In this podcast, we talk with Larry Walsh, associate director of Admissions at Salus University. He talks to us about the Speech-Language Pathology program and tips and tricks for applying.
Q: What should students expect from the SLP program?
A: Well, the SLP program leads to a master's degree in Speech-Language Pathology. It is a two-year program and it is on campus here in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania. The main thing that you will learn is how to be a professional and how to treat clients with language and swallowing disorders. It is no longer going to be about you the student, it's going to be about your clients. So, that's generally what students will be learning in the two years they are here.
Q: Can you explain some of the curriculum within the program?
A: Basically, what we do in everything, in our classes, in our clinical treatment, we use what is called evidence-based practice and critical thinking. That's all part of every one of the classes that you are taking. We also offer interprofessional education and collaboration. Salus is a healthcare university and we have other programs like Occupational Therapy, Physician Assistant and Optometry. And you’ll working with the students that are in these programs as well.
As far as Speech-Language Pathology is concerned, you'll be learning about the prevention of communication disorders. You'll have early clinical experience in the Speech-Language Institute (SLI), which is our on-campus clinical facility. There is a capstone project, it's like a research paper and presentation that you'll be doing as part of your degree.
Q: What is the academic timeline of the program?
A: The first year you'll be both in the classroom and in the Speech-Language Institute, where you will be working with real life clients from childhood up until adult life. That is part of the first year. For the second year, you'll be going out on various externship sites for SLP. A lot of our students will go to private and public schools and they'll work within the school district with students. We work at nursing homes as well, but it's one of the things that I love about the program is that you get that hands-on experience and you're working with real clients.
Q: You mentioned the clinic a little bit already, but what on-campus facilities does this program have?
A: We're really proud of the Speech-Language Institute because we have clients that really need our services. It's not just about us learning as students how to treat these clients, but we're providing a service to the community. So, you will have a very busy clientele when you are here at the Speech-Language Institute.
And like I said earlier, we go across the lifespan. You might have a client that is in third grade and is having trouble with speech, or you might have an elderly client who is having trouble with swallowing. That is all part of that clinical hands-on experience that you will get right here in Elkins Park.
Q: What is campus and student life like?
A: I always tell students that as far as campus life is concerned, it's a very much a professional setting. We are not a large campus, we're actually one building, but I always tell students it's great for graduate students because time is so important. Everything is within walking distance in one building for you. So if you need to go to the bursar's office, or if you need to check on some financial aid, that is all in one suite within the office or within the University. As far as the area is concerned, all sorts of things to do, you really do get the best of both worlds in the Elkins Park area. We are in just a beautiful, suburban setting. So, lots of places to go and lots of places to live in the area, but if you want to go into a big vibrant city, Philadelphia is just a short distance away as well.
The one other thing that I do want to mention about being on-campus is that you get to interact with other students from other programs. We're not a standalone Speech-Language Pathology program. You'll be interacting outside of the classroom with optometrists and physician assistants (PAs) and you really get to hear their perspective on what they're learning and how they are treating clients, and I think that's pretty unique with Salus.
Q: What are some admissions requirements and tips for getting into the SLP program?
A: As far as requirements are concerned, Salus is pretty similar to the other SLP programs out there that you may be looking at as far as prerequisites. The prerequisites are established through the accrediting bodies that are out there. So make sure you do look at all of those Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD) courses that you do have to take at the undergraduate level and compare them to what we are requiring.
Prerequisites will be listed on our website, they're very specific. The other thing that is part of the prerequisites, that's fairly unique to Salus, we require a B- or better in all of those prerequisites. So, make sure you are aware of that, number one. And number two, prerequisites don't have to be completed prior to applying to our program. You can apply and still have one, two or three classes that you still must take.
You can even be accepted into a program before you take those other prerequisites. All of the prerequisites have to be completed prior to starting the program here at Salus, but as long as you have them done by August, when orientation starts, you are good to go. Other than that, we do require 25 hours of observation, that can be done, again, before you start at the program. It does not have to be done prior to applying.
And the other thing that I always like to tell students the Salus application, and it's usually good news for most students, is the GRE is no longer a requirement to applying to our program. We do not use that. In place of that, we do interview a good portion of the students that do apply to our program. We definitely look for that holistic view of you, the applicant.
Q: What is the evaluation process once someone has applied to the program?
A: Once we receive your application, I will be doing the evaluation of those prerequisites. I want to see number one, that you completed them successfully. But I'm also going to be looking at some of those other courses that you completed, the upper level CSD courses that you are taking. I also want to see that you're a well-rounded student. Did you get involved on-campus? What kind of observation have you done? And letters of recommendation, they're all so important because I want to see really what your advisors have said about you and what your teachers have said about you as well.
They are all pieces to this puzzle that we will evaluate. And if everything looks good, you actually would be invited to interview. Right now because of the pandemic and some of the regulations we have on-campus, we can't bring you to campus for the interview, but we will do a virtual interview. The virtual interview is really in two parts. You'll meet first with faculty from our program, and they want to know really about your interest in Speech-Language Pathology.
The second part of the interview, you'll meet either with me or one of my colleagues in the Admission's office and we'll go over all of the elements of your application to make sure everything is ready to go for the admissions evaluation and hopefully that positive decision that you'll be looking for.
Q: Is there anything else that you would like to add about the program or Salus?
A: I think when you are looking at graduate schools, it's going to be a lot different experience than when you were trying to choose your undergraduate institution. If you think back when you were a high school senior, you were looking at everything from financial aid to large campus versus small campus. But in graduate school, I think the best thing, the first thing you should be looking for is really the outcomes of the program. Am I going to graduate on time? Am I going to pass the tests that I need in order to be licensed to be an SLP? What are going to be the job prospects when I graduate?
So make sure you really look at that when you're comparing programs. I'm really happy to report that our pass rate on the practice exam, which is what you need to practice as an SLP, has been 100 percent for the last three years. And 100 percent of our students have graduated on time. And lastly, 100 percent of our students were gainfully employed as SLPs within six months of graduation.
So look at those outcomes and also look to see what the professors are doing. What are their backgrounds? Are they still practicing? Have they published anything in any publications out there? You really want to make sure that the faculty are still immersed in the practice of being speech-language pathologists, and all of our faculty are doing that. Hopefully, this will help you as far as looking at graduate schools and hopefully selecting Salus.
For more information about the Speech-Language Pathology program, you can visit salus.edu/SLP.
