Ep. 139: Celebrating SLP Month, Career Growth, and New Opportunities in Speech Pathology

In episode 139, Michelle and Brianna celebrate Speech and Hearing Month with a special live episode focused on the impact of speech-language pathologists, the many paths within the profession, and the exciting opportunities available to both experienced clinicians and new grads. Michelle shares her personal career journey through public schools, early intervention, travel therapy, and teletherapy, while answering common questions about clinical fellowships, mentorship, summer work, and finding the right fit. 

Later in the episode, Jill Pantle joins the conversation to introduce AMN Healthcare’s Alumni Ambassador program, which connects experienced clinicians with students and upcoming graduates. This episode is a helpful listen for SLPs who want career encouragement, practical advice, and a clearer view of what is possible in the field. 

Timestamps:

00:00 – Celebrating Speech and Hearing Month and Kicking Off the Live Episode 

03:38 – Michelle’s SLP Journey Through Schools, Early Intervention, Travel, and Teletherapy 

06:07 – Why Teletherapy Works and What Michelle Learned During the Pandemic 

09:07 – Career Possibilities for New Grads and the Diversity of Speech Pathology 

12:34 – Favorite Podcast Episodes, Niche Topics, and Upcoming Guests 

18:35 – Listener Q and A: Summer Work, CF Advice, and Choosing the Right Job 

24:27 – How Recruiters and the AMN Passport App Can Support Your Job Search 

29:17 – What New Grads Should Look for in a Clinical Fellowship 

31:39 – Jill Shares the Mission Behind the Alumni Ambassador Program 

36:09 – Common Misunderstandings About Travel Therapy for New Grads 

46:32 – Featured SLP Job Opportunities Across the Country 

57:16 – A Closing Message to Celebrate SLPs Everywhere 

Key Concepts Discussed

• Speech-Language-Hearing Month: A reminder of the meaningful role SLPs play in helping people communicate, connect, and build stronger relationships with the world around them. 

• Career Flexibility in Speech Pathology: Michelle’s story highlights how an SLP career can grow across settings, including public schools, early intervention, travel contracts, and teletherapy. 

• Finding the Right Job Fit: Whether you are considering a CF, a school role, or a contract position, choosing a setting that matches your goals, schedule, and support needs matters. 

• Alumni Ambassador Program: AMN Healthcare’s program helps connect students and upcoming grads with experienced clinicians who can share insight, encouragement, and guidance. 

• Recruiter Support and Job Search Tools: Recruiters and the AMN Passport app can help SLPs explore jobs, narrow options, and build a career path with more confidence. 

• Our Guest

• Jill Pantle, Director of the University Program for Allied and Alumni Ambassadors at AMN Healthcare, joined the episode to discuss the Alumni Ambassador program and how it supports students and new graduates entering the field. A former recruiter, Jill brings years of experience helping clinicians explore career opportunities, build meaningful connections, and feel supported as they move into the next stage of their professional journey. 

About Michelle

Michelle Gage, MA CCC-SLP, embarked on her journey in speech-language pathology during her undergraduate studies at the University of Mississippi, where she also worked at North Mississippi Regional Center, gaining invaluable experience in various therapy approaches. Following her Master's Degree in Speech-Language Pathology from the University of Central Florida, she has dedicated 25 years to empowering children and families in improving language skills and overall development. Currently residing in Mississippi, Michelle extends her expertise through telehealth services. Additionally, she proudly serves as the host of the SLP Full Disclosure podcast.

Outside of her professional commitments, Michelle is the proud mother of Mia, an accomplished middle school math teacher and all-around amazing human. In her leisure time, she indulges in her love for travel and cherishes moments spent with family and friends.

Transcript:

AMN-SLP-EP139-LIVE_Audio.txt
English (US)

00:00:00.080 — 00:00:08.320 · Speaker 1
We are live for the first. We are live. Yes. And I'm joined by Brianna. Brianna, so glad you're here. And I'm not by myself.

00:00:08.360 — 00:00:11.880 · Speaker 2
I know this is so much fun. Thank you for having me, Michel.

00:00:11.920 — 00:01:13.040 · Speaker 1
Oh, it's gonna be fun. So we're doing this live because, as you know, I can't believe it. But today is May 1st. And we all know that May is speech and hearing month. So we wanted to do something a little bit special to celebrate all the amazing speech language pathologist and audiologist. Because we make a difference in so many people's lives, not just the kids that we serve, but in the families that we serve as well.

We're helping people find their voice, communicate and just connect with the world around them. And it's during this month that we want to celebrate all speech language pathologist and the dedication and compassion that they have for their students and everyone that they serve. So this live, because it's our first, we're going to be kind of playing it by ear and just winging it.

but we hope you guys enjoy it. So we are going to be doing. Talking about lots of hot jobs that we have, Breanna has that. We are going to have a special guest joining us here in a little bit. And of course we have our giveaways. I'm going to let Brianna share about our giveaways.

00:01:13.080 — 00:02:21.440 · Speaker 2
Yeah. Thank you for having me. Um, and just a little bit of my background. So I am on our allied brand team. So I actually help with kind of like the marketing and all of that when it comes to this podcast. And Michelle has been so great being able to work with you. And I've had such an opportunity to learn so much about SLPs.

Um, we put together the content for this podcast, for our TikTok, social media, things like that, and it's been so much fun to see just how incredible like this community is. And happy SLP month to you as well. Um, you do so much not just for, I know for the the kids and people that you work with, but also for this podcast.

We see so much of it on our side. So thank you to you as well. Um, but we have. Yeah. So but we have loved having you as our host and we're so glad that you're hosting this today. But yeah, we have so much. And one thing that was so cool that we got to do. And you've been twice with Aman now, but I actually got the chance also to go to Asha this past November, which was in D.C..

00:02:21.800 — 00:02:22.600 · Speaker 1
It's so fun.

00:02:22.640 — 00:02:40.200 · Speaker 2
It was so much fun and we got to meet so many SLPs. We met people that we've had on the podcast before. We had a lot of new grads that came up to our booth and was talking about you, Michelle, and episodes they've listened to, which was how like, crazy was that?

00:02:40.240 — 00:03:20.120 · Speaker 1
It was wild. I had one girl come up and this was two years ago, and she was like, oh my gosh, I'm so excited to meet you. Can I take a picture with you? I listened to your podcast every week when I'm driving to class, so she had a commute. But yeah, it's super fun. It was. It's just amazing to meet other SLPs in the new grads.

It's just they're they're just it's a different generation now than it was when I was there. And there's so much information out there and so much at their fingertips. Just like a podcast like this. We didn't have podcasts back in the late 1900 that Neil likes to say. But yeah, I mean, it's just super fun to connect.

We got to meet a lot of our guests that we yeah, on the show previous that we had already recorded with, we got to meet them. Um, so that was super fun.

00:03:20.160 — 00:03:37.960 · Speaker 2
Yeah, it definitely was fun. And Michelle, because we have actually had a few people on our TikTok page that are joining for the first time. Do you mind like just giving like a quick overview of your experience as an SLP and like traveling, you're like what you do now and everything like that.

00:03:38.000 — 00:04:26.000 · Speaker 1
Oh my journey. Wow. Yeah. So I have been a speech language pathologist. I always say 25 years, but I've been saying that for like two years now, so I'm getting closer to 27 years. I don't know why I'm stuck on 25. So I've been doing this for a minute. Um, I went undergraduate to the University of Mississippi, Ole Miss Hattie.

And then I got my graduate degree from the University of Central Florida in Orlando. I began working in the public school system in Orange County, and I worked there until we moved back to Alabama. And I did Early Intervention for a few years while my daughter was a baby, and she was able to go to the inclusive preschool program at the Early Learning Center where I was working.

And that really early intervention is where I fell and fell in love with child development and that birth to three population. And I know I talk about that a lot on the podcast.

