When she was looking for a speech-language pathology (SLP) graduate school, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, resident Rachel Plavnik, MS ‘19, wanted to stay close to home. That made the Salus University SLP program — with its focus on interprofessional collaboration and clinical training — the perfect spot for Plavnik to continue her educational journey.
But now that speech-language pathologist, who also graduated from Penn State with a degree in Communication Science Disorders, is now a professional, being close to home wasn’t quite as important. As a result, Plavnik moved to Los Angeles where she started working in a private clinical facility and now is at a skilled nursing facility in addition to working part-time at a local hospital.
“There were so many opportunities in Los Angeles. I knew I didn’t want to stay in Philadelphia my whole life, but I do want to come back eventually. I just wanted a change and Los Angeles just happened to work out,” she said. She been on the West Coast for a year and a half now, and although it’s an expensive place to live, the weather is markedly better and there are endless outdoor activities year-round.
“I feel like I’ve assimilated here. The biggest difference is that there are a million things to do, even during a pandemic with everything being closed,” said Plavnik. “There are still hikes to take and beaches to visit and day trips to go on.”
Her work now includes evaluating and treating dysphagia, a swallowing disorder; evaluating and treating language and cognitive communication deficits; working with patients post-COVID; and working with patients who have suffered strokes and dementia.
It’s a task she believes she was well-prepared for after being trained at Salus.
“I think it’s a combination of a lot of things,” said Plavnik. “I was really well prepared in my undergrad to go to Salus. And, then I thought my supervisors at the clinical facility – the Speech-Language Institute - were awesome.” She specifically mentioned Robert Serianni, MS, CCC-SLP, FNAP, SLP, chair and program director, and his connections with many different schools made placement easily accessible for her preferred job in the medical field post-graduation. “That was really helpful,” she said.
Going out into the professional world just before the COVID-19 pandemic swept the nation certainly created challenges for everyone, including SLPs. Plavnik had completed some teletherapy during her clinical fellowship while working in the private sector, but when she went into lockdown, the constant teletherapy was driving her a bit crazy, she admits. That’s when she decided to leave the private clinical facility and join a skilled nursing facility at the height of the pandemic.
“I love working with adults. We have a COVID unit,” she said. “When I started working here it was my first time at a skilled nursing facility and my first time working with COVID patients.”
There are some constraints on SLPs because of the virus, Plavnik said, particularly in the COVID unit. SLPs might not have as much time with a patient or might not be able to work as much together because the patients are tired and drained from battling the virus.
When she’s not working with patients, Plavnik takes advantage of the mild Southern California weather by exploring the outdoors on foot. And, she’s not alone. Her boyfriend, Evan Gutman, and his sister Alexa Gutman, MS ‘17, also a speech therapist, had moved to Los Angeles ahead of her.
Although she is happy where she’s at right now, Plavnik is still contemplating what the future might have in store.
“I’m trying to figure it out. I’ve been talking to my SLP friends about it. We’re all so used to going from undergrad to grad school to internships to fellowships and now that we all have jobs, we’re like, what’s next?” she said. They have been discussing specializing in a particular segment. “I definitely want to stay within the realm of adults and medical,” she said. “I don’t know yet what I want to specialize in and I’m hoping to figure that out this year and then really hone in on it.”
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