Speak Out August 2021

EARLY CAREER

Entering the profession in the era of COVID-19 A recent survey of early career members' experiences during COVID-19 revealed a number of challenges and the opportunity to learn new skills.

Telepractice Respondents indicated that completing their course during the pandemic increased their readiness to provide telepractice services. Each of the respondents participated in some telepractice services during placements; however, the percentage of telepractice participation varied by location and local lockdown requirements. As they commenced in the profession, respondents continued to provide some clinical services through telepractice. They also offered informal peer support to colleagues in this area. The position description of a few of these new graduates included supporting formal support to the practice and co-workers in the provision of telehealth services. Professional skills New graduates expressed that following their course completion they were concerned that their final year experiences, being so different to previous cohorts, may have compromised their competency development. However, soon after commencing employment, they reported feeling confident to work with clients and colleagues, in-person , and were able to establish strong professional relationships. They reported that more complex administrative tasks and some clinical skills required more time to consolidate in-person rather than telepractice contexts; however, also acknowledged this might be a typical trajectory for any new graduate.

Speech pathology graduates of 2020 entered the profession with different academic and placement experiences than previous cohorts, owing to the unforeseen adaptations that COVID-19 placed upon university teaching and placement provision. Speech Pathology Australia wanted to learn from the new graduates themselves what skills, learning and perspectives they brought from their 2020 journey, and into their new careers. SPA invited new graduate members to participate in an informal survey and a small number responded. The responses we received described new graduates’ flexibility, resilience, and strong reflective skills as they continue to develop their competencies as early career professionals. While not necessarily generalisable to all new graduates who navigated COVID-19, SPA hopes the comments that emerged are helpful to current students, new graduates and those that work with these groups. telesupervision, which increased their experience of receiving remote support. Placement sites modelled a variety of methods for engaging students, encouraging professional communication, and establishing relationships with colleagues. These included formal meetings, casual interactions during the workday, and social activities that occurred both onsite and online. Telesupervision Most respondents engaged in some degree of

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Speak Out | August 2021