00:04:26.280 — 00:04:31.360 · Speaker 2
Is some of our best episodes that early intervention that you that you talk about a lot?

00:04:31.400 — 00:05:30.600 · Speaker 1
Yes, I love it. I absolutely love it. And then when my daughter started kindergarten, I started working in a large public school system in Birmingham, Alabama, and I did that for 18 years. After my daughter graduated from high school, I had been telling myself that I was going to take a travel contract.

I had been talking to a recruiter for probably a year and a half, and she was so patient with me. Um, just asking questions. She would connect with me every once in a while. And then when Mia graduated, I chickened out and I was like, I can't do this. That's a big that's a big career move, right? You know, I had been in the school district, I was settled, I had 18 years in this district, and I loved my job.

But finally I just decided I was going to take the plunge and I was going to do it. And I sold everything I owned, including the home. And I moved and took my first contract in Baltimore, Maryland. And I was on an early intervention team in Baltimore. And I absolutely loved my team. I loved the area. I mean, I was right there by New York City.

I mean.

00:05:30.640 — 00:05:31.760 · Speaker 2
Yeah, that's nice.

00:05:31.800 — 00:06:06.550 · Speaker 1
Yeah, we'd hop on the train and go into the city. Why not? I went to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade right there by Delaware, Pennsylvania. I mean, that part of the country is just beautiful. Yeah. So I actually ended up extending my contract. I was like, I'm going to stay here. It's it's fun, I love it.

I loved my team. And then, of course, the pandemic hit. And so we all had to go virtual. And I had never thought about teletherapy ever in my career. At that point, I had 18 years and I had 19 years. I was like, what? I didn't even know Teletherapy existed. Is that not crazy? I mean, I had no idea how.

00:06:06.590 — 00:06:07.910 · Speaker 2
Crazy the changes.

00:06:07.950 — 00:06:41.870 · Speaker 1
Right? And so many people are also believe, which I was one of those people that teletherapy kind of came about, went during the pandemic. And that's not true. Teletherapy has been around for years and years and years, but it was something that most SLPs in the school, I guess all SLPs in the school district, in some private clinics, and I think even probably some medical SLPs ended up having to go virtual just because of the the world circumstances.

And I've, you know, I'm an old dog, Brianna. I'm old. I think.

00:06:41.870 — 00:06:42.790 · Speaker 2
I can close.

00:06:42.830 — 00:07:24.550 · Speaker 1
I can check my email and I can do some things like that. But I wouldn't consider myself tech savvy. So I was kind of concerned. How how is that tech? How am I going to be able to manage that and do my job? But when I was working early intervention and also early intervention is parent training and family coaching.

So what is that going to look like virtually. Because remember I'm so on contract in Baltimore in Early Intervention. And what I found was I had almost 100% attendance. Wow. Pandemic. And I think it was because in early intervention, it's in the natural environment and you're going into people's homes, right.

And maybe their kids.

00:07:24.590 — 00:07:26.470 · Speaker 2
You're meeting them kind of where they are.

00:07:26.630 — 00:08:06.310 · Speaker 1
Right? And maybe their kitchen was a mess. Maybe they just didn't feel like getting dressed that day because, I mean, we're going into their space, into their home. And so that's it can be intrusive, I guess. Maybe they didn't feel well, maybe they had a runny nose, maybe I was sick and had a runny nose or a scratchy throat, and I didn't want to be around the babies.

Well, with with Teletherapy everybody was able to just hop on. We were right there. They didn't have to get dressed. They didn't have to clean up the living room. They didn't have to clean the kitchen. The baby could stay in their pajamas. And I found it to be a very, very effective, uh, model. And yeah, lots of progress.

And just the attendance piece right there was amazing.

00:08:06.310 — 00:08:14.070 · Speaker 2
And that's what you're doing right now. Right. So you had you were on assignment and now you're doing Teletherapy and this podcast.

00:08:14.110 — 00:09:03.390 · Speaker 1
Yes. And this podcast. So once the once we started going back in person, I had some personal changes with my mom. My mom got sick, um, and I had to move back from Baltimore, back to Mississippi. And I reached out to my recruiter on a Wednesday, told her that I had had some life changes, and needed to get back to Mississippi as quick as possible, and this was in probably October.

And so I'm thinking probably first of the year, maybe the spring, or I might even have to finish that contract out. Yeah. On Friday, I had an interview with a school district in California. On Sunday, Am flew me to California to do my fingerprints and my background check. And I think I started three weeks later and I was moved back to Mississippi.

And I've been working Teletherapy working virtually in the state of California from Mississippi since then.

00:09:03.430 — 00:09:04.070 · Speaker 2
Wow.

00:09:04.150 — 00:09:04.670 · Speaker 1
And I love.

00:09:04.670 — 00:09:05.630 · Speaker 2
It. Yeah.

00:09:05.670 — 00:09:06.990 · Speaker 1
I wouldn't trade it for anything.

00:09:07.270 — 00:09:30.470 · Speaker 2
That's amazing. It's so crazy to see everyone's stories. You know where we run the SLP, TikTok for this podcast. And we see some, especially the month of May. It's so fun also to see all of, like, the new grads who are graduating and seeing the opportunities that's out there and seeing like where from where you started to like where the field is now.

Right.

00:09:30.510 — 00:10:27.310 · Speaker 1
And that's what I love about going to Asia and meeting all of these young new grads because they have there. They just have such a great outlook on life and they're so adventurous. This generation is so adventurous and they're so unafraid. And I love that. Oh, yeah. Also, they have so many opportunities at their fingertips and they can really as a new grad SLP, you can go anywhere, you can do anything and you can build that resume.

You can build your toolset in your skills in a variety of settings. And just it's an amazing career. And there's so many, you know, looking back, we're talking about the different episodes that we've had. There are so many different. It's so diverse. Speech pathology is so diverse. And that's what I love about it.

Yeah, like I came from a school district and now I'm still in a school district, but I'm doing something now that I never thought five years ago or ten years ago that I would be doing.

00:10:27.350 — 00:10:28.710 · Speaker 2
Yeah. It's amazing.

00:10:28.710 — 00:10:29.630 · Speaker 1
Podcast.

00:10:29.670 — 00:10:30.270 · Speaker 2
You know.

00:10:30.550 — 00:10:47.070 · Speaker 1
People that know me, my friends are like, I can't believe you're doing this. And when they first approached me, I was like, absolutely no way am I going to do this. And now I couldn't imagine not doing it, because I know I've gotten to meet you and all of the amazing people that we've had on the show. It's just great.

00:10:47.110 — 00:10:51.310 · Speaker 2
I know, and you're a natural, Michelle, you were born to be a podcaster. I don't know.

00:10:51.750 — 00:11:03.710 · Speaker 1
That, but it is fun and I, I think you know what it is, Brianna. I'm old and I just don't care anymore. 15 years ago, I would have been like, oh my gosh, my hair, the wrinkles in my eyes.

00:11:03.750 — 00:11:05.190 · Speaker 2
Sometimes you just have to do it.

00:11:05.230 — 00:11:10.550 · Speaker 1
What if I say, what if I stumble over my words and we're human and yeah, it's okay.

00:11:10.590 — 00:11:11.710 · Speaker 2
So definitely.

00:11:11.710 — 00:11:18.470 · Speaker 1
It's fun. You know, I did say all this and I am nervous for today, but now that we started chatting, my nerves are starting to settle.

00:11:18.510 — 00:12:34.750 · Speaker 2
There you go. Yeah. Unnatural. But you mentioned I wanted to make a note too. So you mentioned Asha, and we're so excited because we're going back to Asha this year. Yes. And remind me it's in Indianapolis. Indianapolis. Okay. So to all of our SLPs, we have a giveaway to with a free ticket to Asia. And if you win, it also comes with a $1,000 travel gift card.

