Speech / Language Pathologist Fellow

Job Summary

This is a twelve (12) month clinical fellowship at 32 hours per week providing patient care. Clinical supervision will be provided. Employment will be terminated at the conclusion of the fellowship regardless of successful completion (the schedule includes weekends). Provides diagnostic and treatment interventions (depending first on the needs of the department and next on the speech pathologists area of specialization) to improve the patients speech/language, oral/facial musculature and structure, cognitive skills, voice, fluency, breathing and/or swallowing abilities to maximum potential. The Speech Pathologist will provide this treatment per physicians order and coordinate therapeutic activities with the patient, caregiver and other health care disciplines. The speech pathologist will work as part of the interdisciplinary team and follow the Kaiser and the department guidelines.

Essential Responsibilities

• Evaluates patients communication/articulation, physical, cognitive, breathing, swallowing status, functional abilities and age specific needs of patients to determine the current level of functioning, self-care, self- responsibility, independence and quality of life.
• Develops and implements a treatment plan which involves the patient, family, and social support system, identifies interventions to reach achievable goals, coordinates and collaborates on treatment options, advocates enhancing patients social support systems; facilitates appropriate environmental modifications. Provides treatments based on established departmental guidelines and protocols; provides skills based on competency check lists. This therapy involves providing treatment which takes into account the risks and benefits of that treatment regime relevant to the patients medical condition, rehabilitation potential and prognosis. Travels to various settings providing speech pathology services throughout the northwest region as determined by the needs of the department.
• Provides timely and complete documentation following department guidelines. Follows any indicated HIPPA, Medicare, Medicaide, Joint Commission as well as state, organizational and department rules.

• Coordinates therapy activities with other health care disciplines. This includes coordinating services through consultation with the school systems and community agencies to ensure follow-up and continuing care as needed. Participates in quality and performance improvement activities within the department including but not limited to measurement and continuous improvement of clinical competency, regulatory compliance, outcome achievement, resource management, work team performance and customer satisfaction. Performs other duties as required.
  
  

Experience

Basic Qualifications:

• N/A
  
  

Education

• Masters degree in speech pathology and completion of speech pathology patient training through Masters speech pathology program.
  
  

License, Certification, Registration

• Conditional Speech Language Pathologist Certificate (Oregon)
• Drivers License (in location where applicable)
• National Provider Identifier required at hire
• Basic Life Support within 2 months of hire
  
  

Additional Requirements

• Ability to complete clinical fellowship year at Kaiser Permanente.
• Demonstrates customer-focused service skills.
  
  

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience as a speech pathologist seeing both and inpatient and outpatient caseload.
• Experience with treating dysphagic patients.
• Experience with treating adults and pediatric patients.
• Ability to both evaluate and treat patients with dysphagia
• Ability to scope patients during a fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing
• Ability to evaluate both children and adults with specific skills in administering language, cognitive and articulation assessments.
• Ability to treat both children and adults with specific skills in treating patients with language, cognitive and communication deficits.
• Ability to provide evaluation and treatment for patients with the following disorders: Dysphagia, voice disorder, communication/articulation problems, cognitive deficits.
• Able to work autonomously and manage their own case load.
• Excellent time management, problem solving and customer service skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Operational knowledge or ability to learn computerized clinical documentation and office application systems.