Lessons from a CFY: Kelsey Tindall
Name: Kelsey Tindall
Degree: MS, CF-SLP
State: Maryland
Work Location: Private Practice
What are the biggest lessons you've learned during your CFY?
The biggest lesson I’ve learned is to advocate for yourself. As a CF, it’s easy to feel like your needs matter less than the rest of the team but that’s simply not true! If you need more/less supervision, a change in your salary, benefits, a sick/mental health day, etc, ask for it!!
The second most important lesson is to not feel like you have to do anything the same way as previous SLPs. Even as a new SLP, you truly do have unique skills, qualities, and ideas you can contribute to your caseload. Even if another super experienced SLP targeted goals differently, doesn’t mean that you have to do it that way. You will bring a unique perspective to help your clients and they will be grateful for it!
What did you remember or change going forward as a result of these lessons?
Learning these things has helped me to be a bit less of a people pleaser and more confident in doing what I believe to be right. I am more willing to speak up if I have an opinion and share if I have a different perspective than others. These are qualities I hope to carry throughout the rest of my career!
What did you expect going into your CF? Did your expectations match? What was the same? Different?
I think I expected a lot more supervision going into my CF. It really is completely different than clinical placements in grad school. While I always have my supervisor available for questions, direct supervision is limited. Also, another thing I didn’t anticipate was just how natural it would feel treating clients and creating treatment plans. It is a strange and satisfying feeling to take all of this knowledge from school and finally apply it.
What would you tell your past self now that you are a working SLP?
What would you tell your past self now that you are a working SLP?
I would tell myself, “You can do it. You will become a wonderful SLP and finally be able to use those 6 years of schooling in an actual clinical setting.” I would also encourage myself to keep my mind open to working in different areas of our field. I have found joy in all of the settings I have worked in so far, even the ones I didn’t expect.
What advice do you have for future CFs?
Besides what I’ve already said, I would encourage future CFs to remember that this period is short. They should look for something that will engage them and that they will enjoy but it does not have to be the dream job just yet. You absolutely do not have to stay where you do your CF. Also I would say even more important than picking a CF in the perfect setting would be picking a CF where you can continue to learn and have access to varied resources to learn. All the research I read now has a totally different application now that I’m working than it did in grad school. It sticks with me so much easier and I can actually see the success when I apply the research. Overall, just believe in yourself. You can do this!!!
