Internet images of the speech pathology profession.

Conclusion Current images of speech pathology continue to portray narrow professional demographics and client groups (e.g. paediatrics). Promoting images of wider scope to fully represent the depth and breadth of speech pathology professional practice may assist in attracting a more diverse group of people into the profession in the future.What is known about the topic? To date, research has not considered the promotional profile of allied health professionals on the Internet. There has been a lack of consideration of whether the way in which the professions are promoted may affect clients accessing allied health services or people entering careers.What does this paper add? This paper raises awareness of the lack of promotion of a diverse workforce in speech pathology and considers how this may affect changing the professional demographics in the future. It also provides a starting point for documentation in the form of a baseline for tracking future changes. It allows consideration of the fact that when designing health promotional and educational materials, it is crucial that diversity is displayed in the professional role, the client role and the setting in order to provide information and education to the general public about the health services provided.What are the implications for practitioners? The presentation of narrow demographics of both the professional and client may potentially affect people considering speech pathology as a future career. The appearance of nar...
Source: Australian Health Review - Category: Hospital Management Authors: Tags: Aust Health Rev Source Type: research