So our producer Katie put that in the chat. So make sure you check out that link and win a free ticket to Asha. We had our winner last year come into the booth and got to hang out with her for a little bit, so that was so much, um, but yeah, we've had a lot. And you've kind of mentioned Michelle kind of some of our past episodes of this year so far we've had some really, really good ones.

Um, apraxia of speech on the job training with articulations. We had no chat. Was there any from the episodes that we've had so far that really, like, stood out in your mind? Or if someone who is joining this podcast for the first time or just stumbled upon it, like, what is the thing that, you know, go listen to this episode because it kind of rocked our world.

00:12:34.910 — 00:13:36.950 · Speaker 1
Ah, that's such a hard question because every single guest in every episode is so special and it's so unique and it's so different. And that's when I when I decided to do the podcast and said and agreed that I would put myself out there and do this. I wanted it to be fun, but I wanted people to be able to take something away from it.

And I think that hearing from our people that listen to the podcast, they're able to take something from it. Gosh you did. You mentioned the apraxia with Laura Smith. That was an amazing one. And after having after doing that podcast, I feel so ill equipped. But because apraxia again is one of those very niche areas of speech pathology.

But that is a great one. She gave us lots of websites and things to reference, so that's a great one to listen to. You mentioned in your chat and we got to meet Dylan. Yeah. So we had recorded with Dylan, Dylan, Makani, he developed an ear chat, which is a gosh, it's a an arc app that is iOS based. It is phenomenal.

There's no way I can describe it and do it any kind of justice. So definitely go and listen to that one.

00:13:36.990 — 00:13:39.150 · Speaker 2
They're doing some really cool things over there.

00:13:39.190 — 00:14:12.270 · Speaker 1
Yeah, they really are. And it was so cool to meet him. That was just it was so fun. We had Tim McAfee from the Atlanta, Georgia area talking about fluency, another area that I just don't have a lot of. You know, even though I have 20 plus years of it, 25 plus years of experience, I don't have a lot of experience with fluency.

So it's great to talk to speech pathologists that have really honed in on one certain area to learn from. Um, you talked about the articulation when you're on the job training, and that was a solo episode I did. I loved the language development ones that I do that are also episodes. So I do have to shout those out because they're fun.

00:14:12.790 — 00:14:37.350 · Speaker 2
But we have some really good ones coming up as well. So I have I have a list of kind of to tease some of our upcoming episodes, but we have Kaylee Harmon with Feeding Therapy, who's going to be joining us. We have our very own Pat O'Connor, who's going to be joining, uh, Maurice. Good. Goodwin, who is a voice coach, and he oversees the importance of caring for our voices.

Like we've had some we have some really cool guests coming up.

00:14:37.390 — 00:15:21.470 · Speaker 1
Yes. And a lot of these people. What's so funny? And everyone listening, if we have people that are listening. Yeah, I find these people on TikTok and then I'm in an Instagram, so I'm stalking all of the SLPs that are posting on social media. That's another really good one that I would tell you guys to go back and listen to was Melissa Perez.

Yes. And her journey of opening up a private practice. She is so young. And then her presence on social media, on TikTok. And we got to meet her at Asher two. Yeah, yeah, we got Izzy Montano coming up. He is a Navy veteran. Oh my goodness. When we did our intro call with him, I was so impressed. And he developed an AI tool for speech language pathologist.

And we haven't recorded that one yet. But it's going to be it's going to be amazing, super super fun.

00:15:21.510 — 00:16:00.140 · Speaker 2
Yeah. It's very cool to see like all of these different aspects of SL, like speech, language pathology and all of the different avenues that you can take the settings, the people. It really just you can take it and run with a lot of different directions. And it's nice for people who, you know, we've heard a lot from the especially the SLPs who are still in school, who are learning kind of their formal training, but then they are interested in, like these specific topics, um, being able to hear from them and from you who's been in this field for 25 years.

So it's been really cool to see.

00:16:00.260 — 00:16:33.900 · Speaker 1
Yeah, it's it's amazing that what you can do I mean, there's really, really the sky's the limit. I mean, you can do anything you want to do. Just like Melissa's story was, so was so unique because she was looking for something very specific and that she knew that's what she wanted to do. And there was not a clinic or a facility where she could work and do that, that where she had that passion.

So what did she do? She opened up her own private practice, and it is a massive success. So that is definitely a great one to go and listen to it.

00:16:33.940 — 00:16:35.060 · Speaker 2
Yeah, it's been fun.

00:16:35.100 — 00:16:55.540 · Speaker 1
Yeah. And then but then we have some really serious topics too. And not that all of these episodes are not serious because there's something to learn from all of them. But Doctor Mauritius Bates from northwestern was on the podcast talking about bias. You know, that's a word that speech pathologists don't want to say.

So a lot of great episodes to listen to and a lot of great ones that are coming up for sure.

00:16:55.580 — 00:18:28.580 · Speaker 2
Yeah, exactly. But also, I just wanted to mention to our SLPs who are watching right now, we did mention giveaways. So let me just talk about that really quick. So all you have to do to enter, we're giving away five $100 gift cards and you can even choose. We have a lot that you can visa gift cards, airline, Airbnb five $100 gift cards.

All you have to do is comment on this live to say why you became an SLP, or why you love being an SLP or something. To shout out SLP month, we're giving away five $100 gift card. So very cool there and definitely check out our Asha giveaway! One of the other links that our producer, Katie included was our scholarship, which will kind of get into a little bit later, but if you're interested and you've already clicked on it, we do have a new grad scholarship.

It was deadline tonight, but we wanted to extend that for In Honor of SLP month and really make sure that everyone was able to see this. So it's a $5,000 scholarship. May 8th. All you have to do is write a 500 word essay following the prompt that's on the website. The link is there, so make sure you check it out.

And so we're so excited. But okay Michelle, kind of switching gears, one thing that we have gotten a lot of is just questions. We see it all over TikTok. We see it on Facebook. We're in a few SLP Facebook groups, and we have a lot of people who just, you know, want to hear from someone who is a professional who's been in the field.

So we have a few questions if you're ready for some question and answer.

00:18:28.660 — 00:18:29.900 · Speaker 1
Okay, I'll do my best.

00:18:29.940 — 00:18:31.180 · Speaker 2
Okay, let's do it.

00:18:31.220 — 00:18:34.940 · Speaker 1
And let me tell you, if I don't know the answer, I'm going to tell you I don't know. That's fine.

00:18:35.580 — 00:19:10.380 · Speaker 2
And to our SLPs listening. So if you have a question for Michelle or you want, you know, you had something that popped up, put it in the chat and we can read it from there. But okay. Michelle. So some of these are from a Facebook group for SLPs. Here's the question. I'm graduating this semester and already secured a CF school job for 2026 2027.

However, I'm worried about not making enough money during the summer. What do school based SLPs do during the summer that is actually worth enough to make a living? And is there anything I should do to get more experience?

00:19:10.500 — 00:20:08.020 · Speaker 1
There are a lot of different things you can do. I know a lot of myself, especially now that I'm working teletherapy because we do not typically get extended school year contracts as a as a contract to tell a therapist. They do a lot of sniffs. And you can also contract with early intervention. And then there are school districts because they don't have a lot of work during the summer, and maybe their SLPs, their school based SLPs are not working during the summer.

You can reach out to your local school districts and see if you can contract with them. It might not be a school that you're going to be going to. It might just be something in your area. So sniffs hospitals. And then if you can't find anything that's that pays. I mean it's really hard to find something that pays for, you know, 12 weeks.

Um, volunteer, go to schools, go to early learning centers, go to a hospital and shadow a speech pathologist that's doing something very, very niche. Modified barium swallows something like that, that you can get a little bit of experience. You might not be getting paid, but there are lots of opportunities out there that you can and things that you can do.

00:20:08.060 — 00:20:43.820 · Speaker 2
Definitely. And I know with Am healthcare. So we'll talk about this later. But we are. The podcast is sponsored by Am and we have travel contracts as well. So if you're like, actually, maybe I want to try out New York City for a few weeks in the summer or whatever. There's always those kinds of opportunities also.

