MY SLP JOURNEY
By Janelle Syms, Speech-Language Pathologist
I’ve always had a passion for working with children. Growing up, I would practice writing on the ‘white board’ (the bedroom mirror) and taught my cousins whatever English facts I’d learned that week in school. I embraced this passion to the fullest at a young age, volunteering at church during vacation bible school and babysitting on the weekends. Originally, I wanted to become a teacher. My first official job was as a Teacher’s Assistant, which I did part time whilst I completed my Associates Degree in Primary Education. In 2017, I furthered my education by traveling to the UK to pursue Early Childhood and Education, with the plan of becoming a special educational needs teacher.
During one of my university holidays, I was invited to shadow a friend who had just started working as a SLT in Cayman. I spent the morning observing her sessions with children and realized that speech and language therapy encompassed all of the elements I loved about teaching (connecting with children, language development, and literacy to name a few). This brief experience led me to I reflect further on what I knew about the profession and I recall my cousin having a stammer which required intervention. I was able to witness how speech therapy helped to alleviate some of the frustrations he experiences. I researched more about the scope of practice for speech-language therapists and had somewhat of an epiphany moment – this is what I wanted to do with my life! The profession would allow me to work with children, whom I had a passion for, whilst also allowing me to give back to my community in a way that I felt was more specialized. I’d be able to help the children of the Cayman Islands be able to access language which was such an integral and overlooked part of child development. My background in early childhood provided me with the theoretical foundation surrounding development, and personal experiences with those with impaired or limited communication encouraged me to do my part in ensuring that everyone has a ‘voice’.
In 2019, I secured a summer internship at a local healthcare facility, and for those four weeks, I fully embraced what it was like to be an SLT. Observing the SLTs in practice plan and administer treatment and seeing the breakthroughs that happened for each child gave me a sense of reassurance that this is what I was meant to do with my life.
In 2020, I was accepted into a programme at the University of Essex in the UK, where I officially began my journey to becoming a ‘speechie’. A typically ‘accelerated’ course became even more difficult, as the pandemic forced teaching to be strictly online. This made everything ten times harder as I was unable to experience the practical aspects of a very practical-focused course. I recall my first placement being virtual, and wondering how I would ever feel equipped for clinical practice. Thankfully, as restrictions eased, our opportunities for clinical placements increased, allowing me to meet many courageous and determined clients.
The last two years have been extremely challenging with over 525 clinical hours being completed, 25,000+ words being written, countless presentations and workshops, meeting hundreds of service users and shedding many tears; however as of September 22, 2022, I am beyond proud to say that I have achieved a Masters of Science in Speech and Language Therapy with Distinction!
As I embark on the beginning of my journey as a therapist, I am excited to work with the children and families of the Cayman Islands as one of few Caymanian SLPs.