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The Critical Contributions of Speech-Language Pathologists

The Critical Contributions of Speech-Language Pathologists

Laurentian Alumna Krysta Beaudry helps give a voice to the medical side of speech-language pathology

May 3, 2024 - Speech-language pathologists are key contributors to the education system, and they are well-known for their work with kids in schools. Locally, you would find that many of the speech-language pathologists with the French and English school boards are graduates of the Orthophonie program at Laurentian. Though school settings may be the first to come to mind when thinking about speech-language pathologists, they are not the only space where these practitioners are making an impact.

Krysta Beaudry is a Speech Pathologist at the Timmins and District Hospital. Originally from Timmins, Krysta attended École secondaire catholique Thériault before graduating from Laurentian with a Bachelor of Orthophonie in 2019 and Masters of Orthophonie in 2021. Krysta’s role as a medical speech-language pathologist, offering services to patients in both English and French, shows the many career possibilities as a speech-language pathologist.

Krysta knew speech-language pathology was the career for her once she completed a high school co-op at the Porcupine Health Unit in Timmins. During her undergraduate studies, she built on her experience in health care settings, working as a summer student at various agencies. “These early experiences as a student are when I really got a feel for speech-language pathology as healthcare and fell in love with it,” said Krysta.

“Being from a small city, Laurentian was a really comfortable fit for me,” Krysta said. “I loved the access to nature all around and the small town feeling of the university.” As a French student, the Association des étudiants francophones (AEF) played a big role in Krysta’s student experience. She recalls the community created by the student association and how the activities and bonding made her feel more at ease and at home. Krysta also said that “living in residence was the perfect experience” for her first year away from home. She loved the opportunities to help out with events and was especially happy to take on a leadership role, coordinating the Intramurals Sports program.

During her time at Laurentian, Krysta enjoyed the small class sizes, allowing her to receive direct support from her professors whom she says showed a desire for student success. “I loved the Orthophonie program at Laurentian. The classes were all so open and collaborative,” said Krysta.

Continuing to keep busy and be ambitious, Krysta is currently playing basketball and ringette 3 times a week. She also tutors elementary students in French.

Speech-Language Pathologists assist patients with speech, language, safe swallowing, voice, and cognitive-communication. A large part of Krysta’s current work involves supporting patients recovering from a stroke, those with traumatic brain injuries, and some patients with neurological disorders. “Many people don’t realize that there are tests that we conduct and rehabilitation work that we do with patients that are really medical in nature,” said Krysta. “We’re assessing, working with patients on a treatment plan, collaborating with other healthcare providers, and rehabilitating people’s communication and swallowing.”

The clinical work is rewarding but Krysta says something she values most about her job is the continued advancements in the field of Speech-Language Pathology. “There’s always new and exciting evidence-based practices where standards are always improving. I feel like I’m never doing the same thing year to year because I’m always learning and keeping up with the evolving research,” Krysta said, reflecting on her first three years as a practicing speech-language pathologist. “The scope of practice in this role keeps the job so interesting, no days are the same. Collaborating with other practitioners within a patient’s circle of care in the hospital setting is one of my favorite parts.”

Graduate looks back on her experience in Speech-Language Pathology

Graduate looks back on her experience in Speech-Language Pathology

Céline St-Onge, describes her experiences studying at Laurentian.

(November 29, 2022) - On October 29th, 2022, Céline St-Onge crossed the stage of Laurentian University’s Fraser auditorium to obtain her Maîtrise ès sciences de la santé en Orthophonie (Speech-Language Pathology). This degree follows her Baccalauréat ès sciences de la santé en Orthophonie (Laurentian, 2020). “I’m so proud of our cohort of graduates. Convocation was a very exciting day. It was nice to have the opportunity to assemble one last time with some of the amazing professors who helped us along our journeys.”

According to St-Onge, whose home town is North Bay, Ontario, she and her graduating class, “completed the Orthophonie program inspired to put our knowledge into practice and help support as many individuals as we can.” St-Onge attested that one of the best feelings about working in the field of speech-language pathology is helping clients make progress toward their goals. 

For St-Onge and other speech-language pathologists whose skills are in high demand, the people they serve range from infants to geriatrics. “We help people with all sorts of needs. For example, developmental articulation and phonological disorders, neurologically based speech disorders, developmental language disorders, acquired language disorders, voice disorders, resonance disorders, fluency disorders, augmentative & alternative communication, hearing disorders and related speech-language disorders, and dysphagia (swallowing difficulty or disorder).” 

Based on recent data from RADLD.ORG (Raise Awareness of Developmental Language Disorder), about 1 in 14 people are affected by a development language disorder (DLD), which causes difficulties understanding and using language. In Canada, there are approximately 2.6 million people with DLD, a lifelong problem that affects people of all ages.

St-Onge was inspired to study the field of speech-language pathology when she had the opportunity to visit Laurentian’s campus as a high school student. “When I was a grade ten student at École Secondaire Catholique Algonquin, I participated in a Laurentian University course information session. There, I was introduced to some of the material that would be taught in the Orthophonie program. I discovered that the program combines teachings from all the subjects I already loved, such as language, science, anatomy, psychology, and statistics. This quickly confirmed for me that a career in speech-language pathology was one I wanted to pursue.” 

