Speech Language Therapist (SLP) PRN

Discover Vanderbilt University Medical Center : Located in Nashville, Tennessee, and operating at a global crossroads of teaching, discovery, and patient care, VUMC is a community of individuals who come to work each day with the simple aim of changing the world. Vanderbilt Health is committed to an environment where everyone has the chance to thrive and where your uniqueness is sought and celebrated. Vanderbilt's mission is to advance health and wellness through preeminent programs in patient care, education, and research.

Medical Speech - Adult

Evaluates and treats patients with speech, language, voice, cognition, fluency, auditory (re)habilitation, and swallowing/oral feeding disorders. Supervises graduate students as assigned in clinical specialty area. Participates actively in identifying and conducting quality improvement activities. Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) - PRN

Vanderbilt University Hospital - Nashville, TN

Department: Speech-Language Pathology | Acute Care

Schedule: PRN (As Needed)

Join Vanderbilt Health - Where Excellence Meets Compassion

At Vanderbilt Health, we are committed to delivering world-class care while fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation, and continuous learning. As a nationally recognized leader in healthcare, we empower our team members to make a meaningful impact every day.

Conduct comprehensive evaluations and provide evidence-based treatment for adults with:

Speech and language disorders

Deliver skilled speech therapy interventions in an acute care hospital setting

Collaborate with a multidisciplinary team, including physicians, nurses, dietitians, occupational therapists, and physical therapists

Document patient evaluations, treatment plans, and progress in accordance with hospital and regulatory standards

Master's Degree in Speech-Language Pathology from an accredited program

Current Tennessee SLP license (active) - not just eligibility

ASHA Certificate of Clinical Competence (CCC-SLP) - required at time of application

Minimum 1 year of recent (within the last 2 years) full-time Acute Care hospital experience

Demonstrated competency in dysphagia evaluation and management in an acute care setting

Experience in a Level I Trauma Center or large tertiary care hospital

FEES competency (independent performance or strong clinical exposure required)

Strong working knowledge of aspiration risk, modified diets, and evidence-based dysphagia protocols

ICU, step-down, multi-system diagnoses)

Ventilator-dependent patients and/or tracheostomy care

Neurologic populations (stroke, TBI, acute neuro)

Proficiency across speech, language, and cognitive-communication evaluation in acute settings

Efficient, compliant EMR documentation skills (Epic strongly preferred)

Must be available for a consistent PRN commitment

Required: 3-5 days/week availability during initial 6-8-week orientation period

Ability to maintain ongoing PRN coverage needs after orientation

This role is best suited for experienced acute care SLPs who are confident in managing high-acuity patients independently. Candidates without recent acute care experience, FEES exposure, or ICU-level clinical decision-making will not be considered.

Why Vanderbilt Health?

News & World Report for excellence in patient care

Access ongoing education, mentorship, and growth opportunities

Innovative Care: Work in an academic medical center that integrates research, technology, and clinical excellence

If you are a dedicated Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) looking to make an impact in acute care, we encourage you to apply today and join a team committed to clinical excellence and compassionate care.

Analyzes comprehensive information from formal and informal assessment that is pertinent to the patient's care and management to determine a rehabilitation treatment diagnosis.

• Collaborates with stakeholders in establishing the plan of care, coordinates and implements care delivery while anticipating patient care needs across the rehabilitation continuum.
• Applies appropriate, evidence-based interventions to ensure effective outcomes and re-evaluates performance to assess patient's progress towards goals.
• Employs strategies to promote successful return to home, community, and school/vocational environments.
• Supervises graduate students by providing instruction, guidance/counsel and training to ensure provision of competent patient care and completion of appropriate documentation.
• Rehab Therapist Patient Documentation (Novice): Documents in the appropriate templates and utilizes only approved abbreviations within patient documentation. Meets institutional standards for quality and timeliness of documentation.
• Speech Pathology Patient & Family Education (Novice): Demonstrates proficiency in communicating functional impact of assessment findings, treatment interventions, treatment planning diagnosis, and disease process. May supervise, educate and train students from professional programs of speech-language pathology.
• Discharge Planning (Novice): Demonstrates proficiency in the discharge planning process. May anticipate transition and discharge needs of the patient based upon understanding of pathology/diagnosis and relationship to their present functional status. Will have completed at least one year of experience with transition and discharge planning.
• Speech Pathology Treatment Implementation (Novice): Demonstrates proficiency providing treatment consistent with physician prescription and established plan of care. Speech Pathology Patient Evaluation (Novice): Demonstrates proficiency in evaluating patients with speech-language, auditory, and/or swallowing/oral feeding deficits using the appropriate testing methods and equipment for the patient type, diagnosis, and reason for the referral. Demonstrates the ability to obtain the case history and selects appropriate measures and performs a functional assessment to document patient's status requiring skilled therapy. Interprets the results of the assessment and their significance for the patient, family, referring physician and other members of the health care team.

Allied health is among the fastest growing occupations in healthcare today. This area can be defined as credentialed professionals who perform supportive, diagnostic, and therapeutic health care services to promote health and prevent disease in a variety of settings.

These areas are crucial to Vanderbilt Health's reputation for excellence in these areas that has made us a major center for patient referrals from throughout the Mid-South.

Each year, people throughout Tennessee and the southeast choose Vanderbilt Health for their health care because of our leadership in medical science and our dedication to treating patients with dignity and compassion.

Supporting Colleagues:- Develops Self and Others: Invests time, energy, and enthusiasm in developing self/others to help improve performance e and gain knowledge in new areas.- Delivering Excellent Services:- Serves Others with Compassion: Identifies new possibilities to interpret opportunities and develop concrete solutions.- Provides ongoing support and coaching in a constructive manner to increase employees' effectiveness. Ensuring High Quality: - Performs Excellent Work: Engages regularly in formal and informal dialogue about quality; directly addresses quality issues promptly.- Fulfills Safety and Regulatory Requirements: Understands all aspects of providing a safe environment and performs routine safety checks to prevent safety hazards from occurring. Makes Data Driven Decisions: Demonstrates strong understanding of the information or data to identify and elevate opportunities. Fostering Innovation:- Generates New Ideas: Proactively identifies new ideas/opportunities from multiple sources or methods to improve processes beyond conventional approaches.- Demonstrates an enthusiasm for learning new technologies, tools, and procedures to address short-term challenges.- LIC-Speech Pathologist - Tennessee

Work Experience:

Relevant Work Experience

This role offers the opportunity to make a meaningful impact within Vanderbilt Health, supported by a comprehensive benefits package which may include health, disability, retirement and/or wellness offerings to enhance your well-being and professional growth.

Vanderbilt Health is committed to fostering an environment where everyone has the chance to thrive and is committed to the principles of equal opportunity.