Pros
I have worked at Shepherd Center for 3 years now and this opportunity has truly been a life-changing experience. I am so thankful for the opportunity to work for a hospital that cares so much about both its patients and its employees.
The ability to work together as a team to provide holistic patient care is the essence of Shepherd Center, and the interdisciplinary collaboration with other professionals is unparalleled.
I am a speech-language pathologist in the brain injury Day Program at Shepherd Pathways. I share a caseload with a team consisting of OT, PT, Rec T, nursing, and counseling. The patients seen at Shepherd Center are highly complex, and working closely with my teammates allows me to understand my patient’s needs across multiple domains (i.e., physical, cognitive, psychological, medical). The ability to constantly communicate with my team members ensures no patient needs are left unaddressed. Developing an understanding of my teammates’ roles in the rehabilitation process has also helped me grow tremendously as a clinician. I have been given the unique opportunity to learn how to safely incorporate strategies and goals of other disciplines into my speech therapy treatment.
Not only does the team mentality at Shepherd Center benefit the patients, it also provides me with a true “family” at work. Shepherd has created a very supportive work environment that allows for true relationships to develop. We provide the same support for each other as we do for our patients. In any setting, there are always going to be people who are your “superiors,” but at Shepherd we value each person’s role equally. I feel supported and heard by my management team who are always reaching out to make sure I feel like I have the tools to do my job successfully.
Shepherd Center also provides their staff members with a great opportunity to keep growing in their field. My fellow “speechies” are always available for bouncing ideas off of each other, and we each grow from the knowledge and expertise provided by the other. We participate in a lot of informal chats as well as structured workgroups to further progress our skills.
We are also provided with a generous amount of continuing education money to dedicate towards courses we find the most valuable and beneficial towards professional growth. The amount of resources available also provides me with every opportunity to provide my patient with the most up to date care based on evidence based practice. Each care plan can be uniquely tailored to meet my patient’s needs secondary to the variety of resources given to me.
Overall, Shepherd provides a workplace where I feel valued, supported, heard, encouraged, and fulfilled!
Cons
There are no specific cons for working at Shepherd Center. I do recommend having a good outlet for stress and emotions so you can maintain composure for your patients during their time of need.
