Benefits of being a Contract SLP Teletherapist
As a contract therapist, I get the benefit of working on a school schedule while also following a medical model of practice. We are able to work within the guidelines of medical insurance and IEPs to ensure the students’ needs are met. Following the medical model allows for more frequent evaluations and goal updates to have the most current standardized measures and targets possible, as well as the ability to provide individualized one on one sessions to maximize each child’s service time. When you add in the option to provide services virtually to students through one on one teletherapy it truly is the best of both worlds.
Not being physically in the school building comes with some challenges, but the educational assistants (EA) I work with are amazing at getting the students from class and making sure the next one on the schedule is ready to go as I finish up with the previous student so that each student has their full session time dedicated to targeting goals. I am in constant communication with the EA to be sure we are on the same page and the day moves smoothly without any hiccups. We are able to work together and make adjustments as needed to maximize efficiency with no time wasted!
I love that I can work with one student at a time to give them my entire focus without having to split my attention between a group of students with different goals and needs. I find that this has helped my students to progress in their goals at a faster pace and truly get the most out of each session. Our Sidekick teletherapy system automatically emails the links for each session once created which is very helpful. The teletherapy platform is great for flexibility as I am able to switch from one student to another in a matter of seconds when a change comes up. This offers so much benefit to the school and students to ensure all students meet their IEP frequencies and no time is wasted traveling from one school to the next on multiple days.
I can see pre-K through 12th grade across 3 separate school buildings and locations all in the same day! I am able to offer make up sessions without having to wait until I am back at that building which provides more flexibility to the teachers and students to be able to accommodate their schedules. I am even able to see students across different time zones, and help out other therapists in different school districts to cover a session here and there so every student can meet their frequencies.
Contract teletherapy is a great opportunity for children in rural areas to be able to access services when other options may not be available to them. It also relieves the school of the financial responsibility of trying to hire therapists and provide services to students when they may not have the means to do so. I am able to get the benefits of working in the schools, and working remotely all in one!
Julia Olla, M.S., CCC-SLP