Speech Pathologist

Primary Function/General Purpose of Position

The Speech Language Pathologist works to prevent, assess, diagnose, and treat speech, language, social communication, cognitive-communication, and swallowing disorders in children and adults. They perform patient evaluations, and re-evaluations, regarding the application of a wide variety of therapeutic techniques with special attention to receptive and expressive language skills, speech fluency, vocal and oral motor competence, articulation, and auditory skills. The Speech Language Pathologist establishes patient treatment plans based upon the referral from the physician/referral source.

Essential Job Functions

• ​Reviews physician referral, patient’s condition, and medical history to determine speech and language therapy treatment needs.

• Performs and documents patient evaluation, re-evaluation and develops treatment and discharge plans based on patient history, signs and symptoms and evaluative tests/tools.

• Plans and administers medically prescribed speech language pathology treatments to patients.

• Plans rehabilitative treatment programs based upon physician prescription and evaluation data to treat disorders of verbal written language, voice articulation, fluency interactive communication, mastication, deglutition, auditory and/or visual processing and memory and cognition / communication.

• Instructs and/or trains patient and family/caregiver in treatment procedures to continue at home.

• Modifies treatment goals and plan of care as appropriate. Communicates with other health team members. Involved with patient care conferences as appropriate.

• Instructs, motivates, and assists patient and family to perform various speech activities.

• Responsible for overall management of patient cases including communication and coordination of care with treatment team.

• Precepts in the direction and evaluation of clinical experience / internship of students from participating colleges or universities.

• Orients, instructs and directs the work activities of Clinical Fellowship Year, aides, students and volunteers set forth in policies and procedures.

• Attends and participates in scheduled meetings and in-services. Attends and provides in-services to department staff to share specialization of knowledge and continuing education.

This document is not an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, skills, duties, requirements, or working conditions associated with the job. Employees may be required to perform other job-related duties as required by their supervisor, subject to reasonable accommodation.

Licensing/Certification

• Licensed as a Speech Language Pathologist in the state of current practice (required)

• Certificate of Clinical Competence Speech-Language Pathology (CCC-SLP) (preferred at hire, required within one year)

• BLS Basic Life Support (preferred upon hire, required within 30 days for BSMH, required at hire for RSFH)

Work Experience

2 years of experience in equivalent setting (preferred)

Training

None