Provider Spotlight: Riley Finnegan | Growing as a school-based SLP.

At Kelly Pediatric Therapy, we proudly spotlight the dedicated clinicians who bring expertise, compassion, and creativity to children across our schools.

Riley Finnegan is a speech-language pathologist (SLP) working with students in grades 5–8. She completed her Clinical Fellowship (CF) year with Kelly Pediatric Therapy and is now in her second year. We asked her what it’s like to start a career and what helped her feel ready.

What drew you to speech-language pathology?

My brother is about thirteen months younger than me, and he was diagnosed with autism around age two. He was always getting therapies, like speech, occupational, and physical therapy. In early high school, I watched how much of an impact his speech therapist had on him, and I realized that’s what I wanted to do.

People sometimes think school SLPs only work on sounds, but we work on so much more. We work on language, social language and social skills, and fluency for students who stutter.

What was your Clinical Fellowship like with Kelly Pediatric Therapy?

After grad school, you complete a clinical fellowship of a little over 1,200 hours. You have a mentor during that time. Kelly Pediatric Therapy supplied me with my own mentor, so I didn’t have to seek one out or try to find someone in my school who could do it.

Kelly brought all of the clinical fellows from every district together for a CF Bootcamp before we started. It was about a three-hour meeting, and they went into detail on what we’d see as school SLPs. That included how to schedule students, billing, and what we might run into. There were multiple speakers, plus a speech therapist who had been a clinical fellow the year before and shared her experience. It was so beneficial.

As a result, I was more prepared, and I also knew I was going in with 12 other clinical fellows. They weren’t at my school, but we were all experiencing the same thing, starting our first year as school-based SLPs. It eased my nerves and made me feel more confident about starting the school year.

What were the first weeks of the school year like?

Overwhelming. The first two weeks are mostly scheduling, which can feel like the worst part of the job. I had 50 to 60 students, and I was figuring out which classes they were in so I could build a schedule around them. About two weeks in, I started seeing my kids on that schedule. As the weeks went by, I felt myself getting more confident and gaining experience.

Was there a moment you felt in over your head?

Yes, my first IEP meeting as a case manager, in early October. It was the first time I was meeting with parents by myself and reaching out to faculty.

My mentor checked my IEP documents and was there for me. She calmed me down and told me, “You know what you’re doing. You can do this.” I went into that meeting feeling confident.

What’s it like working with your clinical director?

She’s fantastic. We have monthly meetings with all the speech, occupational, and physical therapists Kelly has in our district. She gives us a review of the month, and we bring any concerns we have.

She’s also always available. There are drop-in meetings daily at different times, and if something is urgent, I can sign up for a meeting. I have her phone number and email, and I know she’ll get back to me very quickly. She also contacts us over the summer break if anything important comes up.

She’s an occupational therapist too, and I find that helpful. Speech and OT collaborate on so many things, so I get someone with a wide range of knowledge who can still support me as a speech therapist.

What additional resources did you find helpful?

Kelly Pediatric Therapy holds a monthly virtual call run by different therapists and other leaders, and a different topic is covered each month. They’ve covered IEPs, evaluations and re-evaluations, billing, and scheduling. They share resources, advice, and strategies.

One session on IEPs early in the year really stood out. I was nervous about writing IEPs and being a case manager. They emphasized being as specific as possible, because an IEP is a legal document. They gave tips I never would have known just starting out. If you have a niche question, they can find an expert to help provide answers.

How important are your teammates?

Very. Even though we’re spread across the district, we’re a good group. I talk to the Kelly speech therapists at the elementary schools all the time. We ask each other questions and share what’s going on. Between the SLPs, OTs, and PTs, I can ask questions of the team instead of just relying on my own knowledge. I’ve also learned a lot from therapists who have been with Kelly for multiple years.

Beyond support, what else do you value about working with Kelly?

The flexibility. You can create your own schedule. For example, if you have your own children, you may not be able to see students right at 8:00 in the morning. You have the flexibility to arrange your day.

Most rewarding is seeing my students’ progress. I’ve only been working a little over a year, but I’ve seen so much growth, even in their personalities.

I also love seeing students in the hallway who say, “Miss Finnegan, when am I coming to speech?” It seems like they enjoy it and want to come, and that makes me feel so happy and proud.

What would you tell someone considering Kelly Pediatric Therapy?

Kelly is one of those top-notch companies. It was one of the best companies I could have joined to start my career, because they’re supportive in so many ways. I’d recommend the CF Bootcamp or their School-Based Academy to anyone, since those programs eased my nerves and made me feel more confident and ready for the school year.

I also have a great group of coworkers who are kind and supportive. I can see myself working here for a long time, and I really enjoy it.

Grow your career with Kelly Pediatric Therapy.

At Kelly Pediatric Therapy, our mission is to support dedicated therapists like you, so you can make a difference for children and families in our schools, clinics, and communities. We offer resources, mentorship, and real opportunities for career growth—plus a true work-life balance. Learn more about all the ways we support our therapists.

Connect with our recruiters today to learn how you can advance your career—and make every hour you spend at work more meaningful.

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