So our next question feeling really conflicted. I got a job offer for a pediatric outpatient clinic for my CF year, and I'm not thrilled with the hours. And I have two other job interviews, but I'm scared I won't get the other jobs and they want an answer by tomorrow morning. What do I do?

00:20:44.460 — 00:21:37.620 · Speaker 1
Oh goodness, that is a tough question. I would say if it's not what you really want and there are other jobs out there, I would hold off and I would interview for something that fit my personal schedule. That was something that I really wanted, because if you get into a job and you go into a job or except one that you already know, the hours are not something that's going to work for you.

You're already starting off on a bad foot. And we work. You work too much in your life to not enjoy it, and that is what I if I will. I'm answering this as if my daughter were asking me this question. Yeah, it probably is some young 20 year old, I would say, don't take the job that you know already. You have something negative about it.

There are other jobs out there and it will work out. And I would find something that I really, really wanted that really worked with my schedule. That's what I would say.

00:21:37.660 — 00:21:57.980 · Speaker 2
Yeah. We actually someone who was we were talking to at Asha, I think they were asking you, but kind of seeing like the outlook of the speech language pathology field and it's there's a lot of opportunities out there even. I mean with Am without but there I mean the opportunities are there to really find something that you love.

Mhm.

00:21:58.020 — 00:22:04.460 · Speaker 1
There is and I would say definitely, you know we just work too much to not enjoy it 100%.

00:22:04.500 — 00:22:28.500 · Speaker 2
Okay. So our next question, any middle school SLPs accepted a CF position at a middle school and would love to hear some positive words. Slash tips about the setting. Was hoping to get early childhood position, but it didn't work out. Don't get me wrong, I'm excited for the middle school, but I am feeling a little disappointed about not getting the early childhood opportunity.

What would you tell someone who didn't get the setting that they wanted?

00:22:28.700 — 00:23:37.700 · Speaker 1
I would tell you to make the absolute most of this opportunity. I have I had never worked with older kids in middle school or high school kids. I haven't worked with middle school, but with high school kids I did for four years. And I was very nervous about it and I absolutely loved it. It is a very different ballgame working with middle school kids, and I know if you've got your heart set on something, you can always get that experience other places.

But working with middle school kids, my daughter is a middle school math teacher, and some of the things that she tells me about these kids is absolutely hysterical. I will tell you, you better have a thick skin because they're going to be very, very honest with you. But if it's not the exact setting that you want, that's okay.

I mean, you're going to get experience Because anything you do, you're going to grow your skill set, and that's what's important. You're learning something new with the population that let's be honest. Middle school is not the most popular population out there. Not everybody wants to work with middle school and high school with speech, but I think it's going to be a great learning opportunity, and I would just make the most of it.

And it's going to be fun and they're going to make you laugh, I promise you that.

00:23:37.740 — 00:24:02.980 · Speaker 2
Definitely. You'll definitely have some stories. I'm looking at the comments one. Shout out to Sierra. She said all experience is good experience on your resume and that you can definitely see that. And then we also have Summer who commented. She said I became an SLP to help people have a voice and communicate effectively, which is really right when you like, boil it down, that's the meat of, you know, you're the love and soul that you put into that kind of work.

00:24:02.980 — 00:24:08.220 · Speaker 1
So I think that's why we all do it. And just the human connection too. For me.

00:24:08.340 — 00:24:27.020 · Speaker 2
Yeah, absolutely. Okay. Our next question. If I graduate in August, should I wait a couple more months to apply to CFS. I feel like it's too early, but I've passed my Praxis and just have one more semester. I'm also having trouble finding any open positions for CS. I'm in the Tampa Bay area.

00:24:27.180 — 00:25:45.290 · Speaker 1
Okay, I'm going to be very honest. Call and am in recruiter and am in recruiter is going to help you find a job in the Tampa Bay area. They're going to have they're going to have access to jobs that you might not be able to see when you do your online search and know it is not too early to start applying for CS. If you've already passed your praxis Praxis, then you're ready to go.

All you got to do is just finish this out and graduate, so it's never too early to start talking with a recruiter. Tell them that Michelle sent you. There you go. Yes you can. And if you don't want to talk. If you if talking. Because I feel like some people are a little intimidated to reach out to a recruiter because they're like, oh my goodness, they're going to be calling me every day and they're going to be holding me and they're not.

Um, that that's not what the am. I can say that for am. Am recruiters are going to reach out to you, the recruiter that helped get me started and, um, make that transition was so patient with me. Bless your heart. Um, but yeah, you can also go on to our impasse. You don't have to be an employee of Am. Um, but you can download the app and you can search the jobs that way, and you can filter it by a million different things.

So not too early. Go ahead and start applying and reach out to an Am recruiter and tell them, Michelle San.

00:25:45.330 — 00:26:26.530 · Speaker 2
Definitely. I know, I think you you have had a few recruiters on the podcast, and I feel like one thing they've said a lot is you tell them how you want to communicate. So if you, you know, if you don't graduate until August and you're like, okay, I want to wait until June before I find a position and, you know, you have a few months till then, if you want to say, okay, only text me every other week or I want once a month, if you could just find me jobs in this criteria or only message me if you if it's critical you definitely you know so talking to them is you know the best way to let them know like what you want and they they will work with that.

Yeah, definitely.

00:26:26.530 — 00:27:19.170 · Speaker 1
I know when we were at Asha, I love listening to our recruiters talk to people, and I love listening to their spiel about Am and what they can do and how they help and get that process started. And there were people that were talking to Paige and Jill and everyone there. I don't, you know, it was November and they're like, I just this is my first semester, or I don't graduate until next August.

And they're like, that's okay. Let's let's go ahead and get connected. Let's get each other's information. And like you said, you want once a month email. You want a text message, you want one phone call. Don't call me I'll call you whatever you want. Yeah. Because you are the driver. And I think I think Jill said this, that you as the SLP, you're the driver.

And the recruiter is the navigation and I'll tell you where to go. And so it's just a it's a great relationship. And if you can find someone that you trust. And that's with my recruiters at Am. So yeah definitely.

00:27:19.210 — 00:27:49.010 · Speaker 2
Yeah definitely. And I think one thing is, um, it takes some time sometimes to find your perfect, you know, the job. If you had a big criteria like, I only want to be in this state and I only want, you know, sometimes that can take some time if you're open then and see where the wind takes you, that that's one thing, but definitely it's never too early to see.

Okay. So we're going to rapid fire a few of these questions. So what's one thing that SLB students should stop stressing about?

00:27:49.130 — 00:28:16.170 · Speaker 1
Knowing everything. Don't don't think that you should know everything. Um, it is a very diverse field. You're going to be trained, you're going to have the knowledge in all of the different areas, and you're going to be able to hone in on those skills as you practice, as you learn. Connecting with a mentor.

But don't stress when you come out of school and think that you should know everything because you you you don't, you can't. I've been doing this 26 years and I don't know everything.

00:28:16.170 — 00:28:18.450 · Speaker 2
So that's why you have to listen to this podcast.

00:28:18.490 — 00:28:19.250 · Speaker 1
That's right.

00:28:19.530 — 00:28:24.290 · Speaker 2
Okay. So you you kind of answer this question, but is it normal to feel like you don't know enough?

00:28:24.330 — 00:29:11.370 · Speaker 1
Absolutely. Just like I was talking about with the fluency and the apraxia, when we had when we recorded with Kaylie and the feeding therapy. She's in the NICU. She does. I mean, I'm like, I would not have any idea what to do in the NICU with a baby that needed feeding therapy. Like, I wouldn't know where to begin.

And I think in the podcast, she said, I would have no idea what to do if I was in a school system and someone referred an articulation child to me, like I would have no idea what to do. So yeah, I mean, it's it's normal to feel like you don't know enough, but you do. You have it's okay to say you don't know and it's okay to say I just There's no way to know all of the information because this field is massively diverse.

