Occupational therapist to speech and language therapist
An occupational therapist already meets 55% of what the speech and language therapist role asks for. The move turns on 32 required skills not yet in the profile.
65.2/ 100
1 How much of what a speech and language therapist is expected to do is already part of an occupational therapist’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the speech and language therapist role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A speech and language therapist role treats 41 of its required skills as things an occupational therapist already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- advise on healthcare users' informed consent
- apply context specific clinical competences
- communicate in healthcare
- comply with legislation related to health care
- comply with quality standards related to healthcare practice
- contribute to continuity of health care
What stands in the way is 32 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 46 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A speech and language therapist role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an occupational therapist background worth leading with.
- already held neuropsychology social sciences, journalism and information
- already held bobath therapy health and welfare
- already held encourage healthcare user's self-monitoring communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held provide stroke rehabilitation services assisting and caring
- already held monitor patients' progress related to treatment information skills
- already held use techniques to increase patients' motivation management skills
All 46 carried skills, including the 41 the speech and language therapist role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 41 missing skills fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn behavioural neurology required
- still to learn facial gymnastics required
- still to learn logopaedics required
- still to learn otorhinolaryngologic conditions required
- still to learn phoniatrics required
- still to learn audiology required
- still to learn audiometry required
- still to learn hearing loss required
- optional, not held cued speech optional
- optional, not held autism optional
- still to learn treat speech disorders required
- still to learn treat swallowing disorders required
- still to learn formulate a case conceptualisation model for therapy required
- still to learn organise relapse prevention required
- still to learn perform therapy sessions required
- still to learn adhere to organisational guidelines required
- optional, not held refer healthcare users optional
- still to learn counsel on communication disorders required
- still to learn counsel patients on improving speech required
- still to learn promote good habits to avoid communication disorders required
- still to learn accept own accountability required
- still to learn listen actively required
- still to learn teach communication methods required
- still to learn linguistics required
- still to learn lip reading required
- still to learn phonetics required
- still to learn sign language required
- still to learn speech techniques required
- still to learn diagnose speech disorders required
- still to learn evaluate the psychological impact of speech problems required
- still to learn manage the neuropsychiatric sequelae of stroke required
- still to learn conduct research on speech-related topics required
- optional, not held conduct polysomnography optional
- optional, not held interpret diagnostic tests in otorhinolaryngology optional
- optional, not held undertake clinical audit optional
- still to learn apply organisational techniques required
- still to learn exercise patience required
- optional, not held supervise speech and language team optional
2 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a speech and language therapist role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 behavioural neurology study this
- 02 counsel on communication disorders practise this
- 03 counsel patients on improving speech practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 46 skills that carry over
- already held advise on healthcare users' informed consent skill
- already held apply context specific clinical competences skill
- already held communicate in healthcare skill
- already held comply with legislation related to health care skill
- already held comply with quality standards related to healthcare practice skill
- already held contribute to continuity of health care skill
- already held deal with emergency care situations skill
- already held develop a collaborative therapeutic relationship skill
- already held educate on the prevention of illness skill
- already held empathise with the healthcare user skill
- already held encourage healthcare user's self-monitoring skill
- already held ensure safety of healthcare users skill
- already held first aid knowledge
- already held follow clinical guidelines skill
- already held health care legislation knowledge
- already held health care occupation-specific ethics knowledge
- already held human anatomy knowledge
- already held human physiology knowledge
- already held hygiene in a health care setting knowledge
- already held inform policy makers on health-related challenges skill
- already held interact with healthcare users skill
- already held manage healthcare users' data skill
- already held medical informatics knowledge
- already held medical terminology knowledge
- already held monitor patients' progress related to treatment skill
- already held movement techniques knowledge
- already held neurology knowledge
- already held neuropsychology knowledge
- already held paediatrics knowledge
- already held pathology knowledge
- already held professional documentation in health care knowledge
- already held promote inclusion skill
- already held provide health education skill
