Supervisor, Speech Therapy

Role overview

Patient care

• Assess complex or undifferentiated abnormalities and develop treatment plans.
• Perform comprehensive standardized assessments and use outcome measures to quantify patient status.
• When qualified, perform videofluoroscopic, videoendoscopic, and videolaryngoscopic evaluations for dysphagia and dysphonia.
• Interpret and report test results in partnership with referring physicians.
• Determine therapy need, frequency, intervention focus, and duration, and deliver evidence-based interventions.
• Select communication aids, including speaking valves for tracheotomized patients and voice prostheses for laryngectomized patients.
• Advocate for patient health, safety, and rights and facilitate active patient participation.

Clinical leadership and operations

• Coordinate and supervise clinical and operational aspects of Speech-Language Pathology, swallowing, and tracheostomy programs; help develop and implement departmental policies and procedures.
• Oversee junior staff competencies and performance, supervise patient care, and support appraisals and staff development.
• Allocate staff, support service continuity, and ensure appropriate specialty-team staffing before approving junior staff leave.
• Audit clinical documentation, maintain accurate records, and follow regulatory and care standards.
• Provide budgeting feedback and report errors and near-misses.

Professional practice and improvement

• Coordinate multidisciplinary treatment goals and discharge planning while working within professional scope, competence, and ethical standards.
• Provide teaching and specialist advice to staff, patients, families, and multidisciplinary colleagues.
• Identify service improvements, lead development and implementation of evidence-based local policies, and contribute to quality assurance projects.
• Participate in professional development, lifelong learning, presentations, and the orientation and appraisal of junior therapists.

Education and experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Speech & Hearing, Speech Language Pathology, or Speech or Communications Sciences & Disorders is required.
• At least six years of postgraduate experience in adult Speech-Language Therapy or Pathology.

Essential clinical skills

• Conduct oral, pharyngeal, laryngeal, and respiratory function examinations; administer standard and nonstandard speech-language assessments; and conduct clinical bedside swallowing evaluations.
• Develop interventions appropriate to patients’ medical, speech, language, swallowing, feeding, cognitive, and behavioral needs.
• Select and implement aided and unaided augmentative or alternative communication systems.
• Advanced essential skills include performing VFSS and managing tracheostomized patients.

Preferred advanced skills

• FEES, management of laryngectomized patients, assessment and treatment of voice disorders, and evaluation and treatment of patients with hearing disabilities or cochlear implants are preferred.