'We've done so much on our journeys.' An exploration of pioneering the profession of speech-language pathology in Vietnam

Between 2013 and 2016, cross-cultural research utilizing qualitative methodology was undertaken to explore the emerging profession of speech-language pathology (SLP) in Vietnam. This article reports one aspect of the final stage of the research in which graphic elicitation techniques supported exploration of the professional journeys of five of Vietnam’s first university-qualified SLP graduates. Participants were invited to draw their professional journeys as a river and to use the visual images as they described their experiences. Thematic analysis of the data identified five themes – a shared journey; a journey through obstacles; a vocation, not just a job; lifelong learning, and the future looks bright. Several of the research findings confirmed those of previous studies exploring the emergence of new professions in underserved contexts such as Vietnam – limited human and contextually relevant resources, movement into specialization and private practice, and the importance of higher education and university-based degrees as foundations for the future of a profession. New insights also emerged – the significance of others in the participants’ journeys, evolution of the SLP profession at multiple levels, and the critical importance of culturally safe practices and authentic collaboration between international partners. The drawings acted as a bridge to cultural and language differences, and afforded opportunity for a group of Vietnam’s first SLP graduates to reflect upon their professional journeys and represent their experiences in novel ways.