- already held psychiatry knowledge
- already held psychology knowledge
- already held record healthcare users' progress related to treatment skill
- already held respond to changing situations in health care skill
- already held use e-health and mobile health technologies skill
- already held use techniques to increase patients' motivation skill
- already held work in a multicultural environment in health care skill
- already held work in multidisciplinary health teams skill
- already held bobath therapy knowledge
- already held pedagogy knowledge
- already held provide stroke rehabilitation services skill
- already held use foreign languages for health-related research skill
- already held use foreign languages in patient care skill
The 2 learning areas not shown above
- still to learn special needs education required
- optional, not held psychoacoustics optional
- optional, not held psycholinguistics optional
9 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held cued speech optional
- optional, not held supervise speech and language team optional
- optional, not held autism optional
- optional, not held conduct polysomnography optional
- optional, not held interpret diagnostic tests in otorhinolaryngology optional
- optional, not held psychoacoustics optional
- optional, not held psycholinguistics optional
- optional, not held refer healthcare users optional
- optional, not held undertake clinical audit optional
40 held skills the speech and language therapist role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role advise healthcare users on occupational health skill
- not needed by the target role advise on environmental alterations skill
- not needed by the target role apply techniques of occupational therapy skill
- not needed by the target role assess risks for the elderly skill
- not needed by the target role assist children with special needs in education settings skill
- not needed by the target role assist healthcare users achieve autonomy skill
- not needed by the target role assist in performing physical exercises skill
- not needed by the target role community-based rehabilitation knowledge
- not needed by the target role create individual treatment programmes skill
- not needed by the target role develop a rehabilitation programme skill
- not needed by the target role disorders affecting self-awareness knowledge
- not needed by the target role ergonomics knowledge
- not needed by the target role general medicine knowledge
- not needed by the target role geriatrics knowledge
- not needed by the target role identify research topics skill
- not needed by the target role identify the healthcare user’s personal capacity skill
- not needed by the target role instruct on the use of special equipment for daily activities skill
- not needed by the target role manage occupational therapy students skill
- not needed by the target role mechanotherapy knowledge
- not needed by the target role occupational health knowledge
- not needed by the target role occupational physiology knowledge
- not needed by the target role occupational science knowledge
- not needed by the target role occupational therapy theories knowledge
- not needed by the target role orthopaedics knowledge
- not needed by the target role osteopathy knowledge
- not needed by the target role perform occupation analyses skill
- not needed by the target role perform patient activity analyses skill
- not needed by the target role physical medicine knowledge
- not needed by the target role provide assistive technology skill
- not needed by the target role provide early intervention therapy to infants skill
- not needed by the target role provide nursing advice on healthcare skill
- not needed by the target role psychotherapy principles knowledge
- not needed by the target role public health knowledge
- not needed by the target role remediate healthcare user's occupational performance skill
- not needed by the target role sociology knowledge
- not needed by the target role supervision of persons knowledge
- not needed by the target role undertake healthcare examination skill
- not needed by the target role use clinical assessment techniques skill
- not needed by the target role use computer programs to improve patients' skills skill
- not needed by the target role vocational rehabilitation knowledge
18 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn behavioural neurology required
- still to learn facial gymnastics required
- still to learn logopaedics required
- still to learn otorhinolaryngologic conditions required
- still to learn phoniatrics required
- still to learn audiology required
- still to learn audiometry required
- still to learn hearing loss required
- still to learn linguistics required
- still to learn lip reading required
- still to learn phonetics required
- still to learn sign language required
- still to learn special needs education required
- still to learn speech techniques required
- optional, not held cued speech optional
- optional, not held autism optional
- optional, not held psychoacoustics optional
- optional, not held psycholinguistics optional
Common questions about this move
Can an occupational therapist become a speech and language therapist?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. An occupational therapist already covers 55% of what a speech and language therapist is expected to do: 46 skills carry over, 41 of which the speech and language therapist role treats as required.
What skills does an occupational therapist need to become a speech and language therapist?
32 required skills are missing, plus 9 optional ones. They fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by health and welfare. The single most important is behavioural neurology.
How hard is the move from occupational therapist to speech and language therapist?
Its learning distance is 65.2 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.