Of the many types of healthcare practitioners who care for the elderly, speech-language pathologists (SLPs) and audiologists may have the greatest potential to actually improve the quality of life for older Americans. SLPs, who evaluate and treat speech, language and swallowing disorders, and audiologists, who identify and treat hearing and balance disorders, can help restore a person's fundamental ability to communicate. ...

Nature of the Work Audiologists work with people who have hearing, balance, and related ear problems. They examine individuals of all ages and identify those with the symptoms of hearing loss and other auditory, balance, and related sensory and neural problems. They then assess the nature and extent of the problems and help the individuals manage them. Using audiometers, computers, and ...

If you like teaching children but don't want to manage an entire classroom, working as a school-based speech-language pathologist (SLP) might be a good career alternative. Unlike classroom teachers, school SLPs typically work one-on-one or in small groups, helping children overcome communication or swallowing disorders. About half the country's 96,000 SLPs work in schools, according to the US Bureau of Labor ...

h4. I chose this career because... I chose to become an audiologist because I was intrigued by the combination of science and working with people and helping them. As an undergraduate, I majored in speech pathology. During my junior year, I had the opportunity to take my first audiology course. That is when it all clicked. The professor was inspiring, enthusiastic, ...

h4. I chose this career because... I chose to become a speech and language pathologist, because of personal experiences and the career information I learned while in undergraduate school. My cousin and I were close friends before and during our teenage years. He stuttered badly, and I witnessed many of the challenges that he faced on a daily basis. During undergraduate ...

h4. What will I do? Medical interpreters listen to what the doctor says and translates that message into the patient’s language. In this way, the doctor can ask questions about how the patient feels and the patient can describe what’s wrong. An understanding of both cultures is very important,because a certain expression my mean one thing in one culture and something ...

h4. What do you do every day? We are responsible for everything [the patients] need from the moment they arrive in Cleveland. We go to appointments with them and interpret for them. Even if they know the language, we escort them to their appointments. If tests are ordered we make sure they are scheduled. And we tell patients if there’s any ...