Job Purpose: Provides diagnostic and treatment interventions (depending first on the needs of the department and next on the speech pathologist's area of specialization) to improve the patient's 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 physician's 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 Functions:
- 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 patient's social support systems; facilitates appropriate environmental modifications. Provides treatments based on established departmental guidelines and protocols; provides skills in managing both inpatients and outpatients as demonstrated on the competency check list. This therapy involves providing treatment which takes into account the risks and benefits of that treatment regime relevant to the patient's medical condition, rehabilitation potential and prognosis.
- Provides timely and complete documentation following department guidelines. Follows HIPPA, Medicare, Medicaide, JCAHO 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.
Physical Requirements:
- Manual Dexterity, Good visual acuity, ability to act quickly,
- Able to sit for 8-10 hours a day
- Able to stand or walk 8-10 hours per day
- Able to drive up to 1 hour per day
- Materials handling lift up to 25 lbs occasionally, 25-50 lbs rarely
- Carry: up to 10 lbs occasionally up to 11-25 lbs rarely
- Push up to 20 lbs occasionally
- Pull up to 50 lbs occasionally
- Demonstrates normal hearing, visual acuity, normal talking and writing abilities, ability to type all chart notes in a timely manner with minimal errors.
- Body movements: Able to walk on level surfaces frequently
- Able to bend, climb stairs, crouch, kneel, twist occasionally
- Upper extremities: Able to use keyboard and mouse frequently
- Able to use hands frequently
- Able to grasp, grip, reach overhead, reach shoulder level , scope patients for swallowing exams occasionally.
- Environment: Occasionally deal with chemicals such as alcohol swabs, epinephrine or lidocaine for use in swallowing exams.
- Be able to use gloves continually
- Deal with radiology machines in radiology department occasionally
- Move furniture occasionally
- Use personnel protective equipment occasionally to frequently.
Qualifications:
Basic Qualifications:
- Master's degree in speech pathology.
- Certification of clinical competency or ability to complete clinical fellowship year at Kaiser Permanente.
- Demonstrates customer-focused service skills.
- Completion of master's degree in speech pathology and completion of speech pathology patient training through Master's speech pathology program.
- Speech pathology license in Oregon within 18 months of hire. If not licensed at time of hire must apply for a Provisional license in Oregon as a clinical fellow working at Kaiser within 90 days of hire.
- Current Basic Life Support CPR card within 60 days of hire.
- Valid driver's License upon hire.
- NPI
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.
External hires must pass a background check/drug screen.
We are proud to be an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer.