Census of speech therapist of the Sicily

Abstract

The survey on the employment status of speech therapists who carry out their professional activity in Sicily was conceived by the Commission of the Register of Speech Therapists of the TSRM-PSTRP Order of Palermo, in collaboration with the Commissions of the Register of Speech Therapists of the TSRM-PSTRP Orders throughout Sicily, i.e.: Board of Directors of Speech Therapists of Catania, Caltanissetta-Agrigento, Enna, Messina, Ragusa, Syracuse and Trapani.

The census of Sicilian speech therapists has proven to be a very useful tool for identifying important information and data regarding the employment status of colleagues and the methods and types of contracts. These data will be crucial in reference to the reorganization of the hospital network and territorial services to guarantee the LEAs (outpatient and rehabilitation LEAs) considering the low incidence of speech therapists working in the public sector compared to the total number of professionals active in the Region. The questionnaire used for the survey allowed us to highlight strengths and weaknesses related to the speech therapist profession. The possibility of comparing data and observing their evolution over time provides the possibility of highlighting the critical issues that have emerged and planning future actions for better governance of the profession.