Academic Programs in
Audiology & Speech-Language Pathology:
Weathering the Changes Ahead
ASAHP Annual Conference, October 26, 2012
Shelly Chabon, PhD, CCC-SLP
2012 ASHA President
ASHA Mission & Vision
Vision
Making effective
communication a human
right, accessible and
achievable by all.
Mission
Empowering and supporting
speech-language
pathologists, audiologists
and speech, language, and
hearing scientists.
ASHA Constituency
Where Members Work
ASHA Constituency by Primary Employment Facility
Hospital
13%
Residential
Healthcare
9%
Non Residential
Healthcare
18%
Source: Year-End Counts (rounded), ASHA Membership and Affiliation, 2010
College/
University
4%
Schools
50%
Other
6%
Winds
of
CHANGE
“The trouble with weather
forecasting is that it’s
right too often for us to
ignore it & wrong too
often for us to rely on it.”
--Patrick Young
Gusts Ahead for Audiology
• Growing need for
hearing services
(aging population)
• Changing
marketplace:




Online hearing aid sales
Perceived lack of
affordable services
Pressure to “unbundle”
services
Presence of insurance
companies
• Increasing
dependence on
technology & internet
• Changing
educational
standards



Move from AuD to PhD
models
Creation of specialty
tracks
Implementation of 4th
year experiences
Gusts Ahead for
Speech-Language Pathology
• Personnel shortages
• Rising costs of health
care
• Fee-for-service system
under fire
• Outcome-driven
reimbursement
• Increasing caseloads
• Graduate programs
at capacity
• Educational changes



Value of clinical
doctorate
Supervision training &
credentials
Specialty certifications
Forecast & Outlook for the Preparation
of Future Audiologists & SLPs
• Move to team-based care
• Focus on interprofessional
• Change in research priorities
• Need for more international
•
•
•
•
•
collaboration
Need to present a solid
identity
Introduction of new teaching
technologies
Need to assess cost of/
access to health care
In God We Trust – everyone
else bring data
•
•
•
experiences
Increase in diversity of those
served
Use of online simulation
MOCs
Credit for experience
STORMS
on the
Horizon
“The coldest winter I ever
spent was a summer in San
Francisco.”
--Mark Twain
Showers Likely for Health
Care & Education
Health Care
Settings
Higher Education
Settings
Customer Satisfaction
Patient Experience
Student Experience
Cost
Reduce service
Tuition costs; other
volume; lower delivery costs
cost
Quality Outcomes
Health Function;
Quality of Life
Graduation/
Placement
Reduce Length of Stay Cut hospital days, no.
of visits, etc.
Reduce time to
graduation
Safety
Student welfare/
Conflict resolution/
Violence reduction on
campuses
Patient welfare/
Reduce errors/
Reduce unnecessary
complications
Adapted from Johnson, A. (2012) What is the (Preferred) Educational Future in SLP for Health Care Practice? ASHA Changing Healthcare
Landscape Summit [presentation]
Occasional Turbulence
Ahead for the Professions
Decreased funding to
colleges & universities
Increased school
debt + decreased
salary rates
Students question
value of
advanced
degrees
Fewer
scientists
Fewer able to
practice with
under-served
populations
Increased
demands from
stakeholders
Pressure to
increase
enrollment
Pressure to
generate
more clinical
revenue
Pressure to place
bachelor’s level
students who don’t
get into grad
school
Wind Advisory
Increased need to
• Expand the pipeline for
•
•
•
•
clinicians entering the
professions to meet burgeoning
needs of schools and clinics
Build outreach and provide
opportunities for more diverse
students
Explore the benefits of interprofessional education, credit
for prior-learning experiences &
innovative clinical education
Identify funds for more
scholarships
Reassess the continuum of
education
• Adjust curricula to teach skills in
•
•
team-based care
Assess value of undergraduate
major as well as clinical
doctorate
Communicate value of
graduate degree
DRESSING
for the
weather
“There is no such thing as
bad weather, just
unsuitable clothing.”
--Alfred Wainwright
Clear Skies Ahead for
Audiologists
Much faster than
average growth through
2018
Additional 3,200
audiologists needed
25% increase in
job openings
Source: bls.gov
Clear Skies Ahead for SLPs
Faster than average
growth through 2018
Additional 22,100
SLPs needed
19% increase in
job openings
Source: bls.gov
Warming Trends
• Abundance of qualified
students
• High success rates of
graduates
• Personnel shortages translate
into high employment
availability for graduates
• Established models continue
to produce successful
clinicians
Adapted from Hale, S. (2010) Storm Front Approaching: The Consequences of Doing Nothing. CAPCSD
Plenary Session [presentation]
Dressing for the Weather:
Audiology
• Prioritize patient centered care


Incentivize measure/value of outcomes
Incorporate patient’s goals into
treatment
• Adjust curricula to reflect healthcare
changes






New reimbursement models
Biotechnology
Use of large data sets to evaluate
outcomes & demonstrate value
Preferred practice patterns
Online/blended learning
Interprofessional education
Dressing for the Weather:
Speech-Language Pathology
• Expand clinical paradigm


Adopt ICF framework
Focus on context-based
communication effectiveness
(vs. on deficit & impairment)
• Position SLPs as leaders in
communication health
• Develop/enhance quality &
outcomes measures
• Reframe/rebrand the
profession
• Widely disseminate
information
Verbal Warming: Questions now
being asked
• Do students understand the ICF framework and will
they be prepared to use it to evidence the value
and outcomes of their services?
• Do students understand that their ability to be
reimbursed will be based on outcomes and not
treatments?
• Will students be prepared to compete?
• Is the standard university clinic the right place to
learn the best practice?
Verbal Warming: Questions now
being asked
• How should we be responding [to
rising health costs & lack of coverage]
as a profession?
• How will we evidence to regulators,
health care rating organizations,
accrediting bodies, employers,
commercial payers and the public the
necessity, quality, efficiency &
accountability of our services?
• How can we energize individuals to become
catalysts of change?
• What does the ideal clinician of the future look
like?