A clinical specialist providing therapy for speech, language, and swallowing concerns — typically referred to colloquially as "speech therapist" but credentialed as a speech-language pathologist (SLP) with master's-level training, CCC-SLP, and state licensure. Works across pediatric and adult populations in clinical and educational settings.
Most days tend to involve direct patient therapy sessions, evaluations, treatment plan documentation, and the consultations with caregivers, teachers, or other providers that support the broader plan of care. You'll often work on specific therapeutic targets — speech sound production, expressive or receptive language, fluency, voice quality, cognitive-communication, AAC implementation, or swallowing function — adjusting interventions to patient response.
The variance between settings is real — school-based SLPs work with students with communication and feeding IEPs; outpatient clinic SLPs serve diverse pediatric and adult populations; medical SLPs (hospital, rehab, SNF, home health) work with adults with acquired conditions; specialized SLPs (NICU, voice, AAC, dysphagia, autism) focus on niche populations. Specialization tends to develop over years, with continued education and clinical experience shaping subspecialty depth.
People who tend to thrive here are comfortable with the clinical or educational demands of their work, capable of building rapport with patients and caregivers, and patient with the gradual progress that characterizes most SLP work. CCC-SLP plus state licensure anchors the credential. The work tends to offer strong demand and broad practice options, with the trade-off being caseload size in school settings, documentation demands in medical settings, and the often-modest compensation relative to other healthcare specialties — for those drawn to SLP work, the role offers durable purpose.
Where this role sits in the broader career landscape — and where it can take you.
Roles like this one sit within a broader occupational category. The numbers below reflect that full landscape — helpful for context, but your specific experience will depend on level, specialty, and where you work.
Roles with similar work and overlapping career paths
View all Healthcare roles →A clinical specialist providing therapy for speech, language, and swallowing concerns — typically referred to colloquially as "speech therapist" but credentialed as a speech-language pathologist (SLP) with master's-level training, CCC-SLP, and state licensure. Works across pediatric and adult populations in clinical and educational settings.
Median pay for a Speech Therapist is about $95K nationally, with the field ranging roughly from $60K to $133K depending on experience, employer, and metro (BLS).
Core skills for this role include Social Perceptiveness, Critical Thinking, Active Listening, Reading Comprehension, and Writing.
Most people in this role hold a master's degree.
Employment in this field is projected to grow about 15% through 2034, with roughly 178,790 people working in it today (BLS).
Closely related roles include Oral Therapist, Speech Clinician, and Voice Pathologist.
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