Becoming a SpeechLanguage Pathologist:

1
Becoming a Speech-Language Pathologist Levels
of Stress Associated with Accelerated and
Traditional Program Models Lindsay Sharp, Katie
Pape, Christina Celano, Speech-Language
Pathology Graduate Students La Salle University,
Philadelphia, PA Evelyn R. Klein,
Ph.D., CCC-SLP, Advisor
Summary High academic and clinical demands
within the speech-language pathology curriculum
combined with studying for high-stakes exams can
result in high levels of stress. Based upon the
results of this study, first year accelerated
program students showed more program stress than
students in the second year of the accelerated
program. Interestingly, students in the first
year of the traditional program showed less
program stress than did students in the second
year of the traditional program. We speculate
that the statistically significant higher stress
levels of the first year accelerated students
were due to several reasons. As undergraduates
starting graduate coursework, this group of
students did not have the opportunity to gain
experience at an on-campus clinic whereas the
traditional students came from various colleges
and universities with a clinic thereby having an
opportunity to experience clinical contacts with
direct supervision. Also, having graduated 1-2
years prior, many had worked in early
intervention and school systems with emergency
certification. We believe that this prior
experience contributed to their lower levels of
stress at the time of their first clinical
practicum. Additionally, the first year
accelerated students were enrolled in graduate
courses at the same time that they were
completing their undergraduate coursework. This
too may have contributed to their higher stress
levels. First year accelerated students had a
greater workload. No significant differences
were found for first and second year traditional
and accelerated students on the Life Stress
Survey. We believe there was no statistically
significant difference since the participants in
both traditional and accelerated programs were in
similar life situations. This similarity resulted
in the groups being stressed about the same
issues at relatively equal levels.
Limitations to our study include the fact that
we had a small sample size and only had students
from one university. In addition, it would be
interesting to conduct this study using a
longitudinal design. In that way we could monitor
change with the same students as they progress
from first to second year status within each
program model. We also would have liked to
include graduate students returning to school
after a lengthier absence from formal education.
In conclusion, students applying to a
speech-language-hearing science undergraduate
program should be aware of potential stress
levels that may occur as they progress through
the undergraduate combined with graduate
requirements of an accelerated program model.
Although it is appealing to reduce the amount of
time spent in school, the accelerated programs
are not for everyone. They are rigorous and
require many hours devoted to academic and
clinical work, especially when graduate work
begins. But, in the end, it is worth it we
calmed down and learned to manage our
stress! References Centers for Disease Control.
An Evaluation Handbook for Health Education
Programs in Stress Management. Washington,
D.C. Department of Health and Human Services,
1983, pp. 69-72. Hudson, S.A. ORegan, J.
(1994). Stress and the graduate psychology
student. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 50,
973-977. Konduri, N., Gupchup, G.V., Borrego,
M.E. Worley-Louis, M. (2006). Assessment of the
reliability and validity of a stress questionnair
e for pharmacy administration graduate
students. College Student Journal, 40, 78-90.
Pohlmann, K., Jonas, I., Ruf, S., Harzer, W.
(2005). Stress, burnout, and health in the
clinical period of dental education. European
Journal of Dental Education, 9, 78-84. Oswalt,
S.B. Riddock, C.C. (2007). What to do about
being overwhelmed Graduate students, stress and
university services. College Student Affairs
Journal, 27, 24-45. Seaward, B.L. (2002).
Managing stress Principles and strategies for
health and well-being (3rd edition). Boston,
MA Jones and Bartlett Publishers.

• Procedures
• All students in both traditional and accelerated
  SLHS Programs received the Program Stress and
  Life Stress Surveys. Students rated how often
  they had feelings associated with various
  stressors using the online Survey Monkey at
  surveymonkey.com
• Scores were interpreted using SPSS 16.0
  (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences).
• Information was shared with students and
  Speech-Language Pathology Program faculty to help
  understand the impact of stress at various
  program levels and also to provide suggested
  stress reduction strategies.
• Results
• Results of the stress surveys were analyzed
  using a Two-Way ANOVA. Independent variables were
  Program Model (traditional and accelerated) and
  Program Year (1st and 2nd). The dependent
  variable was Program Stress Survey score. (There
  was no significant difference in Life Stress
  Survey scores between the groups). Results
  indicated that there was a significant
  interaction for program stress for first and
  second year students in traditional and
  accelerated programs. Students in the first year
  of the accelerated program showed the highest
  level of program stress with a mean of 21.44 (on
  a 40 point scale) with a standard deviation of
  3.25. The second year accelerated students had
  the lowest stress level with a mean of 17.4, and
  a standard deviation of 2.41. The first year
  traditional students had a mean of 18.00 with a
  standard deviation 3.54, while the second year
  traditional students had a mean of 19.36 and a
  standard deviation of 3.11. These results
  indicate that students in the accelerated program
  start out with a higher stress level and complete
  the graduate program with a lower stress level
  than their traditional program peers. In
  contrast, students in the traditional program
  begin with lower stress levels and progress to
  higher stress levels in their second year when
  compared with students in the accelerated track.
  Results indicated F(1,29)4.97, p.035 partial
  Eta squared.16.
• FIGURE 1. Program by Year Interaction Effect on
  Stress Levels