00:29:11.410 — 00:29:17.330 · Speaker 2
Definitely. Next question. What should a new grad look for in a CF position?

00:29:17.410 — 00:30:12.650 · Speaker 1
Mentorship? Absolutely. Making sure that you have someone that is seasoned, that you trust, that is accessible and available and will sit down with you and answer your questions and talk you off a ledge. Because during that clinical fellowship, you're going back to those two previous questions. You're going to be put in situations where you are the expert because you are the expert, and you may not feel like you're the expert in all of those, you know, in all of those situations.

But you are you're going to need support. You're going to need someone that's going to be able to walk you through it. Because even I mean, in the school system, there's so much to know from the, you know, referral process to IEPs to transitions to, you know, RSP services and all of that. There's so much to know.

And make sure you have a mentor and someone there that's available to you. That definitely important thing to me.

00:30:12.690 — 00:30:17.650 · Speaker 2
So our last question, what's one reminder every new SLP needs to hear.

00:30:17.730 — 00:30:46.610 · Speaker 1
That it is okay to not know everything, and it is okay to say I don't know, but I will find out. And that's something that I learned a little bit later. I think that comes with maturity, but just being calm. Also, you are an expert. You are trained, you are ready. You do know, you may not know, you know, but you do.

Yeah. So and just don't be afraid to ask for help. And don't be afraid to reach out and ask those questions.

00:30:46.650 — 00:31:19.370 · Speaker 2
Yeah, no, that is a great, great answer. And to our SLPs who are just joining to like I said earlier, we have a giveaway going on right now. So if you comment in our comment section why you became an SLP or your favorite thing about being an SLP. You'll be entered to win one of our $100 gift cards, so make sure you check that out.

And I think, Michelle, it is about time to welcome a special guest. Yay! Yeah, I think she is about to jump on. Oh, and here she is.

00:31:20.450 — 00:31:20.970 · Speaker 2
Hey.

00:31:21.330 — 00:31:22.890 · Speaker 3
So excited to be here.

00:31:23.250 — 00:31:39.370 · Speaker 1
Yes. Thank you so much for joining us, everyone. This is Jill panel. Jill is very special to me, and I was so excited that I got to meet her and give her a hug at Asha last year. We have been working together for how many years? Jill? Five.

00:31:39.610 — 00:31:40.690 · Speaker 3
Five? Yeah, big five.

00:31:40.730 — 00:32:00.850 · Speaker 1
Big five years. And yes, last November was the first time that I had we had ever met in person, and she had walked up to me in the grocery store. I wouldn't have. And if she was, we talked on the phone, we emailed, we would text. We were in constant communication for five years, and we finally got to meet in November at Ashley's.

So Jill, welcome and thank you so much for joining us today.

00:32:00.970 — 00:32:04.690 · Speaker 3
Thanks for having me, Michel. Anytime I get FaceTime with you, it's a good day.

00:32:04.730 — 00:32:32.170 · Speaker 1
Oh, I love that. So yes, Jill used to be my recruiter, and she is also the one who recommended me for the podcast job. And so that is why Jill was one of my first guests, because I said, I'm going to return the favor and you're going to be a guest on the podcast since you recommended. But I'm so thankful for that that she is no longer a recruiter.

Jill, um, congratulations on your recent promotion to Am an Alumni Ambassador program.

00:32:32.170 — 00:32:46.650 · Speaker 3
Thank you so much. Yeah, just earlier this year, I was promoted to director of our university program for Allied and Alumni Ambassadors. Has become my baby. One of our most fun projects that we've been working on for our university team.

00:32:46.690 — 00:32:56.490 · Speaker 1
Yeah. So tell us a little bit about that. I know you and I did a presentation a few weeks ago together, and we have one coming up in the summer. So tell us what the what this program is all about.

00:32:56.570 — 00:33:28.730 · Speaker 3
Yeah. So the whole purpose of this program is it's it's really about connection. So it's connecting upcoming graduates, current students with more tenured people in their field. So we're looking for people who are whether they're an Am clinician or not, a more experienced SLP who can connect us with their alma mater so that we can go in with them and present to their coming graduating cohorts.

About Ammons supportive new grad program and what it looks like to be a traveler as a new grad. Mhm. Yeah.

00:33:28.730 — 00:33:32.450 · Speaker 1
So who did we speak to? Saint Augustine, is that where we.

00:33:32.690 — 00:33:36.050 · Speaker 3
Yeah. We spoke to the Saint Augustine uh initial chapter.

00:33:36.090 — 00:34:02.890 · Speaker 1
Yes. And then we have a presentation coming up with the University of Mississippi, Ole Miss. And it's just it's a great way, like you said, to make those connections and to get seasoned SLPs connected with people coming out of the new grad program so that they have because we were just talking about what is what is the most important thing during that clinical fellowship year.

And it's having a mentor is having someone that you can reach out to and ask those questions to. So yeah, tell us a little bit about a little bit more about the program.

00:34:03.130 — 00:34:06.570 · Speaker 3
Yeah. So alumni ambassadors or university as a whole.

00:34:06.650 — 00:34:27.210 · Speaker 1
Let's do alumni ambassador because that what's what's really cool about that is you don't have to be an Am an employee. And so I think that's really cool. So any SLP that's out there that's seasoned, you can be a part of this program. And you would just reach out to Jill, tell them how they get started with this.

00:34:27.250 — 00:35:21.240 · Speaker 3
Yeah. So there's actually a signup link. I'm sure we can include it in our chat here. And you'll just go on and fill out that form. It's just going to ask you your discipline, what university you'd like to connect with, and then your basic contact and information so that the university team or myself can get in touch with you.

But we're going to connect with you and talk about, you know, what your connection is with this university. Is it one that you attended or just one that's local to you? What how are you wanting to present? Do you want to go in? In person? Do you want to do virtual with us? But at the end of the day, it's really about, you know, a student group being able to hear from someone who's been in their shoes, you know, whether they've been a traveler or not, whether they work perm, no matter what facility type of facility they work in, they're still hearing directly from someone who is, you know, making it out there in the field and, you know, growing their experience beyond what students have encountered quite yet.

00:35:21.360 — 00:36:08.840 · Speaker 1
Right. And there I was so surprised that all of the questions that we got when we did that, that one presentation, I was like floored. I mean, there was they were just like one after the other and they were such good questions. And a lot of them are about that clinical fellowship year. What does that clinical fellowship year look like?

Because that is the next big step. But also just understanding what is out there as far as jobs are concerned. You mentioned perm. You mentioned travel. You mentioned, you know, there's teletherapy, there are so many local contracts, there are so many different things. And I think you're right, just being able to hear from someone that has been there and done that and understand that it is a big change and it can be scary, but there are people there that are going to help you, right?

00:36:09.240 — 00:36:33.440 · Speaker 3
Yeah, absolutely. And I think it always comes down to you don't know what you don't know. So, you know, I feel like we get different, you know, different questions. And every, you know, cohort that we meet with, you know, a lot of times we hear that these students are completely unaware that travel is an option as a new grad.

So, you know, those are always kind of fun conversations to have because it can really get people excited about what the possibilities are.

00:36:33.720 — 00:37:43.320 · Speaker 1
Yeah. And, you know, we were talking about this earlier that this generation just has so much more information at their fingertips than I did back in the late 1900s. You know, we didn't have podcasts, we didn't have apps, we didn't have all of that. And I was telling Brianna earlier in the podcast that I did not I had no idea that Teletherapy was even a thing.

And a lot of people are under the misconception that it came about during the pandemic, and it didn't. It's always been around. It's been around for many, many years, and it's only growing and it's allowing so many different people to end school districts and families and individuals to access these speech and language services.

