The importance of managerial competencies for new graduates in speech pathology

The type and extent of management skills required by new graduate speech pathologists in the health care context is currently unknown. This study surveyed 47 experienced speech pathologists to investigate their perceptions of the relative importance of various management skills for new graduate speech pathologists. New graduate speech pathologists were defined as clinicians who had less than 2 years employment experience. The set of skills perceived to be most important related to management of future planning, and skills within this set included time management, prioritising work tasks, and planning goals for the work team. The second most important set of skills related to organisational practices such as being an advocate for the department/unit, and the third most important set of skills related to legislative knowledge. The implications of the results for undergraduate speech pathology education programs, professional associations, senior speech pathology managers, and public and private employers are discussed.