Speech Language Pathologist

Speech and Language Pathologist

The Speech and Language Pathologist provides direct and indirect service to a caseload of students receiving services and fulfills additional responsibilities providing direct and indirect services to students and training for staff. In addition, the lead pathologist is responsible for:

• Coordinating and fostering quality and continuity of appropriate programming and services for students throughout the district in an efficient and effective manner.
• Conduct Peer Review to oversee quality control, consistency and continuity of service delivery, compliance and caseload monitoring
• Daily Clinical Supervision – Evaluation, treatment, documentation, consultation
• In depth staff Coaching & Performance Appraisal
• Clinical Fellowship Supervision as required by state and federal licensing guidelines
• Staff recruiting, screening and employment
• School-based caseload monitoring and position allocation

Responsibilities and duties include:

• Organize a program that addresses local school speech-language goals.
• Work cooperatively with school personnel to accomplish the goals and objectives of the local education agency.
• Attend meetings, such as faculty meetings, special education meetings and parent-teacher conferences.
• Serve on committees, such as curriculum development committee, school-based committees, and/or speech-language program development meetings.
• Schedule interventions using a variety of service delivery models, including classroom intervention, consultation/collaboration and pull-out as appropriate to meet student needs in the least restrictive environment.
• Apply a systematic workload model to facilitate the organization of the speech-language program within the school.
• Develop Individual Educational Programs (IEPs) and implement appropriate intervention strategies for students on her/his caseload, adhering to professional, ethical, and legal mandates and standards of practice, as well as collaborating with parents, school staff, administrators, and professionals within the community to ensure the needs of students are delivered.
• Conduct student assessments during the initial evaluation and reevaluation process in a timely manner.
• Assist school staff and parents with transitions between educational levels (e.g., preschool to elementary) and programmatic levels (e.g., neighborhood school to center-based program) as students move along the continuum of services.
• Participate in Peer Review
• Review IEPs, evaluations, and CECAS data to facilitate consistency and quality of services throughout the district.
• Maintain inventory of therapy materials and equipment.
• Consult and troubleshoot with school staff regarding difficult decisions involving the delivery of services and communication with parents and school/district-wide teams.
• Prepare professional development opportunities in consultation with physical therapy program personnel and provide leadership at monthly physical therapy staff meetings and physical therapy PLC meetings, including compliance updates as appropriate.
• Participate in district and state special committees as requested.
• Develop and maintain current speech and language protocols for district procedures.

Minimum education, experience and requirements include:

• Pathologist must have a Master's Degree Speech and Language/Communication Disorders or higher.
• Current NC licensure in Speech and Language is required. Minimum 5 years of speech and language therapy experience in a school setting.

Knowledge, skills, and abilities include:

• Monitor and review IEPs, evaluations, and CECAS data to facilitate consistency and quality of services throughout the school.
• Maintain inventory of program materials and supplies.
• Consult and troubleshoot with school staff regarding difficult decisions involving the delivery of services and communication with parents and school teams.
• Good interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work independently and efficiently, including the ability to research and gather information from varied sources.
• Working knowledge and proficient level of experience with Microsoft Office programs such as Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
• Ability to learn, interpret and explain departmental and systems procedures and policies.
• Ability to communicate effectively; possess excellent oral and written communication skills (grammar, spelling, etc.).
• Ability to perform at a high level, as a team player, in a team environment.
• Ability to relate well to diverse groups of people.
• Strong organizational and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to prioritize and manage multiple tasks in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to remain calm and professional in environment with shifting proprieties.
• Knowledge of current federal and state legal mandates, including procedural policies, compliance issues, confidentiality requirements, and relevant government agencies involved.

Physical requirements include:

• Must be able to exert a negligible amount of force to move objects; classification consistent with light work.