Craniofacial Speech Therapist

Monday-Friday, daytime hours

At Children’s Nebraska, our mission is to improve the life of every child through exceptional care, advocacy, research and education. As the state’s only full-service pediatric healthcare center, we provide comprehensive, holistic care to our patients and families—from primary and specialty care to behavioral health services and everything in between. Dedicated to a People First culture, we foster an environment with joy, belonging, wellbeing, learning and growth. Turn your passion into purpose and make a difference where it matters most.

A Brief Overview

To perform evaluations, establish appropriate goals, formulate treatment plans, provide treatment interventions, maintain comprehensive documentation, and assist with coordination of care within the scope of practice of speech language pathology for pediatric patients in the inpatient, outpatient, and ambulatory care clinic settings. This role will focus on patients with craniofacial anomalies but will also assist others as needed.

Essential Functions Conducts communication & / or feeding assessments / reassessments according to department policy and procedure that are appropriate to area of service delivery and indication for service.

Gathers and analyzes information obtained from diagnosis, indication, medical history and current status, chronologic / cognitive / developmental age, parent / caregiver / physician concern, past response to care.

Analyzes information to plan for, select and provide a comprehensive, objective assessment of expressive / receptive communication skills & / or feeding and dysphagia skills that encompasses the components necessary for reporting diagnostic findings and developing clinical recommendations and plan of care related to the specific needs of the client

Perform assessments according to department policy on patients with receptive & / or expressive communication disorders as seen in pediatric populations & diagnoses

For identified team members :

Performs clinical feeding assessments according to department procedure, as designated

Performs Oral Pharyngeal Motility Studies (OPM’s) according to hospital procedure & to interpret OPM’s accurately in coordination with the Radiologist to determine patient swallowing function / dysfunction, as designated.

Performs flexible fiberoptic nasopharyngoscopy in coordination with Plastic Surgery and / or ENT Utilizes information gathered through assessment / reassessment of communication & / or feeding skills to develop a plan of care to include frequency of intervention, types of intervention, goal setting

Collaborates with patient, caregiver, and other healthcare providers in setting realistic goals and in developing a plan of care that is patient / caregiver focused and outcomes oriented

Identifies appropriate and measurable long term goals and short term goals for communication and / or feeding skill development that are realistic to the current status and expected outcomes

Continuously assesses, reassesses and modifies goals and plan of care based upon patient status, patient response to care, caregiver feedback and patient needs.

Utilizes an Episodes of Care model from initial assessment through discharge Provides high quality patient care that reflects appropriate clinical reasoning, evidence based practice and that optimizes patient’s potential for functional gains, improved quality of life, & increased care giver participation in the area of communication & / or feeding.

Adequately prepares for sessions, beginning and ending on time

Includes caregivers in therapy sessions and provides education, strategies, techniques that can be incorporated into daily routines

Demonstrates good problem solving skills and ability to adapt without difficulty

Proactively pursues opportunities to collaborate with other healthcare professionals; provides and accepts information from all members of the multidisciplinary team to facilitate goal accomplishment

Utilizes effective communication skills with client, caregiver, professionals and other healthcare providers

Facilitates referrals to appropriate resources / agencies within the organization and community

Addresses patient attendance issues by educating on and enforcing the department policy and procedure

Completes comprehensive documentation appropriate to the setting in which the speech therapy intervention occurs and according to hospital and department policy and procedure

Documentation clearly and concisely records patient status, plan of care, intervention provided, response to care, progress towards goals, patient / caregiver education / home program and need for continued intervention in the area of speech therapy.

Ensures documentation is completed in a professional, timely manner and supports billed charges

Assists team in providing programs, systems, processes that support high quality care, current clinical practice, outcomes measures, and fiscally responsible practice.

Actively participates in team meetings by identifying opportunities for improvement & growth, sharing insight into topics under discussion, openly listening to ideas of others

Actively contributes towards the completion of new programs, projects, processes by volunteering to assist and completing assigned tasks / responsibilities within identified time frame.

Supports decisions of team by incorporating new programs, systems, processes into current practice

Facilitates growth and skill development of self, team, students and community

Openly and willingly shares knowledge and expertise with other team members. Utilizes internal and external resources to enhance own knowledge and skills

Prepares for and actively participates in educational opportunities provided within the department including presentations, article reviews, in- services, discussions

Assists with the orientation of new team members into the department and organization including student education and student observations to further promote the profession

Regular attendance at work is an essential function of the job.

Perform physical requirements as described in the Physical Requirements section

Education Qualifications

Master's Degree from an accredited college or university in Communication Disorders / Speech Language Pathology Required

Experience Qualifications

Experience working with pediatric patients or a pediatric clinical internship Preferred

If working with the craniofacial population, completion of a clinical fellowship year within the area of craniofacial anomalies and disorders or at least 5 years clinical experience with up to date evidence based practice within the context of craniofacial speech and language disorders. Required

Skills and Abilities

Requires the ability to communicate effective, both verbally and in writing

Requires basic computer skills

Requires the ability to organize responsibilities and manage time wisely

Requires the ability to work effectively in a team setting

Licenses and Certifications

Current and valid Basic Life Support (BLS) through the American Heart Association Required and

Current and valid Nebraska State License in Speech Language Pathology; a temporary license is acceptable if candidate is still within their clinical fellowship year Required and

Current and valid Certification of Clinical Competency from American Speech-Language Association (ASHA Required and

Would consider candidate completing Clinical Fellowship Year; Certification of Clinical Competency within 1 Year Required

If working with craniofacial disorders, Membership with American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association (ACPA) and / or ASHA SIG related to Craniofacial and Velopharyngeal Disorders. Required

Children’s is an equal opportunity employer, embracing and valuing the unique strengths and differences of people. We cultivate an inclusive environment of respect and trust where we all belong. We do not discriminate based on race, ethnicity, age, gender identity, religion, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic.