Skill Level: 1 | Assessing Authority: SPA
Job description
Provides diagnostic assessment and management of disorders of communication and swallowing through direct intervention, education, consultancy, advocacy, or a combination of these approaches.
Alternative Title:
- Speech Therapist
Tasks Include:
- assessing and diagnosing the extent of client hearing loss using a wide range of techniques, including audiometric tests
- reporting results of assessments and tests in writing and making referrals to medical practitioners
- recommending solutions to those with hearing impairment including amplification, implantable devices, medical interventions and assistive listening devices and providing aural rehabilitation programs
- providing counselling, advice and information to clients and families as a part of overall treatment
- assisting with the development and management of noise control and hearing conservation strategies
- administering standardised and informal tests and observing clients to determine the nature and extent of their communication disorders or swallowing difficulties
- providing treatment and management of speech, language, learning and communication disorders that may be developmental, part of a disability, or acquired as a result of injury or disease
- advising on the positioning of the body and on the textures of food and fluids which assists an individual to eat and swallow safely without choking
- providing information and education to health professionals, early childhood educators and teachers, and support and counselling to individuals affected by communication and swallowing difficulties, and to their families and carers.
Skills Assessment
The assessing authority for ANZSCO 252712: Speech Pathologist is the Speech Pathology Australia (SPA). There are two pathways for skills assessments:
Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) Pathway
The applicant must be certified by being a member of one of the signatories MRA groups.
The candidate must have completed professional education to become a speech pathologist in a nation that has signed one of the MRA Agreements listed below:
Associates
- The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, (ASHA), USA.
- Speech-Language & Audiology Canada, (SAC), Canada
- The Irish Association of Speech and Language Therapists (IASLT), Ireland.
- The New Zealand Speech-Language Therapists’ Association (NZSTA), New Zealand.
- The Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists, (RCSLT), United Kingdom.
Overseas Qualification Competency Pathway
If you are not qualified to apply for Mutual Recognition of Credentials (MRA) but have evidence of your competence as a speech pathologist, you should complete the Overseas Qualification Competency Assessment.
You should apply for the Overseas Qualification Competency Assessment if:
- Your qualifications are comparable to those of speech pathologists trained in Australia.
- You have the ability to use English effectively in the Australian speech pathology context.
- You have practised as a speech pathologist for at least 1000 hours in the last five years if you graduated more than five years ago, OR you have a minimum of 12 months of practise experience if you graduated less than five years ago.
All these conditions must be met for you to be assessed for Certified Practising Membership in the Association.
Qualification Requirements
Your speech pathology qualifications must be comparable to those of speech pathologists trained in Australia. This comparison is made using the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF). The minimum qualification accepted in Australia is a bachelor’s degree, which is classified as AQF 7.
Your qualification(s) must:
- be specific to speech pathology practise;
- include components of supervised clinical experiences;
- be comparable with the Australian Qualifications Framework definition of AQF 7.
English Language Requirements
Applicants are required to demonstrate a “superior” English level with an overall band score of 8 on the IELTS Academic test. Two sub-band scores must be above 8.0, and no sub-band score must be below 7.5. Test results will be accepted if they were obtained within two years before the date you lodge your application.
Documents Requirements
The following is a summary of the documentation list that you need in order to submit your application for the skill assessment. Please visit SPA for a comprehensive list of all of the document requirements. Documents in a language other than English have to be translated by a professional translator first.
- Passport and passport photo
- Proof of identity, including a national ID or driver’s license
- qualification certificate and academic transcript.
- employment evidence, including an employment letter, payslips, tax return and superannuation.
Source from: SPA
Skill Assessment Agency Services
Most of the evidence documentation required for your skills assessment is also required for your visa application. Ozlinks Education is an agency that can assist you in understanding and meeting the skill assessment criteria, giving you the best chance of a positive result. Click here to learn more about how our agency service can assist you.
Skill Assessment Assistance
