Being prepared for working in palliative care: The speech pathology perspective

Abstract

Providing quality palliative care services is a national priority, and speech pathologists play an integral role in this area managing communication and swallowing difficulties. However, very little is known about the type and amount of palliative care education currently incorporated into Australian speech pathology curricula and the preparedness of graduates to work in this field. This discussion paper summarises the role of the speech pathologist in palliative care and the preparedness of graduates to work in this field. Further research is required to develop a picture of the current educational practices in Australian speech pathology curricula.