Career prospects

The speech therapist carries out his or her professional activities in public or private health care facilities, in the areas of research, teaching/training and professional consultancy.
The speech therapist practises as an employee or freelance professional.
Specifically:

• healthcare facilities in various areas of care: stroke units and centres for rehabilitation, neurorehabilitation, otolaryngology, geriatrics, medicine, neurology, neurosurgery, paediatrics, neonatal intensive care;
• rehabilitation services, child neuropsychiatry, phoniatrics, orthodontics;
• healthcare residences for the elderly, nursing homes, private clinics or affiliated social cooperatives, associated studies;
• universities: the speech therapist is the elective teacher of speech therapy disciplines, within the framework of basic training; he/she acts as a trainee tutor for speech therapy students; he/she engages in research activities within the framework of the speech therapy disciplines and in an interdisciplinary context.

It is worth noting that around 85% of students graduating from the University of Parma are employed one year after graduation.
After graduation, students can gain access to Professional Master Programmes - first level - that allow them to acquire clinical skills in specific areas and to a second-cycle degree in rehabilitation sciences to acquire the skills to go into teaching, research and management.