Written by Dr. Jan Weisenberger
We already know that there is a shortage of speech-language pathologists in the US, with job growth projected to increase by 21% by 2031, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Audiologists are similarly in short supply—projected job growth for this profession has a 10% increase projection. So how do we attract more students to our professions? And how do we let people know that technology is transforming both professions?
Maybe we get the word out earlier—even to the K-12 population, many of whom have never heard of audiologists or SLPs. That idea led to the Department of Speech and Hearing Science’s participation in the STEAMM Rising Summer Institute in June. The institute is part of STEAMM Rising, a collaboration among Ohio State, Columbus State Community College, and Columbus Public Schools to establish pathways for children to careers in science, technology, engineering, arts, mathematics, and medicine. During the institute, K-12 teachers from Columbus Public Schools spend a week visiting Ohio State and Columbus State, learning about careers in science and technology and taking that information back to their students.
Led by Eric Bielefeld, Gail Whitelaw, and Cassondra Wilson, faculty and students from the department hosted a day-long series of technology demonstration stations for the teachers, including demos of hearing conservation, otoacoustic emissions, hearing aids, dysphagia, AAC devices, and technology for language and literacy disorders. The teachers were very engaged and highly positive about the participatory nature of the demos. Their universal comment afterwards was a wish that they could spend more time with each of the presenters and ask even more questions. One of the goals of STEAMM Rising is to create just that—more in-depth presentations and activities for both teachers and their students. And for us, it just might inspire some middle- and high-schoolers to consider careers in audiology and SLP.
