Challenges And Rewards Of Private Practice: An Exploratory Study Of African American Speech-Language Pathologists

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2017

Abstract

This exploratory study examined the perceptions of African American speech-language pathologists who owned or coowned a private practice about the challenges and rewards of working in this employment venue. Six participants were engaged in a focus group interview. The participants represented the major geographic regions in North Carolina. Client benefits, career challenges, and job satisfaction were discussed as thematic highlights. Interpretation of participants’ comments revealed the need for culturally sensitive and culturally responsive service delivery when working with diverse populations. Such dynamics play a factor in establishing trust and rapport building between the client and clinician. Additionally, themes identified the need for advocacy and networking with critical stakeholders as key in the vitality of the profession and promoting more culturally and linguistically diverse professionals within the discipline. Further research is suggested to explore more generalizable results among a larger number and wider geographic range of private practitioners in speech-language pathology.

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