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Speech Pathology 2030 - making futures happen
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7. QUALITY SERVICES, INNOVATION AND
CONTINUAL PURSUIT OF KNOWLEDGE
“I hope we get universal…really keep
pace with what other countries and
experts are doing.”
“The problem isn’t availability of
technology, but applying available
expertise to resolving the inability of an
electrolarynx to obtain sufficient volume
to be heard against background noise.
Smartphone apps can drive an external
Bluetooth speaker to provide a personal
amplifier. The software could be extended
to subtract background noise and filter
out the electrolarynx excitation frequency
from the laryngectomee’s vocalisation.
And, the electrolarynx could be replaced
by a phone speaker driving a low volume
sound to an oral tube modulated by the
user and amplified by the phone.”
“I have a progressive neurological
condition, there’s so much more to be
learnt about how the brain changes
in the next 50 years. We’re waiting for
the magic pill. The cure that stops the
degeneration.”
“I think speech pathology has a role in
the move to technology-based learning.
To find a way to balance this with the
skills that good personal communication
requires.”
“Some therapists didn’t seem to have a
good theoretical basis to what they were
doing. This was clear when we found
a speech pathologist with enormous
knowledge of the brain areas and
functions and could do really targeted
work.”
E
very client and every community deserves the highest
quality speech pathology service, delivered within a
strong ethical framework.
With this as our goal, we will each work to rigorous,
enforceable quality and ethical standards designed to protect
our clients and maintain confidence in the profession. Systems
will be in place to ensure these standards are applied to each
of us at every stage of our career, regardless of the context
or sector within which we work. These systems will cover
appropriate credentialing, supervision, continuing training and
working within our individual scope of practice and experience.
As future speech pathologists graduate to the workforce they
will be recognised for their strong skills in person and family-
centred practice; their capacity to work effectively with people
from diverse backgrounds and a range of life experiences,
including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and
people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds;
their competence in using a range of technologies, including
telepractice, virtual learning, web-based therapy tools, and
social robotics; and, their knowledge of community capacity
building and universal service responses. Throughout their
careers speech pathologists will have a wide range of relevant
continuing professional development and postgraduate course
work and research opportunities to choose from.
We recognise the compelling reasons for service funding to be
targeted towards practices with the best evidence-base. As
the profession moves into the future, every speech pathologist
will play an active part in undertaking research to develop the
evidence-base and ensure its rapid translation into practice.
To make this possible we will facilitate research mentoring and
partnerships between universities and services in every field of
practice.
As we continue to refine the evidence-base in areas where
a strong foundation has already been laid, we will also pay
particular attention to advancing our understanding where
evidence is yet to be well established. We will fill the gaps in
understanding of the best approaches for working with client
subgroups whose specific circumstances mean standardised
practice may not be appropriate. Building this knowledge
will ensure we are well-placed to make a strong case for
appropriate resource allocation to meet the needs of the most
vulnerable people in our community.
To ensure we keep developing the best quality services, offering
optimal choice for clients and efficiency for the service system,
our whole profession will stay informed of practice innovations
and advances in fields relevant to our work. We will continue to
enhance our knowledge and skills in areas which advance or
In our clients’ words:
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