Speak Out August 2013

gives me an edge over my peers”. The benefit of membership for course work was identified as a particularly salient selling point for promoting Association membership to students. One of the findings that impressed upon the Branch was that student members felt a much stronger connection to the speech pathology community. 86% of student members agreed or strongly agreed that they felt connected to the community as compared to 31% of student non-members. One student commented that “being involved in the speech pathology community, especially as a student is important for networking reasons and to learn more about the profession”, and another felt that through their membership they “maintained connection to the broader community of speech pathologists”. This was identified as another important benefit to highlight when promoting student membership, while also demonstrating the need to encourage student attendance at local Association events to foster the sense of connection. Given that the WA Branch is actively lobbying to improve access to and equity of speech pathology services for school-aged children, it was interesting that only 66% of student respondents rated political lobbying as an important

function of the Association. This suggested that students might benefit from further information about lobbying and awareness raising activities, particularly leading into the International Communication Project 2014. This was identified as an excellent opportunity to educate student members and non-members about the functions of the Association, while encouraging students to become actively involved with Branch activities. It was pleasing to see that 100% of student members indicated their intention to renew their membership the following year and 92.3% of student non-members intended to join the Association following graduation. For non-members, the joining fee was the most significant barrier to student membership, with only one respondent agreeing that the benefits of joining were not worth the cost. This has prompted the Branch to explore creative ways of promoting the cost- benefit of membership to students. When invited to suggest ways the Association could offer greater benefits for student members, common requests included more professional development events and networking opportunities. Two students identified the need for a publication or newsletter for students, as reflected by the

following comment: “Some sort of publication or section in Speak Out specifically designed for students so that they are informed of what is happening at other universities and things others students are doing”. The student representatives will continue to work with the SPA Network of Students (SPANS) to explore forums for student networking across universities, including use of social media, while encouraging student contributions to Speak Out . It is important to acknowledge the small sample size and the fact that students from only one local university were surveyed given the constraints of time and ethics approval. Despite the limitations, the findings have provided valuable direction for the Branch and SPANS, informing the development of a strategic action plan. The Branch and student representatives will look forward to sharing the outcomes of planned initiatives in the future and seeing its student membership numbers and engagement continuing to grow. If you would like more information about the survey, findings or action plan please contact Jade Cartwright at j.cartwright@curtin.edu.au Jade Cartwright WA Vice President

SPA profile – Jennai Beckett

Role within SPA? Griffith University SPA student representative.

What is your greatest achievement/favourite thing about your current roles? Maintaining a sense of humour while learning about this incredibly diverse profession. What do you see as the future challenges/directions for speech pathology and/ or SPA? I hope that the job market keeps up with the ageing population’s growing need for speech pathology services.

What do you do in this role? I share information about SPA to the GU student cohort and liaise with the SPA Exec committee.

Role outside SPA? MSP student.

What do you do in this role? Study, attend lectures, participate in clinical placements and drink far too much caffeine.

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www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au