PRN Speech Therapist

Description

General Summary: The Speech Therapist plans, directs, and provides speech, language, hearing, and swallowing services to patients. Manages the equipment and quality improvement with regards to Speech Therapy. The Speech Therapist is actively involved in department activities, transdisciplinary team activities, and LifeCare activities to ensure individualized, patient-centered health care for all patient populations admitted to LifeCare Hospital.

Patient Population: Has contact with patients in a clinical setting; understands and demonstrates appropriate behavior when interacting with patients in the adult (18-65 years of age) and geriatric (65 and older) populations.

Supervision: Not applicable.

Standard Essential Functions
1. The knowledge and skills necessary to perform the position requirements are demonstrated through the successful completion of competencies established for the position, to include population served and other special needs of patients or customers, served by the department.
2. Adheres to LifeCare policies, procedures, all safety plans, and all standards imposed by regulatory organizations.
3. Regular attendance and timeliness is required.

Job-Specific Essential Functions
1. Evaluates patients per MD orders and develops patient-specific plans of care that include short- and long-term goals to address speech, language, fluency, voice and swallowing disorders (to include MBSS and bedside swallow).
2. Implements plan of care in a safe and supportive manner. Interacts with the patient regarding condition, progress and/or achievement of goals during each treatment session. Documents treatments and patient response. Communicates changing patient needs to physician.
3. Evaluates effects of treatment at various stages and adjusts treatments and short- and long-term goals to achieve maximum benefit. The outcome of care provided and progress toward the goals are documented.
4. Communicates with transdisciplinary team regarding patient-specific care requirements. Delegates responsibilities appropriately. Works in collaboration with the transdisciplinary team, patient, and family.
5. Provides education to transdisciplinary team, patient and family concerning diagnosis, treatment, and post discharge care. Provides training and supervision of speech language techniques and objectives for members of the transdisciplinary team and students (if applicable).
6. Plans/organizes work to maintain caseload, effectively schedules patient treatment sessions, maintains patient records and charges. Assures equipment is maintained and is in clean and working order. Reports equipment maintenance and/or repair timely.

Values
• We COLLABORATE: We develop our treatment plans in collaboration with physicians, clinicians, and patient's families.
• We ADVOCATE: We advocate on behalf of every patient and family.
• We RESPECT: We recognize and value the dignity, rights, and resources of each patient.
• We EDUCATE: We educate our team members and families with purpose and compassion.
• We SERVE: We serve as a TEAM with integrity at all levels focused on achieving the best possible outcomes for our patients.

Qualifications

Experience: Two years of experience in an acute care or LTACH setting is preferred.

Education: Master’s degree in Speech Pathology from an accredited school required.

Licensure/Certification: Current license as a Speech Therapist or Speech Language Pathologist in state where currently practicing is required. Current BLS certification upon hire is required. All Speech Therapists must maintain current licensure and BLS certifications while employed with LifeCare Hospitals.

Physical Requirements:
1. Ability to lift, move, transport and position patients, equipment, or supplies/materials up to fifty (50) pounds without assistance; or over fifty (50) pounds with the aid of mechanical assistance or assistance of personnel.
2. Range of motion and mobility of self by positioning or moving around hospital to include sitting, standing, walking, bending, squatting, stooping, kneeling, crawling, climbing, and reaching.
3. Ability to communicate with patients, families, physicians, co-workers, and visitors to be able to exchange accurate information regarding patient condition and health status. Ability to exchange and express information by means of language and communicate information effectively.
4. Ability to hear the nature of sounds. Ability to detect clinical alarms and conversation. Ability to give full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
5. Ability to use logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
6. Ability to monitor/assess performance of yourself to make improvements or take corrective action.
7. Ability to see things at close range and match and/or detect differences between colors, including color and brightness.
8. Ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble small objects.
9. Ability to keep your hand steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.
10. Ability to understand the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision making. Ability to use scientific rules and methods to solve problems.
11. Ability to identify problems and review related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
12. Ability to respond to emergency or crisis in a calm and professional manner as a team member to resolve the crisis or emergency.
13. Ability to work independently and perform routine and detail-oriented tasks. Ability to manage one’s own time.
14. Ability to consider the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
15. Ability to collect and analyze numerical, written data and verbal communication to reach logical conclusions and ability to determine the time, place and sequence of operations or action.
16. Ability to review, assess, record or type data quickly and accurately.
17. Ability to observe and recognize or identify changes in patient’s health status or condition.
18. Ability to perform mathematical equations.
19. Ability to view and operate required equipment.
20. Ability to determine resources needed in order to provide quality patient care.
21. Ability to make independent judgments and decisions.
22. Ability to respond or make adjustments to any modality of therapy when deviation from routine care is required.

Environmental/Working Conditions:
1. Category 1 - Infection exposure due to required tasks which routinely involve a potential for mucous membrane or skin contact with blood, body fluid tissues or potential spills or splashes.
2. Ability to work alone or with minimal supervision.
3. Contact with patients, families, co-workers, physicians, and visitors.
4. Ability to work under and handle stress in an appropriate manner.
5. Ability to handle multiple tasks.
6. Ability to work long hours between breaks and meals may be required.
7. Exposure to high, medium, or low noise intensity.
8. Provides on-call services as needed.

Machinery/Tools/Equipment Requirements: Ability to operate nursing call system, telephone, fax machine, copy machine, computer, printer, and calculator.