Speech Language Pathologist II

Department:

Status:

Benefits Eligible:

Hou rs Per Week:

Schedule Details/Additional Information:

Job Summary:

Independently provides a full range of differential diagnostic and therapeutic services to pediatric and/or adult inpatients with wide ranging central or peripheral disorders of communication, cognitive-linguistics, feeding, and/or swallowing. Participates in regular team rounds and staff training. Provides consistent services despite severe weather and participates in team rotations through weekends and holidays to provide 365 day/year coverage.

Weekend requirement is 2 days per 4 week rotation.

Education / Experience:

Required

• Master's Degree in Speech-Language Pathology

Strongly preferred

• Experience in medical setting
• Experience with Flexible Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing (FEES)
• Experience with Modified Barium Swallow Studies (MBS)
• Experience with Passy-Muir Valves (PMV)

Licensure, Certification and / or Registration:

• Current license in Speech-Language Pathology issued by the North Carolina Board of Examiners for Speech and Language Pathologists and Audiologists
• Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology issued by the American Speech, Language and Hearing Association
• Current Certification from American Heart Association BLS for Healthcare Providers, CPR and AED.

Essential Functions:

• Adheres to the general hospital standards to promote a cooperative work environment by utilizing communication skills, interpersonal relationships and team building.
• Follows hospital policies and procedures.
• Follows departmental policies and procedures.
• Contributes to the overall quality of services.
• Assumes responsibility for keeping informed about changes in policies and procedures.
• Performs comprehensive professional evaluations of patients of all assigned ages referred for differential diagnosis of communicative, cognitive-linguistic, feeding, and/or swallowing disorders.
• Satisfactorily completes and maintains all initial and ongoing clinical competency requirements for patient groups and areas served.
• Appropriately selects, administers, and interprets diagnostic tools, with consideration of patient developmental level, current status, premorbid function, and reason for referral, and in accordance to WFBH protocols and procedures.
• Including, but not limited to, Flexible Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing (FEES), Modified Barium Swallow Evaluations (MBS), Passy-Muir Valve (PMV) evaluations, and knowledge of multiple standardized and non-standardized assessments of communication and cognitive-linguistics.
• Pending primary work areas, includes alaryngeal speech evaluations
• Documents diagnostic findings, recommendations, and charging in the patients medical record on the same day as evaluation.
• Documents admission Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility- Patient Assessment Instrument (IRF-PAI) ratings and goals, as required (IP rehab staff).
• Notifies referral source promptly of results and consults with them, and other staff, as necessary to facilitate best care and outcomes.
• Follows institution guidelines for appropriate cleaning of tools utilized, as needed.
• Ensures patient and/or caregiver education regarding communicative, cognitive-linguistic, feeding, and/or swallowing disorders and relevant treatment options.
• Provides appropriate written and/or verbal counseling and education to patient and caregivers relative to recommendations, treatment options, and therapy carryover.
• Participates in patient and family conferences, as required.
• Documents education sessions in patients medical record on the same day as provision.
• Plans and conducts treatment programs for patients with communicative, cognitive-linguistic, feeding, and/or swallowing disorders
• Satisfactorily completes and maintains all initial and ongoing clinical competency requirements for patient groups and areas served.
• Develops and implements individualized, functional, and measurable treatment goals, appropriate to evaluation findings and set goals.
• As appropriate, includes, but is not limited to, therapy utilizing Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation, NMES (IP rehab staff)
• Incorporates patient and caregivers in treatment goal planning.
• Modifies therapy strategies and provides periodic re-evaluation to determine and ensure effectiveness of treatment, and to update treatment goals.
• Coordinates management recommendations with outside resources that will be participating in continuing care upon patient discharge from inpatient.
• When appropriate, terminates formal treatment in an appropriate and timely manner.
• Documents therapeutic progress, and evolving plans and recommendations in the patients medical record, utilizing objective data and submitting documentation on the same day as therapy provision.
• Documents ongoing and discharge Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility- Patient Assessment Instrument (IRF-PAI) ratings and goals, as required (IP rehab staff).
• Consults with medical team, and other staff, as necessary to facilitate best care and outcomes.
• Serves as speech pathology consultant to educational, medical, and other professional services
• Attends regular patient care rounds within primary area of practice
• Participates regularly within multidisciplinary teams.
• Interacts with other outside agencies as appropriate (for example, Vocational Rehabilitation, Assistive Technology).
• Provides and participates in in-service education and training of speech pathology interns and fellows, medical students/residents, and allied medical personnel
• Prepares and presents formal lectures to hospital staff on communication, cognitive-linguistics, feeding, and/or swallowing.
• Provides unique training for speech-pathology graduate interns, clinical fellows, and/or new team members within the department.
• Continuously seeks to maintain or improve patient care services and evaluates opportunities to develop new services
• Efficiently coordinates and triages patient caseloads to ensure that all patient needs are met as quickly as possible, with minimized delays in diagnosis or therapeutic intervention.
• Demonstrates flexibility in meeting patient/family and department/facility needs.
• Achieves and maintains required inpatient rehabilitation facility education (IP rehab).
• Identifies problems, contributes viable solutions, and readily adapts to change.
• Independently pursues knowledge and research relevant to areas of practice, and participates in in-service education programs to ensure proficiency in current techniques for the evaluation and treatment of all potential patients.
• Recommends new services and/or techniques to the inpatient Speech Pathology manager.
• Participates in peer review process.
• Evaluates options for augmentative/alternative communication and recommends and/or fits appropriate devices or prostheses to meet patient needs, as applicable
• Consults with Assistive Technology as needed.
• Performs appropriate evaluation services to assess augmentative/alternative communication options or vocal prostheses.
• Instructs patient and family in the use of such devices; providing short-term therapy services with the device, if needed.
• Monitors performance with fitted device.
• Provides re-evaluation services, as necessary, to change or upgrade devices.
• Ensures age/development appropriate patient care is provided in accordance with Age-Specific Care Guidelines for the specific age groups served.
• Satisfactorily completes and maintains all initial and ongoing clinical competency requirements for patient groups and areas served.
• Achieves and maintains required inpatient rehabilitation facility education specific to age (IP rehab)
• Demonstrates knowledge of physical, motor/sensory, psychosocial, safety and developmental factors in the Age-Specific Care Guidelines.
• Utilizes communication skills in obtaining information, providing education, and conveying patient needs sensitive to age and developmental level of the individual patient/caregiver.
• Adequate performance on financial/budget and inpatient care expectations
• Meets or exceeds productivity target consistently each year.
• Maintains expected coverage on severe weather days, assigned weekends, and assigned holidays.
• Follows departmental guidelines for use of Benefit Time Off (BTO).
• Keeps Speech Pathology scheduler aware of availability and needs for assistance meeting patient care requirements (IP rehab).
• Consistently and appropriately hands off patient care information and pager coverage upon expected and unexpected absences
• Consistently and appropriately bills for services provided.