And you're right, just being able to connect with SLPs and find out what's out there, because these students, a lot of students are not aware, and I think that sometimes they get a little overwhelmed and worried about talking with the travel company because they don't want to get locked into something.

But understanding that the you tell them where you want to go. And I think I've told that story before, that when I first got started, I said, okay, well, where am I going? Or I think maybe Elle asked me, where do you want to go? And I was like, I don't even understand what what the question is.

00:37:43.360 — 00:37:43.920 · Speaker 2
Like, aren't you.

00:37:43.920 — 00:37:44.520 · Speaker 3
Supposed to tell me.

00:37:44.840 — 00:38:14.840 · Speaker 1
I'm not black? And she was like, what? I was like, wait, wait, what? And she was like, what? And we were just, like, very confused. And she goes, where do you want to work? And I said, well, I thought you found the job and just said, you're going here. And she's like, no, you tell me, where do you want to go to Texas?

Do you want to go to Florida? Would you like to go to California? Do you like to go to Baltimore? Would you like to go here? Where would you like to go? And then the recruiter is able to kind of hone in on those areas and let you know what the job market is like in those areas and find a good fit for you.

00:38:14.880 — 00:38:57.880 · Speaker 2
So, yeah, it's funny you said that to Michelle. I know Jill and Michelle, you've both talked on this, but when we were at Asha, I feel like the overwhelming sentiment we got from Newark or people who were about to graduate was, you know, I didn't think you were supposed to travel after you graduate, like your first year.

You're not supposed to. And for some reason, that was really stuck. And we see it on our TikTok. A lot of people saying, like, you know, I thought you weren't supposed to travel for your first year, or could that hinder you getting experience or a mentor or things like that. So it's nice that you know this program.

You're able to be connected with those students earlier so that they know those opportunities are out there.

00:38:58.600 — 00:39:16.400 · Speaker 3
Yeah, absolutely. And I think, you know, there's there's a lot of misconceptions about how, you know, travel could be like like Michelle said, you're just being told where to go. There's a lack of support. You're just being thrown to the wolves. And it's you know, it's always nice to have an opportunity to to make it clear that that that's just not the case.

00:39:16.480 — 00:40:47.160 · Speaker 1
Yeah. I mean, Am has an amazing mentor program. We have an amazing clinical team that's there to support you outside of your recruiter. Even if you're traveling during your clinical fellowship year, Am is going to pair you with a very seasoned supervisor that they have that am themselves a vet to make sure that these SLPs are trained and that they know what they're doing, and that they're going to be available and accessible to you to get all of those hours in during your clinical fellowship year.

And now you add on top of that this new Alumni Ambassador program, where you are even further connecting clinical fellows or new grads with people from their universities. And just the the connections are endless and you can just meet more and more people. So, Jill, you actually introduced me to my friend Caitlin that lives in Texas, and she and I still talk to this day and we met.

I think we were both working in a when I made the move out to Teletherapy in California. She was there. But Jill made that connection for me. And it is a friendship. I mean, she and her wife came to Cabo San Lucas and stayed with us, and we had never met before. And that's where we met for the first time, was when they came to Cabo to see us, because we had talked on the phone and had, you know, communicated so much.

So just the connections you can make. And I think that's another thing about Teletherapy, too, is people think that you're so isolated and you're not. I mean, look at me. I'm here on the computer talking to you and Jill, and we're all in three different places, you know? It's just great, I love that.

00:40:47.200 — 00:40:58.560 · Speaker 2
It's very cool. And I know you guys also are doing so. You don't have to be in person to do these presentations. So you've been able to do virtual presentations as well. Yes.

00:40:58.600 — 00:41:05.160 · Speaker 1
So essentially I did was a virtual but the one summer is going to be in person. So that's going to be interesting to see how that works.

00:41:05.200 — 00:41:27.320 · Speaker 3
Yeah, I would say the vast majority of what we do is virtual. So, you know, if you know, if you no longer live near your alma mater, that's 100% okay. We can do teams or zoom. And honestly, it makes it easier for one of us on the university team to join you so that we can kind of be that backup for you from like, the Am sort of business side.

And then you can you're free to just talk about your experience as an SLP in the field.

00:41:27.440 — 00:42:21.440 · Speaker 1
Yeah. And just so you guys know what that presentation looks like, if you're interested, I would highly recommend you reach out to Jill and do this because it was super fun. It's a great way to make connections, but we hopped on the zoom. Jill introduced herself, I introduced myself, and we also had Julie Dare with us.

She's another person on your team, and they just talked about the Alumni Ambassador program and then talked a little bit about Am, what it looks like working with the recruiter, what type of job opportunities we have available, and then they just started asking questions. What is it like to be a traveler?

What is it like to be teletherapy? What is it? You know, what about this? What about that? And so it was very it was very easy. It was not nerve wracking at all. Um, but yeah, I would highly recommend reaching out to Jill and getting involved in this program. And the best thing about it, I believe, is that you don't have to be an an employee to do this.

So. Great. Yeah.

00:42:21.800 — 00:42:28.720 · Speaker 2
Jill, is there anything else that we need to know from the university side, the program side, anything like that?

00:42:28.720 — 00:42:45.840 · Speaker 3
I don't think so. I mean, definitely tune in to our upcoming episode about alumni ambassadors, because there's a lot more information and a longer form episode. But if you're curious at all, even if you're not 100% sure that you want to do it. Just fill out the form and get in touch with us. We can talk through how everything works and we can go from there.

00:42:45.840 — 00:42:53.160 · Speaker 2
Before you go. You are also at Asha. I'm putting you on the spot. But what was some of your favorite moments from Asha this past year?

00:42:53.520 — 00:43:14.880 · Speaker 3
Oh my gosh. Asha was like the best time. It really was incredibly fun. We served dirty sodas. We had like cookie fresh baked cookie cookies in the booth. We were doing really fun stuff with social media. We got to attend the Nyla Awards night. I mean, it was just like one fantastic thing after another. I was like, on cloud nine for all of Asha.

00:43:14.920 — 00:43:21.080 · Speaker 1
Yeah, it's so fun and I'm looking so forward. I can't believe it's May and Asha is going to be here before we know it.

00:43:21.280 — 00:43:42.760 · Speaker 2
It's crazy. Yeah, I know it's funny to think about. Of course, when we were at Asha, the connections like number one. That was so much fun meeting everybody and Michelle with us for the podcast. But I was like, man, when I think about it, the food was really good. We had some good dinners at the booth. We had, like you said, the dirty sodas, the cookies, the donuts, the cakes.

00:43:42.760 — 00:43:44.920 · Speaker 1
We had two huge cakes.

00:43:45.320 — 00:43:48.160 · Speaker 2
Yeah, we were feeding the whole conference. Yeah.

00:43:48.200 — 00:43:52.880 · Speaker 1
It was. Yeah, I came home, I think 5 pounds extra. Then I went because he.

00:43:52.880 — 00:43:53.680 · Speaker 2
Ate good times.

00:43:53.680 — 00:43:55.840 · Speaker 1
Entire time. Yeah. It was fun.

00:43:55.920 — 00:44:04.320 · Speaker 2
Yes. And Jill, your episode will be out in this month in May for SLP month. So we're so excited. I know you guys had a great conversation.

00:44:04.360 — 00:44:09.520 · Speaker 1
We did. It was Jill's second time on the podcast and probably not her last, so just be ready.

00:44:09.560 — 00:44:18.320 · Speaker 3
Yeah, and there's definitely some money incentives for participating in the Alumni Ambassador program. So definitely tune in to our full episode to learn more about that.

00:44:18.360 — 00:44:21.040 · Speaker 1
Yeah. Jill, thank you so much for being here.

00:44:21.520 — 00:44:24.280 · Speaker 3
Absolutely. Thanks for having me. Happy SLP month.

00:44:24.320 — 00:44:26.560 · Speaker 1
Thank you. All right. We'll talk to you soon.

00:44:26.560 — 00:44:27.200 · Speaker 3
All righty.

