In the Loop: March 2013
Here's what NSSLHA members need to know:
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Tips for Finding a Summer Internship
There are several resources available from NSSLHA/ASHA that may assist students with finding a summer internship or clinical fellowship position in the professions. Try one or try them all. We can't guarantee the results but you may get a little closer to finding something.
The first step to any successful search is to prepare a resume. If you didn't get a chance to have your resume reviewed during the Resume Star event at the ASHA Convention in Atlanta last November, consider stopping by the Office of Career Planning and Placement (or the equivalent) at your campus. A representative will most likely be more than willing to review your resume and offer feedback at no cost.
Once you have a winning resume, use these resources to assist with finding an internship:
- Post your resume on the ASHA Career Center. Employers have to pay to post employment opportunities on websites. Sometimes before making the investment an employer will cruise the resumes of potential employees to assess the quality of potential candidates. This is an opportunity for you. If your resume is on the site and a potential employer reads it, you may be called for further information or, even better, to schedule an interview. NSSLHA members can post a resume in the ASHA Career Center for FREE. While you are on the site spend time searching through the job listings. There may be an internship opportunity on the site as well.
- Use ProSearch to locate a professional in private practice in your area. Send your resume and a cover letter expressing your interest in an internship. Keep the cover letter simple. Talk about the courses that you've taken and your area of interest. Be clear about the number of hours that you can commit and what you are expecting to learn and the work that you are able to perform. If you're lucky enough to get an interview, use that as the time to talk about salary (if one is being offered) and benefits (don't expect any...it's only a summer position).
- Share your resume and interest in an internship on a Special Interest Group page on the ASHA Community. ASHA has 18 Special Interest Groups that are a great networking resource for a student. NSSLHA members are able to join a SIG for $10. This gives you access to all of the SIG communities in the ASHA Community. You can upload your resume and share your area of interest. There may be a researcher or professional in private practice reading your post and may follow up with you.
- Visit the career center of a state association website and post your resume. ASHA has links to all of the state association sites on its State-by-State website.
- Conduct an Internet search for summer camps for individuals with special needs. There are summer camps for students with speech impediments, children that are hard of hearing, or children with autism. Camp and recreational programs that serve these individuals would welcome having students knowledgeable about the discipline working for them.
Tell us about your experience. If you try any of these recommendations and are successful, we'd like to hear about it. Or, if you have other ideas on how students can identify a summer internship, we'd love it if you would share those too. Send your story to nsslha@asha.org under the subject line "My experience finding an internship." Submissions received by the National Office may be eligible for points in the 2013 Charge Up Your Chapter campaign.
Quick Bites
Spend your Spring Break Advocating for the Profession
Come join our NSSLHA Student Hill Day! You would be joining the NSSLHA Executive Board and over 100 other SLP and audiology students in meeting with your members of Congress and advocating for the professions on Capitol Hill! ASHA provides legislative training and lunch and makes all your appointments for you. All we need is you! E-mail Caroline Goncalves at cgoncalves@asha.org for more details and to sign up. If you're not in DC, you can still participate: Advocate on behalf of audiology and speech-language pathology-by contacting Congress from your home! Take action on March 21, 2013, and don't forget to tweet about your experiences! #NSSLHAhillday #advocacy
Charge Up Your Chapter...Apply for National Office Grants and Awards
NSSLHA is currently accepting applications for the NSSLHA Honors program, NSSLHA grant programs, and national leadership opportunities. The deadline for ALL applications during spring application season is March 29, 2013.
Discounts for NSSLHA Members
My Toddler Talks: Strategies and Activities to Promote Your Child's Language Development, by Kimberly Scanlon, is a must-have manual for the clinician interested in pursuing a position in early intervention. My Toddler Talks carefully teaches readers how to model and elicit language in young children in a fun, straightforward and practical manner. Textbook theory and evidenced-based techniques are applied in an enjoyable and user-friendly way to teach professionals and caregivers how to get children to talk. It includes detailed steps, numerous examples, and play routines to facilitate learning. Speech-language pathologists and parents described My Toddler Talks as "a go to resource," "unintimidating and user-friendly," "easy to understand and apply," and "simply fabulous." To purchase a copy, please visit CreateSpace. Members of NSSLHA can use promotional code H67QCX6E for a 25% discount. To learn more, go to My Toddler Talks and Scanlon Speech Therapy.
Having an Opinion Pays
Congratulations to Johaven Beach, an undergraduate audiology and SLP student from Shaw University and master's SLP major Rachel Egbert from the University of Nebraska – Omaha. They are the winners of a $500 survey stipend from NSSLHA. They were selected at random among 4,683 students that responded to the NSSLHA student survey offered in November 2012.
Student Ethics Essay Award (SEEA)
SEEA is designed to enhance ethics education activities and to encourage students to think about ethical decision making as they prepare for careers in audiology and speech-language pathology. The topic for this year's competition is "workplace dilemmas" and the deadline for submissions is April 12. Authors of the top three winning essays will be awarded $750 (first place), $500 (second place) and $250 (third place).
Now Accepting Applications for the SPARC Award
Award competition for students interested in research, considering pursuing a PhD, and careers in academia
Look for our next issue of In the Loop in April.
We hope you enjoyed this issue of In the Loop. Comments and suggestions can be directed to nsslha@asha.org. Submit your item for In the Loop by e-mailing nsslha@asha.org and reach over 10,000 students with your message.