5 Places for Speech-Language Pathologists to Find Continuing Education Units

Speech language pathologists, or SLPs, have made great strides in helping people address their speaking problems and improve their communication skills. That said, they need to be aware of new knowledge and practices arising in their field. Continuing education units, or CEUs, can help them grow professionally and provide better care for clients

Where to Find CEUs for SLPs

There are numerous training courses online, and taking the right units can contribute to credit toward keeping pathologist certifications alive. Here's where to find CEUs for SLPs.

1. Education Resources

Education Resources has been delivering continuing education for more than 30 years. It can connect you with new speech-language strategies and techniques to foster your connection with patients and students. You can renew your license for the American Speech-Language Hearing Association and the American Occupational Therapy Association.

Key features:

• Provides on-demand courses with experiential learning;
• Holds webinars, online courses, and annual conferences;
• Offers discounts for early registration;
• Sends CEU course updates to your email.

Review: "I am consistently happy with the courses I take through ERI. The content presented is clinically relevant, and the presenters/educators provide the information in a way that makes it immediately applicable to my clinical practice. I feel that each course I've taken through ERI has influenced my practice positively to make me a more well-rounded professional."

2. Northern Speech Services

Northern Speech Services is a family-based business helping medical and pediatric SLPs since 1972. It aims to simplify license renewal by creating and publishing therapy materials and courses developed and peer-reviewed by fellow SLP clinicians. No memberships are needed to take the courses.

Key features:

• Provides discounts for course bundles;
• Offers group-rate discounts;
• Allows you to work at your own pace without a completion deadline;
• Retain ongoing access to course content.

Review: "Northern Speech Services has been my go-to for many, many years now for keeping my CEUs up to date. I am always able to find the most current and relevant coursework at a reasonable cost. NSS offers such a wide selection of topics for continuing education. Thank you, NSS!!"

3. Medbridge

Medbridge is a premier healthcare knowledge and tool provider that enhances your learning process. It has partnered with more than 20,000 speech pathologists and helps them satisfy their continuing education requirements. It also created more than 1,100 video-based SLP continuing education courses that feature some of the industry's top instructors.

Key features:

• Offers guided certificate programs;
• Provides user-friendly applications;
• Empowers you to create and personalize patient programs;
• Explore specializations like dysphagia, aphasia and more.

Review: "The information in Medbridge courses is evidence-based, insightful, and almost immediately applicable in my sessions. When I finish a course, it feels as though I've actually learned something."

4. Speech Pathology

Speech Pathology has been delivering online ASHA-approved continuing education for the past 25 years. Everything is tailored for SLPs and their assistants to easily understand and incorporate into their work processes. Filter out their CEU courses by format, topic, association, level, and duration to get even more accurate recommendations.

Key features:

• Updates its evidence-based courses weekly;
• Ensures device compatibility;
• Covers valuable topics like early intervention and ethical compliance;
• Offers a yearly plan for unlimited access to CEUs.

Review: "Thank you so very much for getting us set up so quickly! Each communication I've had with you has been so professional. I totally appreciate the way SpeechPathology.com operates. The way that you are set up now is so nice and user-friendly."

5. Speech Therapy PD

Speech Therapy PD is an SLP-owned and operated small business delivering continuing education since 2009. It incorporates visual learning with evidence-based information into its courses to equip SLPs with the ready-to-use techniques. It is known for introducing one of the first CEU podcasts, 'First Bite and Speech Link.'"

Key features:

• Provides self-paced courses in audio, video, and live format;
• Offers a CE tracker to check hours and simplify certification courses;
• Builds a hub for connecting with peer SLPs;
• Operates on subscription-based access.

Review: "SpeechTherapyPD makes it easy and affordable to earn quality CEUs from home. The programming is useful and informative with excellent presenters. I've been very happy with the five courses I've taken, with variety of live and self-study courses making it easy to meet my CEU goals to further my professional development. I'll be taking more courses soon."

Methodology for Analyzing CEUs

Continuing education providers have several differences between them that can affect their overall viability. Here are some of the factors that you can use to assess CEUs for SLPs.

Course content	Evaluate the course description and see if you’re going to learn something new. You should also gauge if the information is too beginner or advanced for you. There's typically a preview, or some might even provide samples.
Reputation	It's important to get your courses from a reputable name in the speech education industry. ASHA approval is typically a good sign that the CEU will provide legitimate certification, which you can use when marketing your SLP services.
Instructor expertise	CEU presenters should be experts in their fields and able to communicate the course lessons clearly. You can usually look up their credentials or check reviews from people who have listened to the instructor.
Effectiveness	At the end of the day, you're present to learn new information. Check how helpful the CEU has been to fellow SLPs. You could also seek referrals from your circle as well to identify which units are worth taking.

Find the Right Continuing Education Provider

Continuing education courses are vital, even after finishing your degree. After all, you can learn new skills that can improve your overall process of helping people with their communication. Know where to find CEUs for SLPs and ensure excellent levels of quality care for your clients.