A question and answer session with one of our young alumni, Nikol Davidson.
Q: Why did you want to pursue a career in speech-language pathology?
A: I wanted to be like a counselor or in something with psychology. I think I originally wanted to do neurology, like that was like a really big thing for me. So psych kind of was the start for it. And, all throughout high school I wanted to be an English major because I really like grammar and, perhaps a teacher because I really love kids and I truly didn't really know where those things would take me.
Then my mom, who was a speech pathologist told me about this field and I had never heard about it before college. She suggested I think about doing that. I looked into it and I added the major communication sciences disorders and I kind of fell in love with it because it was a mix of all the things I love so much. Psychology, education and kids and literature, English, grammar, syntax, all those things. So I love that this field really takes everything I love and puts it into an actual career.
Q: Why did you choose Salus?
A: I fell in love with Salus because of the people. When I was going to all the interviews, I was really looking past just the rooms and the cool aspects. I was looking into the faculty and I remember watching the students and how they were interacting with each other. It was just a really good feel. The students were close to each other and they were comfortable at the school and they were relaxed. It wasn't stressful, it wasn't like competing with each other for who's at the top of the class or who is going to be the best speech pathologist.
Q: What did you discover about your subject area as a grad student that you wish you knew as an undergrad student?
A: That it's a lot more than just speech therapy. There was so much more to it and so many different fields. And, I see speech therapists everywhere and I can go anywhere. So that was really cool. I didn't see that before I came into grad school.
Q: What do you feel is unique about your program at Salus?
A: Like I said before the clinic - the Speech-Language Institute. I think that I went to a few interviews with other schools and when I was looking into the process, a lot of schools, they put you in a classroom for the first semester and let you learn about everything first, they want you to memorize everything, know what you're doing, and then they'll say that you're certified to go into the clinic and treat patients. At Salus, the first week was our clinic bootcamp and they trained us on all we needed to know for the clinic and then just threw us in and gave us real clients, real patients, everything was real.
I think that was a hundred percent the main reason that I chose Salus other than obviously the faculty and the staff and the amazing people. I chose it because I knew that I would get to practice speech therapy as soon as I got here and it wasn't going to be all classwork and how much do you know from your classes? And, I found that I learned a lot through clinic. It's a lot of hands-on learning, which I don't think a lot of schools offer, so that was awesome. Right off the bat it's nerve wracking, but it's really cool.
Q: What clinical experience made an impact on you during your time at Salas?
A: I recently got a new client and it's something I've never worked with before or even studied - a client with a stutter. I've never been around somebody with a stutter. As weird as it sounds, I've never worked with anyone in the clinic with a stutter or even studied fluency in class. So I was really nervous going into it and really thought that I wouldn't know what to do. I was really nervous but within the first 20 minutes of meeting this client, I was like, wow, wait, this is what I want to do. It was amazing. I literally left that session and texted my sister and I was like, this is what I want to do. I think I am going to be specializing in stuttering kids or something like that. It was something I've never done before and I loved it. It was absolutely amazing.
Q: Did you have any other eureka moments in a classroom or clinic?
A: I had an aphasia client and we worked practicing and drilling and kind of getting the concept back into the client's head and having him kind of like relearn some naming things and the receptive and expressive aspect of it. And, I was really nervous going into it because I again had never been exposed to anyone with aphasia or anything like that. I think that working with him and with my supervisor to come up with activities, researching the topic and figuring out what's the best approach for therapy. I realized this is what I want to do.
Q: How did you feel supported as a student and an individual while enrolled at Salas?
A: The faculty really cares about what we're going through and if we're, engaged in what we're learning and if we need any help with the clinic. The professors were huge in supporting us. They were constantly emailing and constantly asking questions. Or, you know, they always gave me time to express what I was feeling because when we were virtual, they barely could see our faces. That was awesome. And, then our program director, Bob Serianni, he's amazing and he was constantly checking in and asking how everybody was doing.
It's a very supportive staff and also our clinical supervisors were amazing. They are the ones who are overseeing what we're doing in the clinic and making sure that we're not messing up. They were there for every question and they helped you with your client(s).
Q: What advice would you offer an undergrad considering pursuing an advanced degree in this field?
A: Don't stress out so much. I remember being so stressed while applying to grad schools that I wasn't going to go to grad school and I was just going to have to find something else to do. But it was a lot less stressful and of course do your best because it does matter, but your personality and your experiences also matter. I think that in undergrad you forget and people start to think that school is the only thing that needs to be important and it's not. Grad school classes are only going to get harder, so if you're going stress over the undergrad classes, just know that there's a lot more in grad school.
To see Nikol’s full interview, check out the accompanying video.
To learn more about Salus University's programs, go to salus.edu/academics.
