Speech therapists play an active role as leaders and respond to changing societal demands and needs. They take the initiative to find new clients and markets for their products and services. Speech therapists organise their own services through the effective and efficient deployment of people and resources in order to provide clients with high-quality care. They contribute to the continuity and effectiveness of the organisation. Changes to the organisation of health care and education call for cost-effective and creative solutions to tap into new clients and markets. Speech therapists develop new products and services and serve clients and markets efficiently. Speech therapists promote the profession in society. They do this in collaboration with other disciplines and with governments, municipalities, health insurers and other external parties. As part of this contact, speech therapists clearly define their specific expertise and substantiate their professional concern for the well-being of their clients.
Entrepeneur
Core Activities
- Promoting the profession;
- Identifying opportunities for the practice of one’s own profession;
- Networking and identifying resources, stakeholders and potential collaboration partners of relevance to the client;
- Carrying out activities or encouraging the acquisition of products and services;
- Organising own work;
- Translating organisational policy into goals and priorities;
- Contributing to the creation and implementation of policy developments;
- Documenting, managing and justifying goals, resources, activities and results.
Examples of professional activities
- Promoting the unique qualities of speech therapy products and services;
- Identifying opportunities to improve speech therapy products and services, with a focus on developing the organisation and/or the profession;
- Identifying opportunities, issues, needs, risks and bottlenecks;
- Translating the organisational vision/policy into objectives for speech therapy interventions;
- Contributing to and implementing policy plans, annual plans and/or business plans;
- Organising efficient and effective business operations;
- Using administrative software.
Levels
Level 1: Novice
Speech therapy students organise their own work and study tasks in an efficient and effective way, taking into account the applicable procedures of the academic/work organisation. At the instruction and under the supervision of an educator, students identify opportunities to promote themselves as speech therapists in training.
Level 2: Advanced beginner
Speech therapy students take into account applicable procedures and organise their own work efficiently and effectively under the supervision of an educator. They contribute to the continuity and effectiveness of the speech therapy department. Speech therapy students identify organisational opportunities to actively promote the profession.
Level 3: Competent
Speech therapists analyse their own services in different contexts and organise these effectively and efficiently in relation to the resources used. They contribute to the continuity and effectiveness of the commissioning organisation. Speech therapists respond to the questions and needs of the organisation or society and promotes the profession accordingly. Speech therapists participate in meetings to develop policy at the organisational level or in regional/national networks and contribute to the effectiveness and efficiency of the healthcare sector. Speech therapists acquire and actively search for new clients and markets to promote and acquire inter-professional services and products with the aim of maintaining or expanding speech therapy services in the future. Speech therapists encourage the acquisition of products and services within existing and new target groups. Speech therapists represent the interests of professionals and the profession.