When I meet other SLPs and tell them what I do, one of the most common questions I’m asked is “How did you get started in telepractice?” I usually tell the short version of my story, but I’d like to share the unedited version with you.
The truth is, my journey to telepractice began with online teaching. My first full-time job as an SLP was working for a charter school in a small, rural town. The school used a “blended” learning approach, which meant that students did a combination of in-person and online classes. This also meant that students did not come into the school building everyday, so teachers (and the only SLP- me) would meet with students at home or in the community throughout the week.
Back then, online education was still fairly new in the world of K-12 education, and working at this type of school afforded me some unique learning opportunities that I don’t think I would have had in a traditional public school. As a new SLP, I was eager to get involved, learn, and help out as much as I could. So I volunteered to co-teach supplemental reading classes to help students prepare for standardized state testing. Around this time, we also had a guest speaker conduct an inservice on how to use an online platform to instruct students remotely. My reading co-teacher and I jumped on this opportunity to blend our in-person reading classes with an online option using a web-based videoconferencing platform…and the telepractice seed was planted.
Once I started seeing the benefits of students being able to interact in the reading class online from home, I wanted to try this with the students on my speech therapy caseload. I had previously been traveling to meet them at home and in the community on the days that they were not at school- and racking up miles to submit for reimbursement. The school principal gave me the green light to begin a pilot program with a few of my students. When I approached the parents to ask them to participate, they needed little convincing because their children were already using the same technology for their school classes.
Ten years ago, there weren’t any materials created specifically for telepractice. Boom learning did not exist, and there weren’t telepractice platforms with resources already built in for widespread use. So I spent a lot of time creating my own materials to use with my students. This was a feat that I found both fun and challenging.
It did not take long for me to realize some of the many benefits of telepractice:
- I was able to help more kids in less time,
- The kids were more engaged because they loved the technology, and
- I practically eliminated my mid-day commute.
Do you know what I LOVE MOST about telepractice?
No longer are we bound by weather conditions, time, or even location. Telepractice enables us to reach anyone, anywhere (as long as you have the appropriate state licenses, of course). I remember one particular day when I had to call out from work because I was literally stuck in a valley in the middle of a snowstorm and could not physically make it to work. I had been driving over a mountain to get to work everyday, and this was becoming nearly impossible on the snow-covered roads during the winter months. I eventually transitioned to working for a company where I was given the opportunity to do telepractice full-time, and my morning commute was just a few steps to my home office (with no snow).
I discovered telepractice very early in my career and have been providing services via telepractice for over 10 years. Many of you have taken a different path to starting your telepractice career. Now that you’ve read my story, I’d love to hear yours. Please comment below and share your telepractice journey. If you’re just getting started, that’s fine. I’d love to hear from you!
And be sure to check out my FREE online telepractice courses.