00:44:27.240 — 00:44:31.160 · Speaker 2
Bye bye. Hi, Michelle. It was so fun.

00:44:31.160 — 00:44:33.880 · Speaker 1
I love her, she's, like one of my favorite people.

00:44:34.000 — 00:44:38.670 · Speaker 2
Isn't it crazy that she was your recruiter and you met her for the first time at Asha.

00:44:38.710 — 00:44:46.470 · Speaker 1
I know, I know, I was so excited and I, you know, I've only had two recruiters since I've been with am.

00:44:46.790 — 00:44:50.150 · Speaker 2
You know. And someone asked in the chat, who was your first recruiter?

00:44:50.150 — 00:45:18.350 · Speaker 1
So I, I started with Aman before they were when we first started we were a different company and then Am acquired them. So I had a girl named Elle and she was amazing. And then I had Jill and Jill just passed me off to Paige. And although I was sad to to leave Jill, I'm just as excited to have Paige because she's also been on the podcast and she is amazing.

I got a text message from her this morning actually.

00:45:18.390 — 00:45:45.950 · Speaker 2
Oh yeah. She is the best. I was gonna say shout out to Paige. She is actually hosting a clinician get together in Florida. Oh. I'm fine. I know, I wish I was closer. So if you are an SLP in Florida, or if you're just listening and are an amateur traveler. Um, go to pages, social media. Am a recruiter. Um, and she has all the information.

It's going to be so much fun. I'm so jealous.

00:45:46.110 — 00:45:46.950 · Speaker 1
She's awesome.

00:45:46.990 — 00:46:32.350 · Speaker 2
Yes. Okay, so we have been rocking and rolling, but one thing. So we kind of caught been calling it out. But if you are an SLP listening comment on this live and say why you became an SLP or your favorite thing about being an SLP, and you'll be entered to win one of our $100 gift cards that we're giving away. So that's very exciting.

Um, but all of this also is possible is made possible by Am healthcare. So that is who this podcast is sponsored by. We have traveled positions all over every state in the US. Um, and Michelle, we have some. This morning I was sent some really cool jobs and I thought we could go through because I know we have some graduates that are coming up this month.

00:46:32.390 — 00:47:13.830 · Speaker 1
It's That's so exciting, I love it. Brianna, you're just amazing with all the social media and it's yours. I mean, it's just great. I love watching our TikToks and all the things. When it first started coming out and I was sharing it with all my friends, they were like, oh my gosh, you're doing a great job.

I was like, no, no, no, that is not me. That is the young Brianna I call it. I call you all the young kids. I'm like, that's the young kids over there doing the social media. But you do such a fantastic job and I really appreciate everything. Thank you podcast. It's just great. And then you put me on the spot when we were at Asha giving me that microphone, and then you were in that place and asking me questions.

I was like, oh my gosh. But yeah, we have a really good time on this podcast. That's one thing that we do, but I love the TikToks that show the jobs.

00:47:13.870 — 00:48:54.950 · Speaker 2
Yeah, yeah, those are some jobs. Yeah, those are some of our top performing we and that's I think a lot of people are just interested in what opportunities are out there. Sometimes it's, you know, I want to keep this in my back pocket for six months from now. Sometimes it's, you know, I didn't even know there was opportunities in that area.

So that has been, you know, a lot of fun to see. And also, like you said, I mean, I did not know much about SLP, you know, this community, this job at all before really starting with this podcast. And it's been so much fun to see online. I know you see that the same, um, of just the amazing work that's being out there, some one person, um, that we follow on the TikTok account is the singing SLP.

Oh yeah. Um, Kevin and he just posts, you know, it's so fun to see the people who we've had on the podcast, the communities that they're building, and every once would all be fun to say, like, you know, they'll post something and, you know, they get so much great feedback and everyone. So I will just say, you know, he has a great episode on our podcast.

So make sure you go listen. So it's really fun to see that. But yeah, going into our job. So I got some really cool jobs that were sent to me this morning. So we have a position in the Tampa Bay, Florida area for an SLP that is a clinical fellow. So also another thing is a lot of people didn't realize that they could, you know, travel for their CF year, nor did they realize that they could travel with a friend.

So we have two positions in four CFS. Our other one is in reading, Pennsylvania. Which have you been to? Pennsylvania?

00:48:54.990 — 00:48:56.990 · Speaker 1
Yes. It's Baltimore.

00:48:57.030 — 00:48:57.590 · Speaker 2
Oh yes.

00:48:57.630 — 00:49:03.430 · Speaker 1
Yes, really explored Pennsylvania and didn't know much about Pennsylvania. It is so beautiful.

00:49:03.510 — 00:49:05.630 · Speaker 2
It is. It's so much fun.

00:49:05.990 — 00:49:07.750 · Speaker 1
Um, so much history there.

00:49:07.790 — 00:49:22.910 · Speaker 2
Yeah, yeah, it's very cool that. And it's funny to see, like, some of these places I would have never really guessed that would be so much fun. Um, Claudia, one of our SLPs who went to Asia with us.

00:49:22.950 — 00:49:23.430 · Speaker 1
Yes.

00:49:23.470 — 00:49:30.710 · Speaker 2
Um, she is in Vermont. Vermont? And that's another place I just I don't think that would have been on the top of my list.

00:49:30.790 — 00:49:31.950 · Speaker 1
She's from Florida.

00:49:31.990 — 00:49:33.030 · Speaker 2
Yeah. Yes.

00:49:33.070 — 00:49:37.310 · Speaker 1
Heat in the hot. And then she was like, I just wanted to go to Vermont to see what it was like.

00:49:37.350 — 00:49:38.350 · Speaker 2
And she loves it.

00:49:38.830 — 00:49:39.190 · Speaker 1
Yeah.

00:49:39.190 — 00:49:47.510 · Speaker 2
And so she she just I believe she extended her contract. Or she's also thinking about Washington State, I believe.

00:49:47.550 — 00:49:59.950 · Speaker 1
Yes. Okay. And, Asher, remember when we were at Asher, she actually basically interviewed with the school district? Yeah. And on the West Coast, like, I think in Washington state and got the job while we were at Asher.

00:50:00.030 — 00:50:01.670 · Speaker 2
Yeah. So she has.

00:50:01.670 — 00:50:02.150 · Speaker 1
Been.

00:50:02.990 — 00:50:11.670 · Speaker 2
Yeah. And she's been loving it. We'd love seeing all of her TikToks as well. She's unable to make it today. She is traveling. Of course, our travel, you know.

00:50:11.950 — 00:50:14.830 · Speaker 1
Traveling SLP is traveling. Yeah. How ironic.

00:50:15.070 — 00:50:55.230 · Speaker 2
Um, but. So we have a really great opportunity for CPH positions in both Tampa starting in August. And then we also have in Pennsylvania starting in August and both of these positions. One of them needs a few clinical fellows. One needs two. So a lot of people did realize that you could like, travel with a friend.

So if you're graduating with a friend right now and you're like, you're both interested in travel, you're thinking about it. You could reach out to a recruiter and say like, hey, I, me and my best friend Michelle want to go travel together? Like, we want to find positions that we can be in the same area together.

So that is really cool to see. Like, that's not something I would have ever thought about.

00:50:55.270 — 00:50:57.030 · Speaker 1
Yeah, that would be so fun.

00:50:57.070 — 00:51:09.150 · Speaker 2
Yeah. We also have our third job. We have one in Denver, Colorado, an SLP in a school setting starting in August. Denver is also a very cool place to be.

00:51:09.190 — 00:51:13.110 · Speaker 1
It really is. I love the Colorado Rockies stadium. It is so cool.

00:51:13.310 — 00:51:23.190 · Speaker 2
Yeah, it is a gorgeous place to be. We're actually trying to go back later this year for the Red Rocks Amphitheater. Yes, yes. Um.

