Early Supports: Measuring the Presence of Community in the Communication Sciences and Disorders Department

Coming out of COVID-19, the transition from virtual to in-person was marked by the rebuilding of communities that had disappeared or adapted during the pandemic. Healthcare fields in particular saw an increased number of medical providers experiencing occupational burnout associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. The Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD) Department at Western Washington University houses speech language pathologists and audiologists as staff and faculty and prepares students to become medical providers in clinical settings. This project conducted a general survey and an undergraduate interview to measure the current perceived community within the CSD department after COVID-19, as well as the importance of community in the lives of those in the department. Due to the nature of the survey, all findings cannot be ruled as conclusive, but rather trends between groups of people in the department. The study found patterns of differences in perceived community within the department based on department roles from an anonymous online survey. Undergraduates reported feeling the least amount of community and knowing the least about resources available to them. The interviews focused on undergraduate experiences in the department, including ways that they felt more community could be fostered and ways that the community currently welcomes people in.