For St-Onge, choosing to pursue this field at Laurentian, where the curriculum follows the standards set by the College of Audiologists and Speech Language Pathologists of Ontario (CASLPO) was an easy decision. Graduates meet the requirements for registration in Ontario and non-statutory certification for Speech Language and Audiology Canada (SAC) and are well equipped to write the mandatory national Canadian Entry-to-Practice Examination (CETP). St-Onge wrote her CETP Examination for the profession of Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology, on October 25th, 2022. 

“Laurentian University was my top choice. The fact that they offer both the Speech-Language Pathology (Orthophonie) undergraduate and graduate program makes for an excellent learning experience. As a student, small classroom sizes also supported an exceptionally personalized learning experience. I cannot say enough great things about the professors in the Orthophonie program. They are extremely dedicated, knowledgeable, caring, and supportive.” 

St-Onge is equally enthused that she’s made incredible friends with other students and alumni. “If there is one piece of advice I'd give to future students, it would be to put energy in creating a strong support system with your cohort. My cohort was amazing and we continue to communicate almost every week; sharing tips, tricks and questions.” 

According to Dr. Michèle Minor-Corriveau, Associate Professor and Coordinator of Speech-Language Pathology programs at Laurentian University, “our students go over and above to support each other, and they strive for excellence from the moment they first set foot on campus. We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: we really do have the most incredible students. La crème de la crème. We have much to be proud of when it comes to our students and graduates.” 

Career opportunities for Speech-Language Pathology graduates are plentiful. “Every student in my cohort had employment lined up either before or directly after graduation,” said St-Onge, who is employed at One Kids Place in North Bay, a centre that offers outpatient rehabilitation services with a wide range of programs and services for children and youth with physical, communicative and developmental needs. “Speech language pathology really is a great profession with equally great job prospects.” 

Added Dr. Minor-Corriveau: “No past graduate has had difficulty finding work. They are all gainfully employed. By 2028, there is a predicted shortage of twenty-five percent of the workforce in Speech-Language Pathology. Our graduates are helping fill this need.” 

Laurentian University is proud of our more than 70,600 alumni. To date, Laurentian has graduated 160 students from the undergraduate Speech-Language Pathology program, and 103 students from the Masters-level Speech-Language Pathology program. This figure breaks down further to 36 graduates of the Masters-level Speech-Language Pathology program previously offered at Laurentian between 1995 and 2003, and 67 graduates of the Masters-level Speech-Language Pathology program currently offered at Laurentian since 2014. 

 

Postscript: 
New program pairing options have recently become available to students: Éducation Concurrent - B.Sc.S.Orthophonie and Concurrent Education - B.Sc.S.Orthophonie. 

Students enrolled can complete the B.Sc.S.Orthophonie while taking courses to meet the requirements for entry into the Professional Year (5th year) of either the Éducation Concurrent or Concurrent Education program. The five years of the education programs provides students with an opportunity to experience a wide variety of educational settings. These pairing of programs enable prospective students to work in two distinct professions - expanding their options for employment. 

Prospective students interested in learning more about these new program pairing options are encouraged to reach out to Liaison Services: info@laurentian.ca.
 

Official opening of Laurentian University's Speech and Language Teaching Clinic

Official opening of Laurentian University's Speech and Language Teaching Clinic

The Clinic will strive to meet the recognized needs and high demand of Greater Sudbury and Northern Ontario.

Laurentian University today officially opened its Speech and Language Clinic, in the presence of dignitaries and health sector professionals. The clinic will offer optimal training conditions to students of the bachelor’s (B.Sc.S.) and master’s (M.Sc.S.) programs in Speech-Language Pathology. It is open to the Greater Sudbury community, thanks to the support of the Office of Francophone Affairs at Laurentian University and the Consortium national de formation en santé (CNFS).
 

“Laurentian University is very proud of this new clinic that will allow our 120 students in Speech-Language Pathology to benefit from quality facilities that meet our exceptional faculty’s high standards of teaching,” said Laurentian University President and Vice-Chancellor Dominic Giroux. “Opening this clinic is timely and significant considering the shortage of Speech-Language Pathologists in the community.  The Clinic will strive to meet the recognized needs and high demand of Greater Sudbury and Northern Ontario.”
 

During the event, Laurentian University’s Speech-Language Pathology program coordinator, Michèle Minor-Corriveau, also launched a new online exchange platform for professionals in the field.  “At a time when information technology presents us with a suitable way to share our resources and best practices, we hope that this forum – the only one of its kind in Ontario – will allow professionals in the field of voice, swallowing, speech, and language disorders to share their knowledge and exchange tips and tools to further advance innovation and research in the field of Speech-Language Pathology.”
 

The field of Speech-Language Pathology covers a wide range of specialists including clinicians, professors, managers, administrators and researchers working in rural and urban settings. These professionals aim to prevent, identify and treat disorders of speech, language (oral and written), voice, fluency (stuttering), and swallowing in people of all ages.
 

The Speech and Language Clinic is located on the sixth floor of the Parker Building, on Laurentian University’s Sudbury campus. Clients should call 705-675-1151, ext. 4122 to book an appointment. For more information about Laurentian University’s Speech-Language Pathology programs and teaching clinic, please visit www.laurentienne.ca/orthophonie. You can also follow Laurentian University’s Speech-Language Pathology program on Twitter @LULorthoSLP and like its Facebook page at facebook.com/LULorthoSLP.