Hello! I am a speech therapist and absolutely love my job.
Like you, my husband would like for me to be successful in my career, but I am first and foremost here to support his Naval career. My first thought is where does she plan on obtaining her Masters? When does she graduate with her Bachelors? How does this fit into your plan and where you will be?
The reason I ask is because this was something that greatly affected our relationship. My husband and I graduated at the same time, and I decided to stay at UF to get my Masters while he went to Pensacola, Newport, and San Diego. The Masters programs tend to be small and they require you to be there each semester for clinical practicums. For me it was worth the sacrifice of 1 1/2 years long distance relationship in order to get my degree and have a job I love. There are many people who also start and never finish, as being apart is too difficult. We both walked into this with eyes wide open and knew of the sacrifices we would make, but in the long run it was worth it for us and the future we wanted. I guess my point is to consider the logistics of it all now before she is accepted into a program and then finds out you will be in another state for the duration, and to make sure it is worth it to both of you.
Next, the job market for SLPs has been pretty good everywhere I've gone (CA, FL, now WA). The way I look at it, there will be schools and hospitals anywhere we end up!! So that has never been a concern for me. Working in the schools can be difficult as far as timing, because I end up leaving before the year is over, or arrive say in February when schools are usually staffed. Although, I've found school districts are usually short a couple SLPs even half-way into the school year. Hospitals tend to be more flexible in this way.
Now, here's the best news yet!! I have come across a company called Progressus Therapy, Inc. (www.progressustherapy.com) This is a nationwide company based out of Tampa, FL who staffs SLPs, OTs, and PTs in schools and hospitals. The first year they pay on the hour, but then you can move to salary based pay. They give you a base pay, but then have a housing allowance, similar to the military. They have medical/dental insurance, life insurance, and many other benefits. One of the best things for me is that they pay for your first time licensing fee in that state. Your girlfriend will find that each state she moves to she will be required to get a license, and that can cost approx. $100-$200 depending on the state. So, it can get expensive needless to say, especially if you don't stay in the state for more than a year!! Progressus will reimburse her for the licensing costs. The company is designed for people who want to move around and work in different areas from year to year. Of course they prefer you work the entire school year, but they have said they are willing to work with me being a military wife. I have just started working with them so I can let you know how it goes. Oh, another great thing is that they have supervisors who can help her get her CFY (Clinicians First Year- basically first 9 months after getting MA she will still require supervision by licensed SLP). Now if she, or anyone else who reads this and decides to work for Progressus, please just tell them you heard about it from me (Karianne Wilkins) as they give bonuses for referrals! I'll thank you in advance.
Of course I could talk about being a SLP all day long, or the trials and tribulations of being a Navy wife for that matter, but I won't. Just have her email me with any questions about either subject, I'd love to hear from her. Especially about what to expect from a Masters program...I was so intimidated!
Anyway, hope everything works out for you both.
Take care,
Karianne
kismet423@hotmail.com
