Speech Pathology Technician

Vanderbilt University Medical Center•Nashville, TN

About The Position

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. It is a place where your expertise will be valued, your knowledge expanded, and your abilities challenged. Vanderbilt Health is committed to an environment where everyone has the chance to thrive and where your uniqueness is sought and celebrated. It is a place where employees know they are part of something that is bigger than themselves, take exceptional pride in their work and never settle for what was good enough yesterday. Vanderbilt’s mission is to advance health and wellness through preeminent programs in patient care, education, and research. Organization: Medical Speech - Adult Job Summary: JOB SUMMARY Supports patient care with occasional guidance. Maintains and prepares supplies and equipment, materials and/or information development. . Speech Pathology Technician (Acute & Outpatient Speech-Language Pathology Services) Job Summary The Speech Pathology Technician provides essential clinical, operational, and scheduling support to Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs) across acute care hospitals and outpatient medical speech clinics. This full-time , weekday role supports adult endoscopic swallowing evaluations (FEES), outpatient pediatric scheduling, and high-volume medical SLP clinics. By a ssisting with procedures, patient flow, equipment processing, and appointment coordination, this role directly improves clinician efficiency and patient access to care. This position is patient-facing and requires professionalism, empathy, strong communication skills, and the ability to manage clinical and administrative details in a fast-paced healthcare environment. Due to full time daytime hours, this role is not designed for current students. Key Responsibilities Clinical & Patient Support – Acute Care (Adult Population) Assist Speech-Language Pathologists during Flexible Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing (FEES) to improve workflow and patient throughput Support adult swallowing evaluations by preparing rooms, transporting and positioning equipment carts, and assisting with patient flow Perform scope processing, cleaning, and high-level disinfection in accordance with established infection-control protocols Provide calm, respectful, and compassionate patient interaction during assessments and procedures Scheduling & Coordination – Outpatient Services Schedule and coordina te pediatric outpatient swallow studies, including monitoring for cancellations and rescheduling appointments Proactively identify and fill appointment openings to reduce cancellations and improve clinic utilization Communicate clearly and professionally with patients, caregivers, and clinical staff regarding appointment changes Operational & Administrative Support Assist outpatient medical SLP teams by supporting templates, workflows, and documentation tools Complete routine clinic tasks including: Weekly food and supply expiration date checks Operating dishwashers and assisting with clinic sanitation processes Maintain organized, detail oriented workflows across multiple care settings Why This Role Matters By supporting procedures, scheduling, and clinic operations, the Speech Pathology Technician plays a critical role in: Improving patient access to swallowing evaluations Reducing clinician administrative burden Increasing clinic efficiency and appointment utilization Enhancing the overall patient experience This role is well-suited for individuals who enjoy hands-on patient interaction, healthcare teamwork, and operational problem-solving without pursuing a licensed clinician pathway. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES Provides support to speech language pathologists and audiologists through collection of data, assisting with researching topics, transportation of patients or other patient care support services. Assists in safe provision of functional activities (leading hand washing, toileting/diaper changing, snack activities for pediatrics). Provides support to speech language pathologists and teachers of the deaf and hard of hearing for implementing developmentally appropriate curriculum and activities. Maintains supplies at acceptable levels. Prepares treatment areas (set up group therapy rooms based on number of patients served and focus of therapy, set up individual therapy/assessment rooms based upon age and/or diagnosis, clean up/reorganize treatment rooms at the conclusion of service). Provides basic screening services (Prepare infant or child for hearing screening, performs hearing screening and communicates results to family). The responsibilities listed are a general overview of the position and additional duties may be assigned. TECHNICAL CAPABILITIES Rehab PTA/COTA Patient Documentation (Novice): Demonstrates sufficient proficiency in communicating functional impact of assessment findings, treatment interventions, treatment planning diagnosis, and disease process. Considers the communication needs/level of understanding of audience and may share appropriate information/literature. Quality Assurance (Fundamental Awareness): Understands the goal of increasing organizational productivity and individual performance by making the products and services within your work assignments more efficient and more effective. Demonstrates quality management practices on the job which result in superior products and services delivered. Audiology Patient Education (Novice): Communicates functional impact of assessment findings, treatment interventions, diagnosis, and disease process. Adapts communication to the level of understanding of the patient. Determines comprehension and need for repetition and/or revision of methods. Equipment Maintenance (Fundamental Awareness): Has limited experience, training, direct exposure, or past experience conducting maintenance activities in area of assignments. 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. Core Accountabilities: Organizational Impact: Performs clearly defines tasks and methods described in detail to achieve standardized solutions that impact own performance with regular guidance. Problem Solving/ Complexity of work: Follows a well established process to solve routine problems where solutions are clearly prescribed. Breadth of Knowledge: Has basic job knowledge of systems and procedures that are common to own job. Team Interaction: Individually contributes to the team. Core Capabilities : Delivering Excellent Services : Serves Others with Compassion: Invests time to understand the problems, needs of others and how to provide excellent service. Solves Complex Problems: Seeks to understand issues, solves routine problems, and raises proper concerns in a timely manner. Offers Meaningful Advice and Support: Listens carefully to understand the issues and provides accurate information and support. Ensuring High Quality : Performs Excellent Work: Checks work quality before delivery and asks relevant questions to meet quality standards. Ensures Continuous Improvement: Shows eagerness to learn new knowledge, technologies, tools or systems and displays willingness to go above and beyond. Fulfills Safety and Regulatory Requirements: Demonstrates basic knowledge of conditions that affect safety and reports unsafe conditions to the appropriate person or department. Managing Resources Effectively: Demonstrates Accountability: Takes responsibility for completing assigned activities and thinks beyond standard approaches to provide high-quality work/service. Stewards Organizational Resources: Displays understanding of how personal actions will impact departmental resources.Makes Data Driven Decisions: Uses accurate information and good decision making to consistently achieve results on time and without error. Fostering Innovation :Generates New Ideas: Willingly proposes/accepts ideas or initiatives that will impact day-to-day operations by offering suggestions to enhance them. - Applies Technology: Absorbs new technology quickly; understands when to utilize the appropriate tools and procedures to ensure proper course of action. Adapts to Change: Embraces changes by keeping an open mind to changing plans and incorporates change instructions into own area of work. Position Qualifications: Responsibilities: Certifications: Work Experience: Relevant Work Experience Experience Level : Less than 1 year Education: High School Diploma or GED Vanderbilt Health is committed to fostering an environment where everyone has the chance to thrive and is committed to the principles of equal opportunity. EOE/Vets/Disabled.

