Download the show notes or full transcript of the conversation.
Meet Tim Stockdale and Wendy Chase, two medical speech-language pathologists currently working in higher education. Both of them are professors at Rocky Mountain University, and Wendy also serves as the Director of Clinical Education. They’ve been heavily involved in building the graduate program for speech pathology there, and they walk us through what a typical day looks like for them, the challenges they’ve faced, and how they’re hoping to improve the field overall.
Discussion & Reflection Questions
- Tell us who you are and how you became a speech-language pathologist.
- Can you walk us through a day in the life of an SLP professor?
- Both of you are very collaborative. How do you bring that collaborative approach into your graduate program so it’s not so competitive?
- What has been one of the biggest challenges of teaching?
- What have you enjoyed in your job as faculty and in teaching these new speech pathologists as they move forward into their careers?
- How did you decide between a clinical career path and getting a PhD?
- What words of wisdom would each of you have for the student who’s just graduated and is ready to start their clinical fellowship?
Quote of the Conversation
“Anywhere you’re employed, be nice to everybody. Don’t treat the doctors better than you treat the cafeteria workers. Treat people decently. Treat everybody well. You know, we all support each other, and we all serve an important role in the grander scheme of things. I think the people component is a really big deal, and it’ll make you enjoy what you do so much more when you go someplace and you can smile and wave and have conversation with whoever you meet.”
– Tim Stockdale, MS, CCC-SLP
“I think I have definitely benefited from keeping an attitude of joy in doing the job. People respond to that. Your patients appreciate it a lot. I think the students appreciate it. When I’m teaching, I think colleagues appreciate it. Open-mindedness and joy are probably the two keys to success for most of us.”
– Wendy Chase, MA, CCC-SLP
Tim Stockdale, MS,CCC-SLP
Medical Speech-Language Pathologist and Professor at Rocky Mountain University
Tim Stockdale has served as a speech-language pathologist primarily in hospital and university settings. He is currently employed as clinical faculty for the MS-SLP program (medical emphasis) at Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions, in Utah, and does acute care work on the side. He has worked with other faculty to revise the dysphagia management curriculum at Rocky Mountain University into a 3-course series, and he organizes a yearly dysphagia management conference for continuing education. Prior to working in Utah, he had served as a clinical instructor at the University of South Florida and worked in several acute care settings. He received an undergraduate degree from West Virginia University and a Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology from the University of South Florida. He is currently obtaining a clinical doctorate in SLP from Northwestern University. Tim is a life-long learner and wishes he had more free time to spend outside with his wife and kids.
Wendy Chase, MA, CCC-SLP
Speech-Language Pathologist and Clinic Director at Rocky Mountain University
Wendy Chase is a speech-language pathologist who joined RMUOHP in July 2017 in the position of Clinic Director. Ms. Chase earned her BS at Central Michigan University and her MA at Northwestern University. She has 29 years of experience in clinical positions treating clients from infancy through geriatrics and in locations from home care to hospitals. Ms. Chase was most recently employed as the Director of Clinical Education at the University of Connecticut where her focus was on inter-professional education and practice, communication and voice treatment with transgender or gender-fluid clients, and assessment of swallowing in clients with ventilator dependency. Her classroom teaching has focused on dysphagia and clinical methods. Ms. Chase believes that critical thinking and evidence-influenced practice are hallmarks of an excellent speech-language pathologist and strives to support student acquisition of these core skills through quality clinical education.
Keep the Conversation Going
You can find Wendy Chase at:
Email: wendy.chase@rm.edu
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