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12

Speak Out

June 2016

www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au

Professional Development

Reflecting

on a decade

of CPD

involvement

Kate Bridgman shares her

personal experience of

CPD as an attendee, a SPA

CPD committee member, a

SPA CPD presenter and an

international Conference

presenter.

I’m about to

clock up my first decade as a

speechie. No two years yet have been the same, and

as I get older, I’m certainly not wiser. With each year I

want to know more, understand more, do better and

be better. First it was to “fix” my clients, then keep up

with grown-up speechies, and now to get it right in

front of students.

As a new grad I remember attending my first SPA

CPD event. Catching the train into the city, signing in

and then watching, amazed at how everyone seemed

to know each other. Greetings were a mix of hugs

and, ‘I think I know you, have spoken to you, read a

report from you’ exchanges. It was like being a kid

at a dinner party, trying to be grown up but not quite

hitting the mark.

As a student I wasn’t strong in my theory subjects.

I loved placement and very much learnt by doing,

which was really by imitating what I saw my CEs do

that worked. But once I got a taste for attending CPD

events I was hooked. A whole day on a topic that I

was immersed in at work was completely different. I

came to understand the evidence in evidence based

practice, about how clinical research gave context,

and how we had a profession full of speechies who

had years of work and study behind the ideas and

interventions they were sharing.

Following my new grad year I was fortunate enough

to join the CPD committee. What a group. They were

all lovely and had such good ideas. I was very much

the snacks and water girl, but loved the contacts

and to hear of speechie stories from everyone’s

workplaces. Over the years I have seen many a

wedding photo and baby bump—and have even

had my turn in sharing photos and a baby! I have

developed a great network of colleagues and many of

us have worked with each other along the way.

As I have become more involved in the CPD process,

both on the committee and as a presenter, I have

a better understanding of just how incredible the

National Office team are. Earlier this year I spent two

days in a National Office think-tank, tasked with the

job to explore SPA’s Future Learning Strategy. As

I sat around the table, I was both humbled and in

awe of the people we have driving the future of our

profession in Australia.

In recent years I have had the opportunity to travel to

international conferences. While it’s fun (completely