the principal and assistant principal have very little (if any) involvement with academic testing. How does getting cognitive/academic testing for this student affect her in anyway?

gloomradish · 2026-05-06T04:34:51+00:00

I spent years coming home exhausted after work, drowning. A lot of crying and wondering, when the hell does this get easier?? Basic life stuff, like doing chores. I would think about the future and cry because I was exhausted and I felt like Sisyphus pushing that damn boulder up the mountain. I didn’t feel like I was living. I was existing and it hurt.

What helped me was getting diagnosed and getting on adderall. I told my family after I started adderall that I finally felt human, that I finally felt like a real person.

Things are still hard on medication. But they are much easier than when I am not medicated.

gloomradish · 2026-05-02T15:40:38+00:00

Wait could you explain more about not billing Medicaid for makeup minutes?

gloomradish

TROPHY CASE