00:51:23.550 — 00:51:27.310 · Speaker 1
Wetzel is actually actually playing there in the fall because I've already looked at tickets.

00:51:27.350 — 00:51:59.070 · Speaker 2
Yeah. Uh huh. I know, see? And it would be so like some of these things that are like, such a bucket list of things. It'd be so crazy to be, like, just right down the road from it. Yeah. Like, if you took a travel position in Denver, let's say you wanted to do it for one school year. You could the for the whole year.

Hopefully your favorite artist might be traveling and you could just go right down the road. That's so crazy for us. I'm in North Carolina. You know, we're we're like, okay, if we go, we gotta find hotel, Airbnb or, you know, flights, all of those things.

00:51:59.190 — 00:52:10.470 · Speaker 1
And Denver is just so beautiful. Denver and the entire surrounding area, it's just beautiful. And my friends that lived out there, I mean, they were every time I looked up, they were hiking or canoeing.

00:52:10.470 — 00:52:11.870 · Speaker 2
Yeah. There's so much.

00:52:11.910 — 00:52:20.030 · Speaker 1
More skiing or doing something outdoorsy. So if you're not an outdoorsy person, probably not Denver. But if you are, that's the place to be.

00:52:20.070 — 00:52:39.470 · Speaker 2
Yes, Definitely. Okay. And our last position actually we have two more, but we have a medical position. Also, a lot of people didn't realize that we are not just schools. We do have medical SLP positions. So this one is in a short term acute care hospital in Mountain View, California. California would be fun.

00:52:39.510 — 00:52:50.030 · Speaker 1
California weather. Yeah, I had never been to California until I started working out there, and I've made several trips out there now in different parts of California and I. The weather.

00:52:50.190 — 00:52:50.830 · Speaker 2
Yes.

00:52:50.830 — 00:52:52.550 · Speaker 1
Is to die for.

00:52:52.670 — 00:54:01.470 · Speaker 2
It really is. I know, and you're so close to a lot of things, like I'm just I'm used to being on the East Coast. So when when we were in California for a little bit, I was like, man, like, it's so easy to go to Vegas. It's, you know, we really contemplated visiting Hawaii because you're we'll probably never be closer.

You know, we're in North Carolina, so there's so many opportunities. Seattle like to see parts of the country that especially, you know, when you think about traveling, you traveling the world, of course, but there's so much to see just within the United States. Yeah. So in our last position, we have a school based position starting soon actually in May.

So if you're thinking about taking a plunge, if you are, you know, on the fence, you want more information. We have a position in Albuquerque, New Mexico and a school position. So we have stuff that is for whatever time frame. If you're looking for May if you're looking for August, if you want more information, either comment below or take a look at some of those links.

Download passport. We have some really amazing recruiters, just like Michelle said, so we have a lot of good stuff going on.

00:54:01.550 — 00:54:08.630 · Speaker 1
Yes, and so if you reach out to a recruiter for a job, make sure to tell them that Michelle sent you so that I can get that referral. That would be great.

00:54:08.670 — 00:54:09.230 · Speaker 2
Yeah.

00:54:09.670 — 00:55:18.740 · Speaker 1
I know the great thing about that passport app is you can you can filter it down so specific that it makes it in that, and it's just very easy to navigate. You know, a lot of times apps are not easy, but the Am passport app is I mean, as a as an Am tell off air face, it's my hub for everything. That's where I submit timesheets.

That's where I submit reimbursements. I mean, that's where I can get in touch with my clinical team or, you know, the licensing and credentialing team. So everything is in one place. But if you're just looking and you're searching and I also want to we keep talking about travel contracts and I want to specify this really quickly.

I know we're probably running up close to an hour, but we also travel contracts mean obviously that you move away from your home. But I think you have to be within 50 miles, so you might live. Let's say you live in a big metropolitan area, and there is a let's say you live in the Denver area and you would like to to take that Denver, you want to apply for that Denver job.

You can you wouldn't be considered a traveler if you live within a certain radius of that district. But you could take a local contract so you can still work with Am and not travel and have to leave your home.

00:55:18.940 — 00:55:27.580 · Speaker 2
And not have to worry about all the million applications and you know all of that paperwork. You'll have a credentialing team. You know you have that support.

00:55:27.620 — 00:55:50.300 · Speaker 1
Yes. So I live in a very rural area, small town Mississippi. So that wouldn't be, you know, feasible for me, likely. But if you live in a Denver or a Tampa Bay or a Dallas, a Houston, a Philly, you know, those big areas anywhere in California, you might be able to take a local contract. Um, and the recruiter will be able to walk you through that.

00:55:50.340 — 00:56:18.380 · Speaker 2
Yeah, definitely. Yeah. Michelle, I wanted to let you know we've had some really sweet comments. So we have a comment here saying my favorite thing about being an SLP is being able to unleash my creativity. And I get to work with babies and the elderly, my favorite populations. Also the flexibility that travel therapy offers.

We have another comment here from Catherine. My favorite thing about being an SLP is providing therapy to preschoolers who are non-verbal and later hearing them speak their first words.

00:56:18.420 — 00:56:23.260 · Speaker 1
Oh yes, that will bring tears to your eyes. Yeah. I mean, I've cried. I've cried before.

00:56:23.540 — 00:57:16.340 · Speaker 2
Yeah, that those are some very, very great comments. And just again, if you are just joining or hadn't heard, we're doing a giveaway comment. Your favorite thing about being an SLP or why you became an SLP and you'll be entered to win. In our giveaway, we're giving away five $100 gift cards. Also, we have the links in there that our producer shared.

We are giving a ticket a free ticket away to Asha. This year we're going to Indianapolis and it also comes with a $1,000 travel gift card. So please be sure to check that out. A free free Asha trip would be amazing, so please check that out. Um, Michelle we are. It looks like we are at time. Happy SLP month. Is there anything that you want to say to the SLPs who are listening our podcast listeners?

Um, as we enter the month of May in celebrating all our SLPs out there.

00:57:16.820 — 00:57:41.220 · Speaker 1
Just thank you. Thank you for working with students. Babies, toddlers, elementary school, middle school, high school, geriatrics. Just thank you for everything that you do. Our jobs are not always easy, but we need to celebrate ourselves and we also need to celebrate one another. So thank you for being a part of this amazing SLP community.

00:57:41.460 — 00:57:45.020 · Speaker 2
And thank you Michel. Yeah, this has been great.

00:57:45.020 — 00:57:50.100 · Speaker 1
This has been fun. So Brianna, thank you so much for joining us. And I think that it is that all we have.

00:57:50.100 — 00:58:25.740 · Speaker 2
I think that I think we're wrapped up. Um, if anyone else have questions or want to learn more, I see we have a comment about maybe one of our jobs that we kind of went over. Uh, we will send you a message to get more information to you. So if you have any questions, just let us know. And our episodes drop by weekly.

We have two really, really great episodes coming out. Claudia. Oh my gosh, I can't believe I didn't even say this when we were talking about her earlier. Claudia is going to be on the podcast. Yes. So we have a wonderful SLP who's going to be on the podcast. We're releasing her episode later this month, so we're so good.

Um, Michelle, happy SLP month. Thank you for all that you do.

00:58:25.780 — 00:58:32.260 · Speaker 1
You're welcome and thank you for all you do for the podcast. It has been super fun and we hope you all have a great okay.

00:58:32.300 — 00:58:33.100 · Speaker 2
Bye guys.

00:58:33.100 — 00:58:33.540 · Speaker 1
Bye!

00:58:35.140 — 00:59:01.540 · Speaker 1
Thank you for tuning in to SLP. Full disclosure you can learn more about this episode and our show on our website at AMN healthcare. Com. If you enjoyed this episode, share it with a friend and subscribe to our show on your favorite podcast platform. You can also find show updates and SLP opportunities on our Instagram at AMM ally.

Special thanks to AMM healthcare for making this show possible. See you all next time!