A hospital SLP works with patients of all ages, performing evaluations, creating treatment plans, collaborating with medical professionals, and conducting swallowing tests. A school SLP works only with children, providing therapy, assessments, and collaborating with teachers and parents to develop individual education plans. Both require a master's degree and certification, but a hospital SLP may earn a higher salary. The job demand depends on location, with some areas needing more SLPs in schools and others in hospitals.

1. Speech-
Language
Pathology:
Hospitals
vs.
School Systems

2. Questions:
 What is the difference between a hospital
SLP and a school SLP?
 Does one have a higher job demand
than the other?
 How different are the job settings?
 What type of work is involved in each job
setting?
 Are there any special certifications
needed to work in a hospital job setting?

3. Hospital Speech-Language
Pathologists

4. Job Setting
The job setting of a speech-language
pathologist that works in a hospital includes
the following:
Working at a desk filling out paper work
Occasionally being at a patient’s bedside
and assist in moving patients

5. Work Involved
Working alongside Create Individualized
other medical Treatment Plans for
practitioners each patient
Keep detailed records Meet with families to
of patients (initial help recognizing and
assessment, progress eliminate any
made, time of behavior patterns that
discharge act as progress
Diagnose and treat impediments
speech related
disorders

6. Swallowing
Test
SLP assisting a
patient with a
snack

7. Education and Training
Master’s Degree
approximately 240 colleges and universities
offered graduate programs for speech-language
pathology accredited by the Council on
Academic Accreditation at Master’s and
Doctoral levels in 2009
Typical Licensing Requirements
Master’s Degree from an accredited program, a
passing score on the Praxis Examination, 300-375
hours of supervised clinical experience, and 9
months of postgraduate professional clinical
experience

8. Job Outlook and Earnings
The general job outlook for speech-language
pathologists is very good
Median annual earnings for a hospital
speech-language pathologist range from
$60,000 to almost $80,000

9. Median Annual Earnings
Nursing Care Facilities $79,120
Home Health Care Services $77,030
General Medical and
Surgical Hospitals $68,430
Offices of Other Health
Practitioners $67,910

10. School System
Speech-Language Pathologist

11. Work Involved
Working with students with reduced speech
intelligibility, as well as students with Down
Syndrome or Autism Spectrum Disorders
Provide speech-language therapy and testing
for students aged 3 thru grade two
Meet with teachers, parents, and
psychologists to discuss the improvement of
the students, including any concerns
Create Individualized Treatment Plans

12. Education and Training
Praxis Exam
Master’s Degree

13. 300 to 375 hours
of supervised
clinical
experience, and
nine months of
postgraduate
professional
clinical
experience

14. Job Outlook and Earnings
ASHA-certified school-based speech-language
pathologists responded to ASHA’s 2008 School
Survey, and 71 percent of them indicated that there
was a shortage of qualified speech-language
pathologists in their school district
In 2006, CareerPlanner.com INC stated that the
median annual wage for school speech-language
pathologists was $53,110, while the Bureau of Labor
Statistics stated in 2008 that the median annual
wage was $58,140.

15. Answers
What is the difference between a hospital
speech-language pathologist and a school
system speech-language pathologist?
As far as education, training, and
certifications go, there is really no difference
between a hospital SLP and an SLP that works
in the school system. The only major
difference is that one works in a hospital with
individuals of various ages, and the other
works in a school system with only children.

16. Does on have a
higher job demand
than the other?
After researching the differences between the
hospital and school system speech-language
pathologist, the conclusion was made that it really
depends on where you live at. In one place there
may be a higher demand for speech-language
pathologists in a school
system, whereas in
another place there may
be a higher demand in a
hospital.

17. Hospital
How different are
the job settings?
This kind of goes along with the
question of what is the difference
between a hospital SLP and a school
system SLP. The main difference in the
job settings is that the hospital speech-
language pathologist has to be
School System acquainted with the charts, swallowing
tests, and interacting with people of
various ages, while a school speech-
language pathologist will only need to
be acquainted with working
specifically with children and
interacting with other professional
personnel, such as teachers and
psychologists.

18. What type of work is involved
in each job setting?
Hospital Setting School Setting
work alongside other medical provide speech-language
workers who keep detailed therapy and testing for students
records of the patient’s aged three through grade two
diagnose and treat speech will see students in individual and
related disorders such as small group sessions, or co-lead
those related to language, full-class language groups with
speech, voice, swallowing, classroom teachers
cognitive communication, attend team meetings every
and fluency week with school staff members,
make an individual treatment parents, and psychologists to
plan discuss team evaluations and the
meet with the families to help progress of the students, along
recognize and eliminate any with any teachers’ concerns
behavior patterns that act as to write evaluation reports,
progress impediments progress reports, and
Individualized Education
Programs

19. Are there any special
certifications needed to work
in a hospital job setting?
No, the only difference of working in a
hospital is that the speech-language
pathologist will work with individuals of
various ages, as well as perform other duties
such as swallowing tests, and assisting in
moving patients if needed to.

20. Conclusion
If they are interested in working with only
children and don’t mind having a little
bit lower income, they would be more
comfortable working in a school system
If they would like to work with people of
all ages and are looking for a higher
salary than that of a school system
speech-language pathologist, then they
would be comfortable in a hospital
setting