Current Status of SLP Employment in Health Care Settings

Introduction | Current Status of SLP Employment | Retention vs. Recruitment | SLPs' Prioritization of Job Satisfaction Factors | Recruitment and Retention Strategies | Home Care Recruitment and Retention | Hospital Considerations | Outpatient Facility Considerations | Skilled Nursing Facility Considerations | Appendix

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According to 2006 ASHA membership counts, 35% of certified Speech-Language Pathologists (SLP) are employed in health care settings. The distribution across settings is as follows:

Employment Conditions in Health Care Facilities

Data from the 2002, 2005, and 2007 ASHA SLP Health Care Surveys are reported below. Wherever possible, recent data from 2007 replace data from the 2002 and 2005 health care surveys. 

In the 2005 ASHA SLP Health Care Survey Report, 55% of respondents reported being salaried employees, 19% were contract employees, and 13% reported they were owners (self-employed). The largest percentages of salaried employees were found in pediatric (88%) and rehabilitation (74%) hospital settings. The lowest percentages of salaried employees were found in skilled nursing facilities (44%) and home health (30%). 

The largest percentages of contract employees were found in home health (33%) and skilled nursing facilities (32%). The smallest percentages were found in pediatric hospitals (4%) and rehabilitation hospitals (15%). 

In 2007, 59% of respondents reported being employed full-time, and 36% reported being employed part-time. The highest percentages of full-time employees were found in skilled nursing facilities (70%). The lowest percentage of full-time employees was found in home health (46%). For part-time employees, the highest percentages were found in home health (54%), and the lowest percentages were found in skilled nursing facilities (30%).

Benefits

According to the 2002 ASHA SLP Health Care Survey, the largest percentages of respondents reporting paid vacation, paid sick leave, and health insurance benefits were found in the following settings: general medical hospitals, rehabilitations, and pediatric hospitals. Lesser percentages were reported for home health and outpatient clinics or speech/hearing clinics. 

Skilled nursing facilities, home health agencies, and outpatient clinics or speech/hearing clinics were more likely to provide ASHA dues, state association dues, and licensure fees than were those employed in hospital settings.

Hospital settings were more likely to provide both on-site and external continuing education than were the other settings. Rehabilitation and general medical hospitals were the most likely to provide pension or other retirement plans while skilled nursing facilities were the least likely to provide this benefit.

Vacancies and Recruitment in Health Care Facilities

In 2002, the average percentage of funded unfilled positions in health care was 25%. In 2005, this number rose to 41%. In 2007; however, only 38% of respondents indicated they had an open position in their facility. While not yet indicative of a trend, this slight drop in the number of funded, unfilled positions overall is promising.

The 2007 ASHA SLP Health Care Survey reported that the largest percentages of unfilled positions were found in pediatric hospitals and rehab hospitals, where 53% and 43% of respondents, respectively, indicated one or more speech-language pathology positions were unfilled.

Overall, 59% of the respondents to the 2007 survey stated that job openings were more numerous than job seekers. By facility, between 52% (general me dical hospitals) and 63% (home health agency or client's home) selected this response.

In 2002, the majority of respondents from all practice settings reported having difficulty hiring qualified SLPs. This ranged from a low of 63% for respondents from general hospitals to a high of 79% from respondents from skilled nursing facilities. The most frequently cited reasons for difficulty in hiring were: a lack of qualified SLPs, non-competitive salary and benefits, undesirable working conditions, and undesirable geographic location. Respondents from skilled nursing facilities appeared to have the greatest difficulty hiring qualified SLPs. Write-in comments confirmed the reasons cited above and added concerns such as: (a)location was not close to a university, (b) inefficient recruiting, and (c) unavailability of bilingual SLPs.

Overall, the majority of respondents reported that recruiting was conducted using local advertising and networking with professional contacts. A majority of respondents from pediatric hospitals reported they also use national advertising, while skilled nursing facilities were the largest users of professional recruiters.