Academic path and professional competencies seen through the perception of speech therapy alumni

Abstract

Purpose: To analyze the factors associated with the professional insertion of Speech Therapy graduates. Methods: Observational analytical cross-sectional study, with a non-probabilistic sample, composed of 245 graduates from a Speech Therapy course in Brazil. The research applied a questionnaire containing objective and open questions, segmented into six axes. Bivariate and multivariate analysis of the data were performed. Results: There was an association between working as a speech therapist with the variables, gender (p=0.031), age (p≤0.001), initiative (p=0.001), leadership ability (p=0.001), decision making ability (p=0.001), teamwork ability (p=0.001), managerial skills (p=0.034), interest in new knowledge (p≤0.001), pride in the profession (p=0.001), network of contacts (p=0.001) and participation in outreach projects (p≤0.001). There was a higher chance of entering the job market as a speech therapist for those graduates who acquired network contacts during an undergraduate course (3.3 times more); were interested in knowledge (3.2 times more); develop leadership skills (2.6 times more); younger than 29 years old (0.3 times more) and carried out outreach projects during graduation (0.2 times more). Conclusion: Graduates in Speech Therapy who develop a network of contacts, have an interest in knowledge, develop leadership skills and participate in outreach projects during graduation have enlarged possibilities of entering the job market as speech therapists.