Speech pathology student

Edith Cowan University speech pathology student Jaimee is a great example of how important it is to get along to university open days!

It was an open day at ECU that led to Jaimee discovering speech pathology, a career path she had never considered.

“I loved the exposure to a variety of careers and the conversations with students and lectures from those degrees. By speaking with industry professionals and students, I was able to ask questions and leave educated on the reality of the careers I was interested in pursuing,” Jaimee says.

Now in her final year of a Bachelor of Speech Pathology at ECU, Jaimee says the university has done a great job in connecting her and fellow students with the reality of the profession via work placements, workshops with specialist speech pathologists and access to equipment used in the field.

“I have also had access to workshops with students in different courses like teaching, occupational therapy and dietetics,” Jaimee says. “Not only did these experiences broaden my learning, but they also provided connections with other students (some of whom are incidentally my future colleagues!).”

Jaimee says being able to gain work experience from the first year of her degree helped reaffirm her passion for speech pathology, as well as identify specific areas of interest.

“I participated in a variety of different placements, including hospital, school, community, and government settings. These diverse experiences provided me with the confidence to select a new graduate job in the setting and with the caseload I enjoyed the most during my placements,” Jaimee says.

“I have also greatly valued the networking opportunities provided through meeting clinicians across my placement sites. The depth and breadth of my network continues to provide professional support well beyond my placements”