Speech Language Therapist - Critical Care & Adult Acute

• Christchurch Health Campus
• Permanent part time hours; 0.7 FTE (28 hours per week)
• Hours of Work between Monday - Friday 0800 -1630, to be negotiated with successful applicant
• Eligible for registration with New Zealand Speech-language Therapists’ Association (NZSTA)

Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora is firmly grounded in the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and is dedicated to serving all New Zealanders. Through integration and collaboration, we're building a health system underpinned by partnership, equity, sustainability, whānau-centred care, and excellence.

About the Role

We are searching for a highly skilled and passionate Speech-language Therapist to join our Haumanu Reo ā-Waha Speech-language Therapy team working with adults in the acute setting.

We are a dedicated Speech-language Therapy team working to provide high quality evidence based clinical care and innovative practice in a fast-paced tertiary acute care environment. The Speech-language Therapy service offers a supportive team environment with experienced colleagues and a wide range of opportunities for continuing professional development. Instrumental swallowing assessments, including cough reflex testing, videofluoroscopy and Flexible Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing (FEES) are embedded in our daily practice and there are opportunities to upskill and further develop in these areas. Our team provides services to all clinical areas in the acute hospital setting, including, but not limited to; general medicine, general surgery, respiratory, stroke, neurology/neurosurgery, orthopaedics, cardiothoracics, ORL/head & neck cancer, oncology, and critical care.

In this role you will be a key member of the multidisciplinary team working primarily in critical care (approximately 0.5 FTE), as well as across the acute wards (approximately 0.2 FTE). Our critical care unit covers all medical and surgical specialties, including spinal, major trauma, neurosurgery, ORL, and burns. The critical care unit has an established and progressive Allied Health presence, including integration of Kaiāwhina (Allied Health Assistants) into service delivery. This role will be supported by a team of Speech-language Therapists who work across critical care, as well as the Speech-language Therapy Regional Allied Health Critical Care Educator. 

In this role, you will be responsible for:

• Providing holistic and culturally safe Speech-language Therapy services within the acute care setting;
• Implementing assessment procedures according to Speech Language Therapy protocols and professional standards;
• Establishing and implementing treatment plans and interventions in consultation with the multidisciplinary team, the patient and their family/whānau;
• Educating patients, their family/whānau, and the wider multidisciplinary team on relevant information to facilitate wellbeing;
• Working with colleagues to implement quality/service improvements and patient safety initiatives to improve patient care and meet the strategic goals of the organisation;

About You

You will have a proven track record of working autonomously, as well as part of a high performing multi/interdisciplinary team.  Having a genuine interest in working with patients and their whānau in the acute care setting, aspiring as a life-long learner and being motivated to continue to work towards equity for our patients will make you a great fit for our team.

If you are excited about this clinical opportunity but don’t meet all the listed requirements, we still want to hear from you. We’re more interested in your existing experience or skill mix and passion and how this can continue to be developed in the acute setting.

Your skills and experience will include:

• Commitment to the provision of quality care for patients and their whānau;
• Competency with te ao Māori, tikanga, and te reo Māori or a commitment to starting your journey and taking ownership of your learning and growth;
• Experience in projects / initiatives which give effect to Te Tiriti principals and frameworks, and the application of Mātauranga Māori and Kaupapa Māori approaches, particularly as they apply in healthcare settings;
• Demonstrated skills in the assessment and management of swallowing and communication disorders in the adult population, including the critical care population;
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to work effectively as a supportive and reliable team member to ensure the best health outcomes for people;
• Self-awareness with strong reflective abilities and able to identify areas for growth and development;
• Autonomous caseload management and advanced skills in time management, prioritisation, flexibility and the ability to adapt quickly to meet changes in clinical demands;
• The ability to work collaboratively within a multi-disciplinary team;
• At least five years’ experience working in the acute hospital setting, including critical care;
• Level 3 (or above) NZSTA Videofluoroscopy competency is preferred;
• Level 3 (or above) NZSTA Tracheostomy competency is preferred, with ventilator competencies;
• Level 3 (or above) NZSTA Flexible Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing (FEES) competency is preferred;
• Eligibility for registration with the New Zealand Speech-language Therapists Association (NZSTA) is essential.

Working for Health New Zealand

Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora is 'the weaving of wellnesses'. We're dedicated to ensuring excellent healthcare for the people of Aotearoa/New Zealand. The Equity Work Programme at Health NZ focuses on helping everyone in the health system think about equity when they do their work. It also promotes the cultural change needed for the whole system to reach equity in health outcomes.

Our people are at the heart of everything we do. Health New Zealand are committed to being good employers and honouring our equal employment opportunity obligations.

We particularly welcome applications from our diverse Māori, Pacific, disabled, and rainbow communities.

How to Apply

To view the position description and/or apply for the role please click “apply now” on our careers page. All applications must be submitted through our online careers portal before 11:59pm on Sunday, 7th September. If you have any questions about the role, please contact Alex Jay at Alexandra.jay@tewhatuora.govt.nz

Please note, we will be reviewing applications as received and may proceed with the recruitment process before the closing date of this advert therefore we encourage you to apply early.