CF Experience: Continuing to Learn and Grow
My CF experience has taught me so much more than I expected. Once graduated, I felt I was done with learning for the most part. While our field will always be changing and evolving, I knew the basics and was ready to treat, right? Well, in a way, yes, a hundred percent. I was ready, I am qualified, and I had all the letters behind my name making me eligible to treat. However, I am still missing two critical C’s and much knowledge gained from the experiences received from stepping into this rewarding, confusing, but completely exciting field.
When you receive your Master’s Degree, you think about all the things you have learned so far, not the unknown ahead of you. While some of this unknown can feel minor at times, if you are like me, it can also feel significant that you are unsure of an answer. When you walked across that stage not long ago, shook someone’s hand and received a diploma, you had to be sure of all the things you just mastered. However, now there may be small things you are unsure about, such as, “is 70% too low, is 85% too high?”, “I think moving towards a device would support this child’s communication, but is this the correct step?”, or “who do I reach out to in this situation?” While these questions are not life-and-death, when you were so confident in all you knew it can be challenging to accept all you unsure of now.
The most important piece of advice I received when graduating from multiple current SLP’s and professionals in the field was to find a supportive environment. After 6 months of learning what I don’t yet know, I can assuredly report that I was able to find and work within such a supportive environment. This environment has created space for me learn how I work best with my students, while also feeling free to reach out to others to see if there are different treatment strategies or styles that might uphold myself or students in a more successful way.
My CF mentor has played a critical role in encouraging me when I may question the direction of treatments I should take and answering my several mundane questions across these past few months. She has allowed me to grow as an independent SLP, while giving kind and structured guidance that has led me to feel more successful. Due to her leadership in my much-needed and ASHA-mandated feedback, I have been able to feel confident in what I choose and encouraged in the things I may not know because I can reach out to others, who do. Within this company, I get to feel led towards answers that make sense for me and my clients without feeling frustration of being tied to specific strategies or options. This CF experience has given me so much room for growth and excitement for the future.