Grace was a speech therapy intern for Intermountain Medical Center during Summer Term 2023.
Briefly explain what you did and the result of your internship.
I worked with a licensed SLP to treat a wide variety of patients within the scope of speech therapy. I worked with adults from the age of 25-93 with a wide variety of diagnoses (I.e. dysphagia, aphasia, dysarthria, cognitive disorders, etc)
What did you learn on your internship that you were not expecting to learn?
I learned how to navigate difficult situations that arise after someone has had a traumatic event happen to their brain (I.e. TBI/stroke/overdose etc) through different counseling skills and treatment approaches. I was not expecting to learn so much regarding this element of speech therapy.
How have your future plans changed because of what you learned from your internship experience?
I originally went into this internship not knowing if I would enjoy working with adults and working in a more medically based setting. However, this internship has changed my mind on a lot of things! I've loved working in a more medically based setting, and I have enjoyed working with the adult population more than I thought I would! I have learned that I don't particularly love the hours of a hospital placement, which will be something I consider as I am applying for future work.
Please share how your experience led to personal inspiration or insightful revelation.
One example I have on insightful revelation is when I was working with a patient that was close to my age. This patient had a TBI and was now left with cognitive deficits and memory issues that made it difficult to remember her family members names. I had personal inspiration on how to guide treatment for this patient and how to make treatment more patient centered. Ever since I've had this patient I've made more of an effort to make my treatment as patient centered as I could.
Would you recommend this internship to other students?
YES! You are exposed to the hospital setting and what that looks like for a speech therapist, which is an amazing opportunity! You learn how to read a modified barium swallow study (MBS), give a cognitive assessment, identify types of aphasia, dysphagia treatment and how to advance patient's diets, and develop a treatment plan with your supervisor that will best suit each patient. You also learn how to co-treat across medical disciplines and build professional relationships with so many amazing individuals. I learn something new each day that I would have never learned in the classroom, I could not recommend this internship enough!
Is there anything else you would like to say regarding your internship?
I would say the most important thing to keep in mind when you are interning in a health care related field is to give yourself grace and go in with an open-mind! You are going to learn SO much at a fast rate so it's important to try and take it all in as much as you can!
