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Speech Pathologist

Help people of all ages with speech and communication issues.

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Job opportunities

947

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Job growth

24.5%*

Projected job growth in 5 years

What's it like to be a Speech Pathologist?

Speech Pathologists help people who have communication impairments, including speaking, listening, language comprehension, reading and writing; or speech impediments such as stutters. They work with people of all ages, often with children who are having problems developing speech.

Tasks and duties

Working with children to alleviate communication impairments due to intellectual disability, developmental delays, physical disability and/or learning difficulties.
Treating adults whose language, speech or voice has been affected by surgery, debilitating disease or brain injury.
Helping patients to overcome stutters and other speech impediments.
Assessing and treating patients who have difficulty chewing and/or swallowing.
Providing consultation to education, medical, dental and other health professionals.
Providing ongoing support, advice and information to clients, families and other significant persons (such as friends, carers and educators) in order to develop more successful communication interactions.
Providing communication strategies and alternative communication devices for a person who cannot communicate verbally.

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Speech Pathologists also study, diagnose and administer treatment to people afflicted by brain injuries, stroke, intellectual disabilities, dementia, hearing loss and other issues that affect the brain’s ability to process speech and language.

Speech Pathologists interact with members of the public daily and work in a range of healthcare settings, including public and private hospitals, rehabilitation centres, schools and kindergartens, mental health facilities, or in private practices.

What can I earn as a Speech Pathologist?

All

NSW

VIC

QLD

TAS

ACT

The most common annual salary in AUS for a Speech Pathologist is between $65k and $75k

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Source: SEEK job ads

How to become a Speech Pathologist

To work as a registered Speech Pathologist in Australia, you need to complete a degree in Speech Pathology at an accredited university. After completing your study, you need to register with Speech Pathology Australia (SPA) to become a Certified Practising Speech Pathologist (CPSP).

Complete an accredited qualification in Speech Pathology. This may be a Bachelor of Speech Pathology or a Master of Speech Pathology.
Achieve CPSP certification via the SPA application process.
Once certified, enter into the SPA’s Professional Self Regulating (PSR) program, demonstrating a mandatory amount of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) each year.

Explore related qualifications

SEEK users who have worked as a Speech Pathologist have studied these qualifications.

All

NSW

VIC

QLD

TAS

ACT

Bachelor of Speech Pathology

This degree prepares you for a role as a Speech Pathologist with skills to assess and treat people with communication disabilities.

Compare institutions

See 4 institutions that offer this course in Australia.

Master of Speech Pathology

This qualification will prepare you for a role as a Speech Pathologist if you already hold a Bachelor degree.

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See 6 institutions that offer this course in Australia and Online.

Master of Speech and Language Pathology

View course details

See 1 institution that offers this course in Australia.

Skills and experience employers are looking for

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Speech Pathology Australia Membership

Paediatrics

Working with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Drivers Licence

Aged Care

AHPRA Registration

Interpersonal Sensitivity

Autonomy

Time Management

Numeracy

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How do Speech Pathologists rate their role?

Latest reviews from 35 Speech Pathologists surveyed on SEEK

Work-life balance

4.0

Job satisfaction

4.4

Career progression opportunities

3.5

Job security

4.0

Pay / Salary

3.4

Variety of work

4.3

Latest reviews

All

Positive

Negative

Oct 2018

Overall, being a Speech Pathologist is highly rewarding, & as a paediatric Speech Pathologist you have heaps of fun!

Reviewer's Qualification

Bachelor of Science

Experience

10+ years

Organisation size

Large (200+ employees)

Specialisation

Senior Speech Pathologist

The good things

Working with clients and their families to improve their communication skills & quality of life is extremely rewarding. Working with children particularly can be a lot of fun. Working within a strong ...

The challenges

See previous question- included in that response.

Oct 2018

Speech Pathology is an excellent career path for people who are passionate about helping people

Reviewer's Qualification

Bachelor of Applied Science

Experience

10+ years

Organisation size

Medium (20-199 employees)

Specialisation

Manager

The good things

Speech Pathology offers diversity in its’ role as you can choose an area of specialisation and you can also choose whether you would like to work with one type of caseload (eg children and families, a...

The challenges

Speech Pathology work can be demanding of your time and you will sometimes be required to work outside of normal work hours. You need to have excellent verbal and written communication skills and have...

Source: SEEK Role Reviews