Speech Language Pathologist

Position Summary:   The Medical Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) will be responsible for assessing, diagnosing, treating, and helping to prevent communication, cognitive, and swallowing disorders in patients and residents of North Valley Hospital District’s Extended Care facility. The MSLP works with infant through geriatric patients affected by a wide range of conditions, including but not limited to neurological disorders, brain injuries, developmental delays, learning disabilities, or genetic disorders; the SLP will provide critical therapies and education to enhance the patient's quality of life.

Position Responsibilities:

1. Assessment and Evaluation:

• Conduct assessments and evaluations to diagnose and develop individualized treatment plans for patients with speech, language, voice, fluency, cognitive and swallowing disorders.
• Implement specialized therapies to improve patients' speech production, vocal production, swallowing, and cognitive communication.
• Work with patients of all ages, adapting techniques to meet the needs of each specific age group.
• Use various equipment and technology to assist with diagnosis and treatment, ensuring the latest industry standards and practices are followed.

1. Collaboration with Healthcare Team:

• Collaborate with educators, healthcare professionals, and families to implement and support patient/resident therapy plans.
• Participate in multidisciplinary team meetings to discuss and plan comprehensive patient treatment.
• Acts as a resource to promote therapy, health, and well-being by providing direction, leadership, and education to those within and outside the department.

1. Documentation and Record-Keeping:

• Maintain accurate and timely records of patient treatments, progress, and outcomes.

• Communicate patient status and progress to other healthcare team members and refer patients to other specialists when necessary.
• Ensure compliance with relevant healthcare regulations and documentation standards, including medical record software systems.

1. Education

• Educate patients and family members about communication techniques and coping strategies for speech and language impairments.
• Participate in ongoing professional development to ensure practice aligns with the latest research and methodologies in speech therapy.

1. Compliance:

• Participates in hospital programs that promote health, well-being, and employee safety.
• Compliance with all applicable federal, state, and regional laws and regulations.

1. Quality Improvement Initiatives:
   • Participate in quality improvement projects to enhance patient outcomes, reduce healthcare costs, and optimize clinical workflows. 

Organization’s expectations of Employee:

• Represents North Valley Hospital and facilities positively and professionally by exemplifying the vision, mission, values, and goals of North Valley Hospital.
• Maintains attendance by working the hours of the position.  Follows policies and procedures regarding attendance, vacation, holidays, sick leave, and leaves of absence.
• Uses the timekeeping applications efficiently and accurately.
• Adheres to dress code; appearance is neat and clean; wears name badge while on duty
• Uses good customer service skills by relating to staff/healthcare providers, patients/residents, customers, and the public courteously and diplomatically under all circumstances.
• Compliance with all organizational policies and procedures.
• Demonstrates the ability to make decisions, take appropriate action, and follow tasks through to completion.
• Effectively collaborates with peers and team members, using tactful, diplomatic communication techniques in potentially sensitive or emotionally charged situations.
• Demonstrates leadership responsibility and skills, including planning and completing duties with minimal directions from the supervisor when appropriate.

Physical Demands: The physical demands and work environment characteristics described here represent those that an employee must meet to perform the essential functions of this job successfully.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

• Physical demands:  While performing duties of the job, the employee is frequently required to stand, walk, sit, use hands to finger, handle, or feel objects, tools, or controls; reach with hands and arms; must have speech, vision, smell, touch and hearing corrected to normal range.  The employee must frequently lift/push/pull up to 25 pounds and up to 50 pounds occasionally.  Specific vision abilities required by the job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.
• Mental requirements:  Must be able to apply common sense to carry out instructions furnished in written, oral, or diagrammatic form; must be able to add, subtract, multiply, and divide all units of measure; must be able to read, write, and speak clearly.
• Work environment:  Works inside in close working quarters with co-workers. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.
• Exposures:  Muscular strain, body fluids, behavior of clients/patients/residents, infectious material, chemicals/cleaning solutions, potential allergens such as plants/flowers, and noxious odors.