Abby Barnes, M.S., CCC-SLP
Expressable speech therapists provide online speech therapy to children and adults around the country. Our staff of more than 100 speech-language pathologists is organized into teams, with each team led by a talented clinical manager. These clinical managers are speech therapists themselves. That’s just one of the ways we create a supportive environment at Expressable, with a focus on ongoing clinical education and high-quality care for clients.
Come along and follow one of our clinical managers, Jillyan St. Laurent, M.S., CCC-SLP, during a typical workday at home. Find out what it’s like managing a team of speech therapists who provide teletherapy to people of all ages, around the country.
10:30 a.m. to noon: Workday prep and team meetings
Expressable offers speech therapists flexibility in their schedules, and Jillyan starts her workday around 10:30 a.m. With a later morning start, her hours extend into the evening. She says this schedule works best for her so she can take care of personal tasks before starting the day. She spends time journaling and meditating, doing yoga, or taking her dog on a walk before sitting down at the computer.
Once Jillyan’s ready to sit at her desk, she grabs a cup of warm tea, and her sweet 60-pound dog, Riot, settles at her feet. She says, “I start my day by checking email, looking over my schedule, and answering any messages from my team or colleagues from the night prior. Once I catch up on those messages and finish up any team support needed, I transition into meetings for the rest of the morning.”
“I love that I get to help on a bigger scale in this position. Rather than focusing only on my clients, I get to help other speech therapists help their clients.”
Jillyan attends a variety of leadership meetings, including calls to collaborate with her fellow clinical managers. The managers can talk through any situations where they need input or support.
From there, Jillyan has one-on-one meetings with the speech therapists on her team. These are spread out across her week so that each speech therapist meets with her every other week. Jillyan says, “I absolutely love that I get to help on a bigger scale in this position. Rather than focusing only on my clients, I get to help other speech therapists help their clients.”
12 to 12:30 p.m.: Lunch
Jillyan usually grabs a quick lunch and takes a short walk with Riot. She adds, “I’m also usually starting a load of laundry or doing a quick cleanup around the house. I need a tidy home in order to be productive.” Another great benefit to working from home!
12:30 p.m. to 3 p.m.: Chart audits and continuing education
After lunch, it’s time for Jillyan to complete tasks such as reviewing client charts, therapist metrics such as session attendance, and the CEUs (continuing education units) her team has completed. She also checks to make sure her team has been able to attend the latest Expressable Grand Rounds.
All clinical managers host Grand Rounds meetings every month, during which they present on a topic that directly impacts speech therapists in their work. These may be topics such as parent coaching, teletherapy techniques, or specific treatment areas, such as augmentative and alternative communication.
During Grand Rounds, speech therapists can not only learn from the presentation, but also ask questions, join discussions, and collaborate with each other on a variety of clinical scenarios.
3:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.: Treating clients and supporting speech therapists
Clinical managers with Expressable have a small caseload of clients. The after-school hours are in high demand for school-age kids, and Jillyan provides online speech therapy for several children. She sees children who stutter and those with speech sound disorders and language disorders.
Evenings are a busy time for online speech therapy, too. Evening appointments are convenient for kids who have after-school activities or whose parents work late. And many adult clients prefer to have their speech therapy sessions after their own work is done.
Even though Jillyan may not be treating clients in the evening, many of the speech therapists on her team are. If they have questions or need help, Jillyan is just a message away. Starting her workday in the midmorning allows her to be available for these speech therapists in the evening. (West Coast speech therapists who are a few timezones behind her especially appreciate that!) Although her afternoons and evenings are often busy, Jillyan makes sure to add in breaks when she can.
Managing with compassion, teamwork, and support
The work of a clinical manager can be challenging, but it’s certainly rewarding. When asked about her role, Jillyan says, “I can’t even count the number of ‘hats’ we wear! First, we are always wearing our speech therapist hat, because even when we’re not working with a client, we’re working to help someone else with their client’s needs. My number one priority is to support my clients and my team members as best as I can. Sometimes that looks like being a listening ear, providing input and support, and other times that means having more serious conversations that can be a little bit uncomfortable.
“One piece of advice I always remember came from a principal I knew many years ago when I worked in a school. They said, ‘Everyone is doing the best they can.’ That helps me remember to approach all of my tasks with compassion and teamwork.”
Learn more about working at Expressable
Expressable employs experienced speech-language pathologists from around the country in a variety of roles. If you’re an SLP, check out our current openings, or reach out to us at recruiting@expressable.io. You can also sign up for our career newsletter, Elevate, to stay up-to-date on all things career-related at Expressable. We'd love to connect with you!
