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Many takers for speech therapy courses

GANESH PRABHU

Speech language pathologists are sought-after by many hospitals. What does it take to be one?


MCOAHS has cent per cent placement record.




Rigorous training: Students at the Voice Lab of Manipal College of Allied Health Sciences in Manipal

Given the demand for speech and language specialists, it is not surprising that many students are taking to the speech and language therapy course. The Manipal College of Allied Health Sciences (MCOAHS), a constituent of Manipal University, with its state-of-the-art infrastructure, gives the students the cutting edge required in this field.

The courses offered are bachelor’s in Audiology and Speech Language Pathology (BASLP), master’s in Audiology and Speech Language Pathology (MASLP) and Ph.D. in Speech and Hearing. The intake of students is limited to 25 for BASLP and 20 for MASLP. The minimum qualification for BASLP is PUC/HSC/ICSE with Physics, Maths, Chemistry, and Biology (PCM as well as PCB are eligible). Candidates have to pass an online entrance test conducted by the Manipal University in many cities around the country. This applies to the MASLP course also.

Team approach

The college has excellent infrastructure with state-of-the-art technology labs, therapy rooms and specialty clinics.

It offers an inter-disciplinary and multi-disciplinary team approach between physiotherapists, occupational therapists and other related professionals of the hospital, which helps fine-tune the students’ clinical acumen.

Says the Dean of MCOAHS, B. Rajashekar, “The Speech and Therapy course offered by our college gives an edge to the students as it has the support of Kasturba Medical College, Kasturba Hospital and others institutions of Manipal University known for quality education in Anatomy, Physiology, Pathology, Electronics and Acoustics, for the variety of clinical exposure for evaluation and treatment of speech and hearing disorders.”

Recognition

The college has been accredited by the Rehabilitation Council of India, a statutory body, and has permanent recognition to offer undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in Speech and Hearing.

It has a cent per cent placement record of its students with nearly 70 per cent placed abroad.

Says Prof. Rajashekar, “There is a great demand for Speech Language Pathologists (SLP), as they are known in the U.S., and Audiologists, in Australia. In India, all corporate hospitals and district hospitals are looking for Speech and Hearing professionals and the supply is less than the demand.”

Says Wasim Ahmed, a student of II-year MASLP from Mysore, “Our college has excellent infrastructure. There is good coordination among the different departments.”

G. Sangeetha, a student of III-year BASLP from Nagercoil in Tamil Nadu, says, “Our faculty are research-oriented. This inculcates the research culture in us. They also tell us about the various opportunities existing in our field.”

Vinu Johnson, a student of II-year BASLP from Dubai, says, “In addition to the exceptional facilities, we get to deal with a wide variety of cases, which adds to our experience.”

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