Description
ABOUT KIDS CENTER FOR PEDIATRIC THERAPIES
Kids Center for Pediatric Therapies empowers children with physical, behavioral, and intellectual challenges to reach their full potential through comprehensive and integrated medical therapies, regardless of a family’s capacity to afford the full cost of care. Our transformative care inspires our children and their families to build confidence, encourage joy, and live with hope for the future.
Kids Center is an interdisciplinary non-profit outpatient therapy center for children up to 21 years of age who experience developmental disabilities or delays. More than 1,000 kids receive care annually at Kids Center, and we deliver more than 700 visits per week. Kids Center has a team of 60, including direct service providers, administration, marketing/development, and leadership.
THE OPPORTUNITY
The Kids Center for Pediatric Therapies is seeking a dynamic, organized, creative, and passionate speech-language pathologist with experience providing feeding therapy, including oral function and swallowing interventions, for infants and children. This position will include being part of an interdisciplinary team of providers that is rebuilding and expanding our feeding therapy program with a goal to grow to become a Feeding Center of Excellence. The feeding team will include a pediatric dietician, pediatric feeding speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, and physical therapists. The ideal candidate will be not only interested but invested in program development and creation. The Kids Center provides services for children from birth to age 21 with a variety of diagnosis and offers the opportunity to expand your knowledge as part of an interdisciplinary team via supported opportunities for collaboration and continuing education.
Reporting to Senior Leadership in Program Services, this role will include maintaining an individual caseload and leading a cohesive, interdisciplinary team to provide comprehensive feeding and nutrition care for our patients. Kids Center values independence in managing “your practice” as part of the overall program services team while placing emphasis on the use of models of care to best meet each child in development as they work towards their full potential.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
Feeding Program Leadership & Development
Collaborate with Senior Leadership to lead the development of a formal interdisciplinary Feeding Center at Kids Center, including overseeing current feeding therapy initiatives/programs and growing future offerings with the goal of providing comprehensive feeding and nutrition therapy services for the children in our care
Lead and manage our interdisciplinary Feeding Clinic
Oversee and grow our specialized feeding programs, such as SOS (Sequential Oral Sensory), and our Wellness Program
Manage Kids Center’s team of licensed dieticians, and complete monthly data reporting
Collaborate with leadership on continuing education and innovation to grow feeding and nutrition therapy at Kids Center
Mentor therapists interested in feeding therapy
Participate in continuing education and other requirements for state licensure
Clinical Evaluation & Intervention
Perform individual initial evaluations following referral to establish need for services and plans of care
Share results of evaluations with parents/caregivers, physicians and other key personnel
Develop treatment plans including recommended model of care, recommended interventions, home exercise programs and discharge plan
Provide treatment interventions with parent observation and participation. Areas of intervention will focus on evaluation and treatment of swallowing dysfunction and/or oral function for feeding but may include receptive and expressive language skills, auditory abilities, voice, fluency, and other communication strategies.
Perform reevaluation/progress notes according to state licensure guidelines and at least quarterly or as needed for insurance authorization with updated plan of care
Maintain documentation and records per state licensure laws and guidelines
Collaboration & Communication
Collaborate with other team members in an interdisciplinary setting to achieve the best overall outcomes
Attend department, clinical and staff meetings for collaboration, consistency and improvement of care and processes
Requirements
Graduate of an accredited Speech-Language Pathology Degree Program and licensed by the Kentucky Board of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology
Willing to undergo background check and drug testing
At least 3 years of experience in practice of Pediatric Feeding Speech-Language Therapy; preference for 5+ years of experience
Strong Critical Thinking Skills
Positive Attitude
Ability to clearly and professionally speak and write English language
Ability to work effectively and collaboratively with patients, supervisors, coworkers and support staff
Ability to manage mental and emotional stress of the position – includes adapting to change quickly, being flexible, managing multiple tasks and interacting with patients and coworkers in emotionally charged situations
Proficient in Microsoft 365 (Word, Excel, Outlook, SharePoint)
Ability to lift, carry, and transfer pediatric clients (weighing up to 50 pounds) safely. Must be capable of pushing and pulling heavy equipment, such as pediatric wheelchairs
Must be able to manage variable conditions, including loud environments, exposure to bodily fluids (e.g., during feeding or swallowing therapies), and potential physical resistance from children with behavioral or sensory processing challenges.
