Ian McGowan, Newly qualified speech and language therapist

I didn’t always know I wanted to be a speech and language therapist. The idea came to me later in life. Having worked in finance and taught English in Spain, I then undertook a rewarding role in cancer research for six years in the USA, and it was here that I knew I wanted more direct involvement in patient care. I began looking into speech and language therapy programmes, was accepted to Queen Margaret University in Scotland, and the rest, as they say, is history!

As a newly qualified speech and language therapist with NHS Ayrshire and Arran, in Scotland, I primarily work with patients on stroke and brain injury wards and some outpatients too. They might be people with Parkinson’s, voice issues, multiple sclerosis, and/or a stroke or brain injury, and might also have been discharged home but could still benefit from ongoing speech and language therapy. 

Typically, I see patients with communication difficulties. I provide assessments and interventions for word-finding, articulation, and other language expression and comprehension issues. I also help run one of our music groups on the wards where we listen to and chat about songs. It’s a big hit with the patients, as it gives them the chance to practice communication strategies we work on during our individual sessions, as well as to socialise outside of the ward.

Most people don’t think about communication or eating and drinking because we often take these things for granted. As speech and language therapists, we get to advocate for individuals unable to do so for themselves, and we get to help people work towards improving their situation. Working in stroke and brain injury, I get to help people and their families during very difficult points in their lives. This involves tailoring the rehab tasks and goals to what’s most important to them. I think this is incredibly rewarding.

Overall, I think my proudest moments are when patients reach their goals, such as helping someone to say a phrase that’s important to them for one reason or another. They’re able to participate more with the ward staff and/or their family and regaining just that tiny bit of independence really makes their eyes light up. There’s no feeling quite like it!

The best advice I can give to someone thinking about becoming a speech and language therapist is to volunteer or shadow someone working in the profession. This will give you some first-hand insight into what we do – and you’ll see that speech and language therapy is involved in an incredibly wide range of topics across both paediatric and adult populations. There’s no doubt you’ll be able to find your niche!