Speech Pathologist

ABOUT MARINHEALTH
Are you looking for a place where you are empowered to bring innovation to reality? Join MarinHealth, an integrated, independent healthcare system with deep roots throughout the North Bay. With a world-class physician and clinical team, an affiliation with UCSF Health, an ever-expanding network of clinics, and a new state-of-the-art hospital, MarinHealth is growing quickly. MarinHealth comprises MarinHealth Medical Center, a 327-bed hospital in Greenbrae, and 55 primary care and specialty clinics in Marin, Sonoma, and Napa Counties. We attract healthcare’s most talented trailblazers who appreciate having the best of both worlds: the pioneering medicine of an academic medical center combined with an independent hospital's personalized, caring touch. 

MarinHealth is already realizing the benefits of impressive growth and has consistently earned high praise and accolades, including being Named One of the Top 250 Hospitals Nationwide by Healthgrades, receiving a 5-star Ranking for Overall Hospital Quality from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and being named the Best Hospital in San Francisco/Marin by Bay Area Parent, among others. 

Company:

Marin General Hospital dba MarinHealth Medical Center

Compensation Range:

$49.27 - $73.90

Work Shift:

8 Hour (days) (United States of America)

Scheduled Weekly Hours:

40

Job Description Summary:

Provides comprehensive speech-language pathology services for patients with communication, cognitive-linguistic, voice, motor-speech, and/or swallowing disorders. Performs evaluations, interprets results, develops and implements individualized plans of care, provides evidence-informed treatment and patient/family education, documents clinical findings and progress, and collaborates with physicians and the interdisciplinary care team to support safe, effective, and coordinated care. Provides counseling of clients and family regarding swallowing impairments and language-communication profiles. Serves as a clinical resource within the organization and demonstrates MarinHealth C.A.R.E.S. standards in all patient, family, and team interactions.

Job Requirements, Prerequisites and Essential Functions:

Education

• Master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology or Communication Sciences and Disorders from an accredited program.

Experience

• Preferred: Two (2) to three (3) years of progressively increasing responsibility as a Speech-Language Pathologist in an acute care hospital or healthcare setting.

• Demonstrated clinical experience evaluating and treating communication and swallowing disorders appropriate to the patient populations served.

• Acute-care, NICU swallowing and feeding, inpatient rehabilitation, outpatient, outpatient pediatric, or other directly relevant healthcare experience preferred based on department needs.

• Experience with dysphagia evaluation and treatment, interdisciplinary care planning, and medically complex patients preferred when applicable to assignment.

Licenses & Certifications

• Current, valid California Speech-Language Pathologist license issued by the Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology and Hearing Aid Dispensers Board.

• Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology (CCC-SLP) issued by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), required.

• Integrative Agitation Management (IAM) within 30 days of hire, if applicable to the patient population and department requirement.

• CCS Paneled Speech Pathologist desired, but not required at hire.

Prerequisite Skills

• Demonstrated knowledge of speech-language pathology principles and practices, including communication, cognitive-linguistic, voice, motor-speech, and swallowing disorders relevant to the populations served.

• Ability to complete comprehensive evaluations, analyze and interpret findings to form a clinical diagnosis, establish functional and measurable goals, develop individualized plans of care, and modify treatment based on patient response and progress.

• Demonstrate clinical judgment in identifying components of disordered swallow that impact airway invasion, changes in swallowing or communication status, and other findings requiring modification of care or timely escalation to the appropriate provider or care-team member.

• Must have knowledge of all aspects of speech-language pathology, swallowing disorders, learning disabilities, non-verbal communication systems, normal human development and laws which govern the profession.

• Ability to select and apply age-, diagnosis-, and function-appropriate evaluation tools, therapeutic techniques, compensatory strategies, and patient/family education.

• Ability to communicate evaluation findings, recommendations, treatment plans, progress, and discharge needs clearly and objectively to patients, families, physicians, and interdisciplinary team members.

• Ability to establish therapeutic rapport and provide counseling and education in a respectful, understandable, culturally responsive, and patient-centered manner.

• Strong documentation skills, including accurate, complete, timely, and clinically defensible documentation of evaluations, plans of care, treatment, progress, education, communication, and discharge recommendations.

• Working knowledge of professional standards, scope of practice, patient privacy, safety, infection prevention, and applicable laws and regulations governing speech-language pathology practice.

• Ability to manage a clinically appropriate caseload, prioritize competing patient needs, coordinate care, and communicate barriers or unusual patient-care concerns to department leadership.

