SPEECH-LANGUAGE PATHOLOGY APPLICANT INTERVIEW TOPICS

Transcription

1 SPEECH-LANGUAGE PATHOLOGY APPLICANT INTERVIEW TOPICS The following topics were developed by University representatives to the TSHA/TCASE Joint Committee in the Spring of 2012 and shared with university SLP programs across the State. The objective of this document is to assist graduate students in developing pertinent questions to ask when interviewing for a position in the schools, in a rehabilitation facility, hospital, home health facility, with a contracting agency, etc. and to make comparisons across work settings. Responsibilities Expectations of new employees Related to position Indirectly related to position bus duty, lunch duty, recess supervision, assistance with administration of benchmark exams and the State Assessment, etc. Salary and Benefits Salary - Rate of pay hourly or salaried Pay schedule Frequency and amount of pay raises step increases Bonuses Signing, Master s degree, bilingual, other Stipends Master s degree, bilingual, other Benefits Medical, dental, vision, life insurance, etc. Work Schedule Length of contract 401K plan, pension, cafeteria plan tax free to be used for child care or medical payments Vacation, sick leave, professional days Payment of Texas licensure fee, membership in professional associations (TSHA, ASHA), ASHA certification fee, professional liability insurance Required to work holidays and/or weekends Minimum/maximum hours per week Guaranteed number of hours per week Opportunity for summer employment Availability of Flex scheduling full vs part-time, job-sharing (if necessary)

2 Clinical Fellowship Year (CFY) supervision completed within designated period of time Structure and routine of workday Designated lunch break, planning tie, time for collaboration with other professionals/parents, and time for IEP meetings that do not interfere with therapy Productivity Caseload size, required to maintain certain number of units, amount of time Types of cases Number of facilities/schools to be served Levels of schools elementary, secondary Designated special education programs housed in schools to be served Opportunity to collaborate with other professionals Opportunity to work in area of interest/specialization fluency, PPCD, AAC, Deaf/HI, etc. Paperwork requirements and deadlines Reimbursement Long term care Facilities current on payments, results of homes not reimbursing vendor Productivity/reimbursement emphasized more than quality of care Continuing Education In-services specific to speech-language pathology provided by school district, Regions ESCs, contracting agency Reimbursement for attendance at CE activities outside the work setting Attendance at TSHA Convention allowed/paid for Supervision Qualified supervisor available for CFY opportunity to meet person prior to employment Person to whom required to report Evaluation of performance, document used for evaluation, relationship of results to pay raises Mentoring Opportunity for continued support following CFY Assistants Required to supervise when qualified to do so

3 Travel Mileage reimbursement Resources Quality and quantity of necessary equipment/materials, supplies, assessment materials - opportunity to provide input and/or purchase directly Frequency of purchase of new/updated assessments/therapy materials Facility (ies) Type of clients Medicare A (recently discharged from hospital), Medicare B (long-time residents of nursing homes) Opportunity to visit work setting school/facility - prior to employment Opportunity to meet co-workers/nursing home staff prior to employment Quality environment physical work setting, degree of employee turnover Parental support Administrative support Other Dress code Clerical or Aide assistance provided

4 Preparation for an Interview Contracting agency Financial status of agency Stability of position Credentials of co-workers and administrators Accuracy of job advertisements high wages may mean poor work environment, emphasis on location rather than facility may mean less than desirable work setting Pressure/hard sell approach may mean that the agency has a hard time hiring staff Contract review carefully prior to signing Schools Advantages of being hired as an employee (rather than a contracted service) by a district Contract agency specifically providing services to schools- Advantages of being hired by an agency rather than directly by a district Impact on job if district discontinues contract Impact on wages if personal extenuating circumstances arise or if school activities interfere with therapy that is beyond the control of the SLP Resources

5 Job Side-by-Side Job #1: Job #2: Job #3: Job #4: Job Responsibilities Salary Daily Rate of Pay Benefits Work Schedule Productivity Reimbursement Continuing Education Supervision Mentoring Travel Resources Facilities Other

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