Skills and Qualifications:

• Able to possess a strong, clinical interest and maintain versatility, creativity and adaptability
• Effective time management
• Minimum of "Meets Standards" on all clinical, HR, and institutional competencies or standards
• Ability to cross-cover other inpatient Speech Pathology areas or patient types, upon requested need and with limited notice
• Responds promptly to communication (e.g., e-mail, phone calls, pages)
• Maintains professional and effective interactions with management and staff

Pay Range

Our Commitment to You:

Advocate Health offers a comprehensive suite of Total Rewards: benefits and well-being programs, competitive compensation, generous retirement offerings, programs that invest in your career development and so much more so you can live fully at and away from work, including:

Compensation

• Base compensation listed within the listed pay range based on factors such as qualifications, skills, relevant experience, and/or training
• Premium pay such as shift, on call, and more based on a teammate's job
• Incentive pay for select positions
• Opportunity for annual increases based on performance

Benefits and more

• Paid Time Off programs
• Health and welfare benefits such as medical, dental, vision, life, and Short- and Long-Term Disability
• Flexible Spending Accounts for eligible health care and dependent care expenses
• Family benefits such as adoption assistance and paid parental leave
• Defined contribution retirement plans with employer match and other financial wellness programs
• Educational Assistance Program

About Advocate Health

Advocate Health is the third-largest nonprofit, integrated health system in the United States, created from the combination of Advocate Aurora Health and Atrium Health. Providing care under the names Advocate Health Care in Illinois; Atrium Health in the Carolinas, Georgia and Alabama; and Aurora Health Care in Wisconsin, Advocate Health is a national leader in clinical innovation, health outcomes, consumer experience and value-based care. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, Advocate Health services nearly 6 million patients and is engaged in hundreds of clinical trials and research studies, with Wake Forest University School of Medicine serving as the academic core of the enterprise. It is nationally recognized for its expertise in cardiology, neurosciences, oncology, pediatrics and rehabilitation, as well as organ transplants, burn treatments and specialized musculoskeletal programs. Advocate Health employs 155,000 teammates across 69 hospitals and over 1,000 care locations, and offers one of the nations largest graduate medical education programs with over 2,000 residents and fellows across more than 200 programs. Committed to providing equitable care for all, Advocate Health provides more than $6 billion in annual community benefits.