• Ability to collaborate effectively across disciplines, accept and provide constructive feedback, participate in quality improvement, and contribute to program development within assigned scope.

• Ability to develop and present education to staff, patients, families, community groups, or professional audiences within demonstrated expertise.

• Demonstrated behaviors consistent with MarinHealth C.A.R.E.S.: clear communication, accountability, respect, excellence, and active commitment to patient and workforce safety.

Primary Customer Served (Age Specific)

• Provides services to patients of all ages, from infant to extreme age, using evaluation tools and therapy techniques selected to be appropriate for specific age, either chronological age or functional age.

Patient Privacy (HIPAA Compliance)

• Accesses protected health information only as necessary to perform assigned duties and maintains the privacy, security, and confidentiality of patient information in accordance with MarinHealth policy and applicable law.

Duties and Responsibilities

Essential Duties (Not Modifiable)

• Evaluate patients and interpret results to diagnose communication, cognitive-linguistic, voice, motor-speech, and/or swallowing disorders using appropriate clinical evaluation methods and standardized tools.

• Develop individualized plans of care with functional, measurable goals based on evaluation findings, patient needs, clinical judgment, physician orders when applicable, and interdisciplinary priorities.

• Provide evidence-informed speech-language pathology treatment and modify interventions based on patient response, progress, safety, goals, and changes in clinical condition.

• Evaluate swallowing function and provide appropriate treatment, compensatory strategies, diet/feeding recommendations within scope, education, and escalation when findings indicate increased risk or need for additional evaluation.

• Communicate results by written and/or verbal means to physicians and/or agencies and/or the patient’s care team about findings of evaluations, recommendations, and treatment plan.

• Document evaluations, treatment, progress, education, communications, and discharge recommendations accurately, completely, and within required timeframes.

• Provide patient and family education in a manner appropriate to health literacy, communication ability, developmental level, culture, and readiness to learn; verify understanding and document education provided.

• Coordinate continuity of care, including follow-up recommendations, referrals, home programs, equipment/communication needs, and communication with the next level of care as appropriate.

• Follow-up calls on those released from therapy as needed for continuity of care.

• Participate in interdisciplinary rounds, care conferences, staff meetings, and other clinical forums relevant to assigned patients and department operations.

• Identify and promptly escalate changes in patient condition, swallowing/safety concerns, barriers to treatment, unusual patient interactions, scope-of-practice concerns, or other risks requiring clinical or leadership attention.

• Performs a minimum of five hours of patient contact/day.

• Manage assigned workload and scheduling responsibilities in alignment with patient-care priorities, department expectations, and quality standards; communicate barriers to timely care or workload completion.

• Provides information to department manager regarding process of schedule management and unusual patient contacts.

• Maintain required licensure, certifications, competencies, continuing education, and knowledge of current professional practice.

• Contribute to clinical program development, evidence-based practice, quality improvement, education, and initiatives that improve patient outcomes and department effectiveness.

• Demonstrate MarinHealth C.A.R.E.S. standards and Patient Safety Expectations in all aspects of work.

Secondary Duties (Modifiable)

• Provide in-service education to hospital staff and other groups within area of expertise.

• Participate in interdisciplinary rehabilitation and care-coordination activities.

• Support community education and outreach related to communication and swallowing disorders when assigned.

• Assist with orientation, mentoring, or education of staff/students within demonstrated competency and department expectations.

• Perform other duties consistent with the purpose and level of the position.

Accommodation:

Qualified applicants with disabilities may request reasonable accommodation during the application process by contacting Human Resources at 415-925-7040 or [email protected].

C.A.R.E.S. Standards:

MarinHealth seeks candidates ready to model our C.A.R.E.S. standards—Communication, Accountability, Respect, Excellence, Safety—which foster a healing, trust-based environment for patients and colleagues.

Health & Immunizations:

To protect employees, patients, and our community, MarinHealth requires measles, mumps, varicella, and annual influenza immunizations as a condition of employment (and annually thereafter). COVID-19 vaccination/booster remains strongly recommended. Medical or religious exemptions will be considered consistent with applicable law.

Compensation:

The posted pay range complies with applicable law and reflects what we reasonably expect to pay for this role. Individual pay is set by skills, experience, qualifications, and internal/market equity, consistent with MarinHealth’s compensation philosophy. Positions covered by collective bargaining agreements are governed by those agreements.

Equal Employment:

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, protected veteran status or disability status, and any other classifications protected by federal, state, and local laws.