Requirements

High School Diploma or GED
Less than one (1) year of experience in a healthcare, clinical support, or patient-facing role
Ability to work directly with patients in a clinical environment
Basic computer skills, including comfort with scheduling systems and clinical documentation tools

Nice To Haves

Experience as a Medical Assistant, Patient Care Technician, Care Partner, Rehab Technician, Clinical Assistant, or similar healthcare support role
Prior experience in speech pathology, rehabilitation, ENT, GI, or procedural clinical environments
Experience supporting adult patients in acute or outpatient care settings
Strong communication skills, emotional intelligence, patience, and empathy when interacting with patients and families
Experience with appointment scheduling, rescheduling, and managing cancellations
Detail ‑ oriented with the ability to manage multiple tasks and priorities
Familiarity with infection control practices, equipment handling, or scope reprocessing

Responsibilities

Assist Speech-Language Pathologists during Flexible Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing (FEES) to improve workflow and patient throughput
Support adult swallowing evaluations by preparing rooms, transporting and positioning equipment carts, and assisting with patient flow
Perform scope processing, cleaning, and high-level disinfection in accordance with established infection-control protocols
Provide calm, respectful, and compassionate patient interaction during assessments and procedures
Schedule and coordinate pediatric outpatient swallow studies, including monitoring for cancellations and rescheduling appointments
Proactively identify and fill appointment openings to reduce cancellations and improve clinic utilization
Communicate clearly and professionally with patients, caregivers, and clinical staff regarding appointment changes
Assist outpatient medical SLP teams by supporting templates, workflows, and documentation tools
Complete routine clinic tasks including: Weekly food and supply expiration date checks Operating dishwashers and assisting with clinic sanitation processes
Maintain organized, detail oriented workflows across multiple care settings
Provides support to speech language pathologists and audiologists through collection of data, assisting with researching topics, transportation of patients or other patient care support services.
Assists in safe provision of functional activities (leading hand washing, toileting/diaper changing, snack activities for pediatrics).
Provides support to speech language pathologists and teachers of the deaf and hard of hearing for implementing developmentally appropriate curriculum and activities.
Maintains supplies at acceptable levels.
Prepares treatment areas (set up group therapy rooms based on number of patients served and focus of therapy, set up individual therapy/assessment rooms based upon age and/or diagnosis, clean up/reorganize treatment rooms at the conclusion of service).
Provides basic screening services (Prepare infant or child for hearing screening, performs hearing screening and communicates results to family).