Toot Toot

Wow - I need to update this more. Hopefully I can do better....

Life has been a blur lately - "too busy" seems to be the norm. Hopefully time will slow down a bit.

I'm still a speech therapist and I'm still the boss - managing 5 other therapists. Sometimes the boss stuff gets too overwhelming and I would much rather go back to the days of just treating patients. I love "just" treating patients. You never do this job for the recognition, but sometimes recognition is the little push you need to keep going.

Not to "toot" my own horn, but I was named the Employee of the Quarter for the entire Health System. Not too shabby for someone who has only worked there for 4 years.

I was named Employee of the Quarter because one of my patients wrote my boss a great letter about me. Again, you don't do this job for the thanks, but it sure does feel good to know people recognize how much time, energy, and personal investment you put in to care for your patients.

I love being a speech therapist. I love figuring out what is wrong with people and I love coming up with ways to help them. Most of the time, they've been written off by every doctor you could imagine and been labeled hopeless.

What I love most of all is working with my cancer patients. I developed a comprehensive head and neck cancer program where patients are seen by a speech therapist at the beginning of their cancer journey. They are followed regularly by someone (me) who has expert knowledge about head and neck cancer and its effect on swallowing and communication. They are referred to my by a wonderful, intelligent nurse (my mom!) who identifies them as someone who needs to be seen by a speech therapist.

The doctors may balk at the fact that my mom refers patients to me, but it is the best care out there and it is what got my Employee of the Quarter. Again, don't want to toot my own horn, but it sure does feel good.