#IamMGH – Meet Victoria Dunchych

#IamMGH tells the story of our people. In celebration of Speech and Hearing Month, we would like you to meet Victoria Dunchych, speech language pathologist at MGH. Victoria had a long and successful career in education and IT before discovering her passion for speech language pathology at the age of 39 . This is her story.

“I am originally from Moscow, Russia. When I was younger, I was obsessed with the French language and francophone culture. I moved to Canada, got a Master’s degree in French linguistics from the University of Toronto and started working as a French teacher. Although I loved the language, I found I was losing interest while teaching, so I decided to do a 180 and make a career change to IT.

After taking a few courses in information technology, I was hired as a quality assurance analyst for a software company. From there, I applied my IT skills working for an American-based healthcare insurance company and then moved on to a Canadian telecom company, where I was leading testing efforts for multiple key projects. Despite enjoying the challenges of these stimulating environments, I still felt like something was missing.

Ten years into my new career, I had my son, Matthew. As a child, he had some difficulty speaking and pronouncing certain words and sounds, so my mother suggested I take him to a speech language pathologist (SLP). I was so interested in the work my son’s SLP did and what the profession entailed. It was then that I realized this is what I really wanted to do! SLP combined my passion for linguistics, my need for thought-provoking work and desire to truly help and connect with others. So I decided to make another shift – one that would require me to go back to school full-time. My colleagues in telecom were totally shocked! But at 39, I went back to do my second Master’s degree, this time, in health sciences. I never regretted going back to school.

I did a student clinical placement at MGH, and was inspired by acute care SLP team. Although I briefly worked at another hospital after graduation, I was thrilled to return to MGH as a clinician.

Today, I work with patients who have communication and/or swallowing disorders, often due to neurological issues including stroke, acquired brain injury, dementia, Parkinson’s disease etc. I also work with patients whose difficulties arise form structural impairment, including various types of cancer, post-intubation and post-operative complications.

My work is collaborative. SLPs are a part of the interprofessional practice team. We work closely with doctors, nurses and other allied health professionals including physiotherapists, occupational therapists, social workers and transitional navigators to care for our patients together. I really enjoy this collaborative practice – it’s how we make a difference!

At MGH, I am able to focus on people and make a direct impact on their lives and wellbeing. I am so proud to be part of the “heart of the east”, as it gives my heart great joy to be part of something so meaningful.

The advice I would give to others is do not fear life changes. Life sometimes has a way of guiding you along to where you belong. Look at what you love to do, follow your passion and listen to your intuition. Change does not mean that previous experience is wasted.