Speech Therapist

Where You’ll Work

Founded in 1873, Dignity Health - Mercy Medical Center is a 186-bed, acute care, nonprofit hospital located in Merced, California. Serving over 150,000 patients annually, the hospital offers a full complement of services including a Level II NICU, heart care, the Mercy Cancer Center, and a family birth center. Additionally, Merced Medical Center has been recognized as an LGBTQ+ Healthcare Equality High Performer by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation and is a Joint Commission-certified Primary Stroke Center.

One Community. One Mission. One California 

Job Summary and Responsibilities

As our Speech Therapist, you will provide essential evaluation and therapeutic management for patients with speech, language, and/or cognitive disorders, improving communication, cognitive function, and quality of life.Every day you will conduct comprehensive assessments, develop individualized treatment plans, implement interventions, and monitor progress. You'll educate patients/families on strategies and goals, document encounters, and collaborate with multidisciplinary teams.To be successful, you will demonstrate strong clinical evaluation and therapeutic management skills. Excellent communication for patient/family rapport and team collaboration, a commitment to evidence-based practice, and patient advocacy are essential.

• Assessment: Assesses functional skills, reasoning, skills, memory skills, and reading/writing skills.
• Planning:Plans and develops care plans according to accepted national therapy practice standards and age-related issues. Evaluates progress and appropriateness that is consistent with established goals-outcomes. 
• InterventionPerforms swallowing evaluations to determine safety in oral foods, appropriate consistency, and swallowing capacity. Performs modified barium swallows (fluoroscopic). Provides therapeutic exercises, word-finding/matching tasks, and oralmotor facial exercises.
• LeadershipEducates the nursing staff, patient,, and family/caregiver in speech/language exercises, feeding precautions, and diet recommendations . Offers in-services to the hospital departments as requested and approved by Director. Open to taking CFY speech pathologists, Assure compliance with the patient plan of care and applicable licensing/JCAHO standards.
• HIPPABasic expectations of the Employee based upon Corporate HIPAA Compliance: Patient Privacy: Demonstrates work place practices that maintain patient privacy and confidentiality. Consistently follows regulatory, JCAHO, Dignity Health, and Hospital policy requirements relating to the disclosure of and/or access to Protected Health Information (PHI) and sensitive information. Review Network Usage Policy and signed acknowledgement form annually. 
• AttendanceEnsures optimum operation of the department through good attendance history and flexibility with assigned shift. Is on time for scheduled shift.

Job Requirements

Required

• Speech Language Pathologist California License
• American Heart Association Basic Life Support - CPR
• Clinical Competence in Speech Language Pathology (CCC-SLP)
• Master's Degree or equivalent in speech language pathology from an accredited educational institution