Media releases

Federation University Australia has today launched a new degree in speech pathology to help tackle the shortage of allied health professionals in the Gippsland and Ballarat regions.

Federation University has worked with regional healthcare providers, including Latrobe Regional Hospital and Ballarat Health Services, to determine where the workforce shortages are for allied health professionals.

The university is launching the new four-year Bachelor of Speech Pathology (Honours) degree to help tackle the issue. It will lead to better health care for local residents and good job opportunities for students, with 1,000 hours of clinical placements as part of the degree.

Speech pathologists study, diagnose and treat communication and swallowing disorders, including difficulties with speech, language, fluency and voice. They work as clinicians, educators, researchers, policy advisors, advocates or consultants across a variety of settings.

The number of speech pathologists and audiologists in Gippsland is projected to grow from 79 in 2016 to 113 in 2036, according to the 2019 Gippsland’s Future Health and Community Services Workforce report commissioned by the Latrobe Valley Authority.

In the Ballarat and Grampians region, the demand for speech pathology services continues to grow. Ballarat Health Services hopes that having a local degree through Federation University will encourage students to stay and work in the region once qualified.

As part of the degree, students will study foundation subjects in the first two years and specialise in a professional or research stream in years three and four, qualifying them to work as speech pathologists in Australia and address workforce skills shortages in regions most in need.

Throughout their studies, students will have access to Federation’s state of the art new Allied Health and Activity Centre in Gippsland and Health and Sport Precinct in Ballarat.

Federation is also launching a Master of Speech Pathology where those with an education, nursing or health science background can add to their qualifications.

The new speech pathology degrees build on the launch of occupational therapy and physiotherapy degrees at Federation’s Gippsland campus over the past two years, with the university partnering with government and local health services to tackle shortages in the local health workforce and deliver better healthcare to regional communities.

For more information on the speech pathology programs, visit federation.edu.au

Quotes attributable to Dean of the School of Health, Professor Wendy Cross

“The majority of our graduates go on to live and work in regional areas so we are confident that offering new allied health programs like speech pathology will lead to good local jobs for our graduates and better health care for people in Gippsland and Ballarat.”

“Speech pathologists are in demand and it’s a very rewarding career. These degrees are designed to suit people looking to start a career or people who are already working in the health or education sectors and looking for a change.”

Quotes attributable to Latrobe Regional Hospital Acting Manager Speech Pathology, Fiona Derham

“Demand for speech pathology services has risen significantly which has unfortunately affected timely access for many people, especially NDIS participants.”

“Opportunities to live and learn locally can only improve efforts to increase the number of professionals in our region. More importantly, they give hope to people who are challenged by something most of us take for granted – communication.”

Quotes attributable to Ballarat Health Services Executive Director Primary and Community Care, Craig Wilding

“Ballarat Health Services has seen a continuing increase in demand for speech pathology services.”

“As a regional health service, our speech pathologists have the opportunity to gain experience across a variety of clinical areas including oncology, paediatrics, neurology, palliative care and rehabilitation.”

“Our hope is that having a local degree will encourage the next generation of speech pathologists to stay and work regionally.”