Here at McCulloh Therapeutic Solutions, we celebrate “Therapist Appreciation Month” in October. Without our shining therapists, MTS Kids could not impact the thousands of lives we are privileged to serve across the Upstate of SC.

This is an open letter to all our fellow SLP’s — our way of saying, “THANK YOU!” to each one of you.

You are making a difference!

“It’s the end of the week. You get to work, bright, early and just having fought the rush-hour traffic, as usual. You put down your belongings, get out your computer and take a deep breath — getting ready for the day ahead.

On your screen is your endless to-do list:  paperwork, paperwork and more paperwork. Initial Evaluations, Plans of Care, Discharge Summaries. SO MUCH PAPERWORK! There are goals to establish and forms to complete. There is never enough time in the day to get it all done. But what burdens your heart even more is that the to-do list staring back at you isn’t just filled with tasks. Those to-do’s represent real people with real lives, real struggles and real stories; YOU are completely invested in serving them! You don’t just leave your work at the office. You go to sleep thinking of each patient, each family, each story. You dream of a new idea to try. You wake up thinking about your first patient. Their battles have become your battles.

In college, you dreamt of a shiny career where you could help people and thought, “speech therapy — YES! That’s what I want do.” You didn’t think of the paperwork, or the millions of hours you would spend brainstorming ways to help each family.

Do you ever have days where you wonder if it is all worth it, if all your hard work is really making an impact? Well, QUIT WONDERING!

You are a difference-maker!!!

When your patient’s first word is spoken. When they swallow their first bite of food. When they can finally ask for what they want, communicate what they need, share who they are and how they feel. You celebrate with that family because their victory is your victory. You’ve just made a difference!

You are not only a Speech-Language Pathologist, you’re a support system for each family you serve! You see the good, the bad, and the ugly. You fight alongside them. You cry with them. You laugh with them. Because you remember relationships matter, you reassure them that they are not alone. Because you choose to do the hard things — spend endless hours thinking of new roads to victory and work on piles of to-do lists filled with paperwork — others’ lives are made better!

The world is changed, one voice at a time.

You could have chosen a fancy career working in a cozy corner-office with a giant paycheck waiting for you at the end of the month, but I’m so glad you didn’t. Thank you for making your patients laugh when they want to cry. Thank you for helping your patients try one more time. Thank you for finding a way to make the hard work fun. Thank you for refusing to settle, for refusing to set limits on what is possible. Thank you for reaching for the STARS. Thank you for trusting the best is yet to come.

From one SLP to another, thank you for choosing to live a life that serves others, a life that gives the next generation A Voice That Lasts Forever!”

-Leiloni Smith, your fellow SLP

Interested in a career where YOU get to make a difference?!

Click Here to apply to MTS Kids now!