Speech Language Pathologist

Where You’ll Work

CHI St. Vincent, a regional health network serving Arkansas, is part of CommonSpirit Health. We have served Arkansas since 1888 with a history of many firsts. Together with more than 4,500 coworkers, 1,000 medical staff, and 500 volunteers, we consistently receive praise for care advancements. CHI St Vincent North has 69 beds and offers a small-town feeling of family and camaraderie. We have a strong neuro and cardiac focus. 

CommonSpirit Health was formed by the alignment of Catholic Health Initiatives (CHI) and Dignity Health in 2019. With our combined resources, CommonSpirit is committed to building healthy communities, advocating for those who are poor and vulnerable, and innovating how and where healing can happen, both inside our hospitals and out in the community. CHI St. Vincent provides you with the same level of care you provide to others. We care about our team member well-being and offer benefits that complement and support your work/life balance.

Job Summary and Responsibilities

As our Speech Therapist at CHI St Vincent, you’ll increase our patients’ independence by helping them eat and drink safely, improve memory or cognitive issues, or communicate their needs and wishes more clearly.

 No two days are the same here. Our Speech Therapists work with a team of dedicated physicians, therapists, and other health professionals to ensure a safe diet for patients who may experience swallowing issues by performing modified barium swallow studies. These patients have been through a trauma of some sort and most don’t feel well. You’ll ensure they won’t be hungry while they heal and can bring tremendous relief to the patient and their family. You’ll also do cognitive evaluations to determine if a patient can make decisions or if any communication issues result from cognitive impairment or speech impairment. 

To thrive in this role, you should be flexible, calm, compassionate, curious, and adaptable. Above all, you must be committed to improving our patients' safety, independence, and quality of life. We strive to provide excellent care every day, and you are an integral part of that!

• Perform modified barium swallow studies to determine a patient’s ability to swallow safely
• Perform cognitive assessments to determine a patient’s ability to make decisions for themselves, remember basic information, control their emotions and interact appropriately with others.
• Document all assessment results and work with physicians and other clinicians to develop a plan of care and track all treatments and patient progress.
• Using exercises, modalities, and/or adaptive devices, work with patients to improve speech, memory, cognition, etc.
• Educate the patient and families on these processes so they can make the best decisions for the patient.
• Consistently deliver the highest quality care to every patient.

Job Requirements

• Bachelor's Degree from an accredited college of Speech Language Therapy, new and prospective graduates are welcome to apply
• Current license to practice as a Speech Therapist in the state of Arkansas, before hire 
• Previous acute care experience preferred, but not required