By ROBERT A. DEFRANK

WHEELING — Sheila Archer, director of rehabilitation services at WVU Medicine Wheeling Hospital and a speech-language pathologist, lives by the message of patience, hard work and community.

Archer describes herself as an “empty nester” as of this year and currently not involved in any civic organizations, volunteering and participating in her children’s school and extracurricular activities.

She is married to Bruce Archer, her husband of 31 years. Their daughters are Olivia Goodwin, married and finishing law school and Natalie Archer, a freshman at West Virginia University studying communication disorders and sciences. Archer also mentions their dog Fuzzy and cat Bob.

Since daughter Natalie is also studying to become a speech therapist, they have had many conversations about the field and what she needed to know before making her decision.

“Advice I gave Natalie and would give to anyone who wants to be a speech therapist is to volunteer with a speech therapist during high school at a hospital, clinic, nursing home and/or school to see all the different areas and ages we can work with and make a difference,” she said.

She said the Ohio Valley provides many opportunities for women entering the field of speech-language-pathologists.

“As we work with individuals throughout the lifespan, this area has a large elderly population,” she said. “There is a significant need for speech therapists in nursing homes, skilled nursing facilities and home health. In addition, as we are trying to identify delays and disorders early, the need for speech therapists who specialize in early intervention is also growing.”

Archer said one of the bright spots of the Ohio Valley is its community-oriented nature.

“In many ways it is a big little town. So many people, organizations, universities and agencies all work together to provide services to people in need across the lifespan. We are truly fortunate.”

Her motto is: “There are no shortcuts to anyplace worth going.”

“I worked hard in school and in my clinical rotations to become a speech pathologist, I still do. You need to do the work the right way, to be a better person and to be the best in your profession and in life. I have tried and have hopefully passed this along to my children as well as future speech pathologists who I have mentored over the years.”