Department:38954 Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center - Speech Pathology: Acute Care/Inpatient
Status:Full time
Benefits Eligible:Yes
Hours Per Week:40
Schedule Details/Additional Information:Varies
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 patient's 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 patient's 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 patient's 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$37.50 - $56.25
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
