Survive Your CF

Congratulations! 🎉 You have finished grad school and are now ready to complete the last step in becoming a licensed/certified Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP). It’s an exciting and nerve-wracking time. Below are tips to help you survive your CF. You got this!

If you are asking yourself “What is a CF,” read this post HERE first.

Ask Questions

Everyone has questions. Ask them when you have them! As a supervisor, I am more worried about my students who do not ask questions than the ones who ask lots of questions.

You will be very busy, especially in the beginning while you get your footing. Be proactive and set a recurring meeting with your supervisor, mentor, friend, etc. to go over questions that you have or to just touch base. If you don’t have questions, communicating regularly will help you organize your thoughts. Also, you will be surprised by what great suggestions others have if you just start a conversation.

Say Yes to Everything

There will be a lot of new things thrown at you. Take advantage of them by saying yes and learning as much as you can. During your CF, you should be willing to go all in and immerse yourself in everything speech. You should be reading articles and blogs, listening to podcasts, and meeting as many people as possible.

You will be surprised by what you learn and who you will meet if you open yourself up to new opportunities. It may be something simple like doing a co-treat with OTs and PTs. It may be more involved such as joining your state association (they always need volunteers 😉). Just like language doesn’t happen in a vacuum, neither does learning or networking. Most of the amazing opportunities I have found have come from something unrelated. For example, I was invited to be on a Podcast by attending a state association meeting and talking to the person next to me. That has opened so many doors for me, all because I said yes!

Phone a Friend or Mentor

Stay in touch with your friends from grad school. I guarantee you that they are in the same boat as you. It’s always good to reconnect with someone and laugh. It’s also good to remind yourself why you chose this profession. If you feel like something isn’t going as expected, there is a big chance that others are experiencing that too.

You can also reach out to previous supervisors or professors. We still remember our CF and are happy to guide and encourage you.

Be Easy on Yourself

There will be ups and downs throughout your CF (but more ups than downs, I promise). Be gentle with yourself and remember that you are still learning. Rome wasn’t built in a day. As a seasoned SLP, I still learn things every single day. By asking questions, networking, and taking advantage of opportunities, I am able to use those skills to problem-solve when something new pops up. Things do get easier!

Hopefully, these tips are helpful to show you to how to survive your CF. Fellow SLPs- what advice do you have for all of the new CFs out there? Let them know in the comments below ⬇️