• Abstract
• Several graduate programs in the United States
  offer different models for obtaining the masters
  degree in Speech-Language Pathology. This study
  investigated stress reaction to two program
  models a traditional model and an accelerated
  model. Thirty students from LaSalle Universitys
  Speech-Language Pathology Graduate Programs were
  participants in this study. All participants
  completed a Program Stress Survey and a Life
  Stress Survey. Results of the stress survey
  inventories were analyzed using a Two-way ANOVA
  to investigate level of stress for type of
  graduate program by years in the program. A
  significant interaction for year x program model
  was found. First year accelerated students and
  second year traditional students were found to
  have the highest stress levels. Possible reasons
  and implications are discussed.
• Background
• La Salle University offers two major program
  models for students pursuing a graduate degree in
  Speech-Language Pathology. The traditional model
  is typically a two-year program with a minimum of
  45 credits for students who completed an
  undergraduate degree in the field. The
  accelerated model is a minimum of 158 credits
  that spans a five-year period with students
  obtaining the bachelors and masters degrees.
  Students in this program complete six years of
  the BS/MS program in five years.
• As graduate students in the accelerated
  program, we were interested in comparing our
  stress levels with that of our classmates who
  were in the traditional program. We were curious
  about their ability to cope with stress in
  graduate school. Stress can be defined as an
  inability to cope with a perceived (real or
  imaginary) threat to ones mental, physical,
  emotional or spiritual well-being. This may
  result in physiological responses and the need
  for adaptations to cope with the threat (Seaward,
  2002). As a graduate student, stress levels can
  be intense. There are multiple demands for high
  academic and clinical performance within the
  speech-language pathology curriculum. This is
  compounded by studying for major high-stakes
  exams including the graduate comprehensive exam
  and the National Examination in Speech Pathology
  and Audiology (NESPA). Research pertaining to
  stress levels of graduate students is lacking
  (Oswalt Riddock, 2007). This lack of research
  and our personal experiences with stress as
  students in an accelerated graduate program
  prompted this research.
• Gathering data about stress levels of
  students in graduate school is important
  because it can alert incoming students to
  potential stressors and help them make wise
  decisions about which program model they should
  choose. Being in an accelerated Speech-Language-
  Pathology masters degree program is not for
  everyone! Six years of study are essentially
  reduced to five.
• Research also indicates that life factors in
  addition to academic work may contribute to ones
  overall stress levels. A study of graduate
  psychology students, by Hudson and ORegan (1994)
  found that female students who work full time and
  are not in a committed relationship had
  significantly higher stress levels than their
  classmates. Another study about students in
  clinical training during dental school found that
  the lack of leisure time, test anxiety, and the
  transition into clinical work contributed to high
  levels of stress (Pohlmann, Jonas, Ruf, Harzer,
  2005). Pharmacology students also reported high
  levels of stress. It was also found that those
  with a lower self-reported grade-point-average
  (GPA) had high levels of overall stress. This
  related to their fear of failing and negative
  perceptions of relationships with faculty
  (Konduri, Gupchup, Borrego, Worley-Louis 2006).
  
• Overall, our goal was to determine if levels of
  stress (related to the type of program and life
  events) differed significantly for students in
  traditional and accelerated graduate programs at
  various points in time.

• Research Question
• The purpose of this research study was to
  determine if there was a significant difference
  in stress levels (Program Stress and Life Stress)
  for students in traditional and accelerated
  Speech-Language Pathology Programs at La Salle
  University during first and second years of
  graduate school.
• Program Stress Survey Scores included students
  ratings on the following items using a 4-point
  Likert Scale passing the NESPA, passing the
  comprehensive exam, completing the KASA,
  performing well at clinical practicum, obtaining
  good test grades, getting support from family and
  friends, having living arrangements conducive to
  studying and having feasible transportation
  to/from school and practicum. This survey was
  developed from students at La Salle University,
  2008.
• Life Stress Survey Scores included students
  ratings on the following items using a 3-point
  Likert Scale feeling leisure satisfaction,
  living in a comfortable environment, having a
  sense of self-esteem, believing you were meeting
  others expectations, feeling in control,
  believing you were able to complete tasks, having
  reasonable connections with others, and being
  able to manage time. This survey was secured
  from the Centers for Disease Control, 1983.
• Methods
• Participants
• Thirty graduate students studying Speech-Language
  Pathology at La Salle University were recruited
  to complete online surveys about stress. The
  students were from either the traditional or
  accelerated graduate program at either first or
  second year level. All traditional graduate
  students in the study recently completed (within
  2 years) an undergraduate degree in Communication
  Sciences and Disorders. Students in the
  accelerated graduate program were in the 5-year
  program taking them directly from undergraduate
  to graduate status without any lapse of time.
• TABLE 1. Demographics of Subjects
• Students gender 100 females
• Traditional students mean age 23.88 (sd 1.59)
• Accelerate d students mean age 21.89 (sd.88)
• There was no significant difference in ethnicity
  or grade point average for traditional and
  accelerated students
• 73 of students in the 5 year accelerated
  program lived on campus
• 59 were listed as dependents on parent tax
  return forms

p.035 Effect Size .16
TABLE 3. Means and SD for Scores on Program
Stress Survey Mean St. Dev.
Accelerated Year 1 21.44 3.25
Accelerated Year 2 17.40
2.41 Traditional Year 1 18.00
3.54 Traditional Year 2 19.36
3.11