Speech & Language Therapist

Role Overview

Speech & Language Therapist at NMC Healthcare. The role delivers comprehensive speech and language therapy services to adult and pediatric patients across multiple care settings.

Role Purpose

To conduct comprehensive assessments and deliver evidence-based, individualized treatment for patients with communication, language, fluency, voice, and swallowing disorders, while maintaining family-centered, culturally sensitive care and collaborating with multidisciplinary teams to achieve optimal rehabilitation outcomes.

Key Responsibilities

Assessment & Evaluation

• Conduct comprehensive, age-appropriate assessments for adults and pediatrics, including those with complex presentations, using standardized tools, instrumental evaluations, play-based observation, and advanced clinical reasoning.
• Develop and apply linguistically and culturally appropriate strategies for assessment and treatment, especially when working with Arabic first-language speakers, by demonstrating knowledge of Arabic phonetics, linguistics, and social use of language (dialectically relevant to Emirati nationals), and engaging a suitably trained translator or interpreter when required.

Treatment Planning & Delivery

• Implement individualized, evidence-based treatment plans that address communication, language, fluency, voice and swallowing needs in adult and pediatric patients.
• Apply advanced clinical reasoning and a range of therapeutic techniques to plan, deliver, and evaluate therapy programs, adapting interventions according to patient needs, family feedback, and multidisciplinary recommendations.
• Implement play-based, functional, and context-specific activities—particularly in pediatric cases—to enhance engagement, support developmental milestones, strengthen oral-motor and feeding skills, and promote participation in home, school, and community environments.
• Apply evidence-based practice and current research to guide clinical decision-making and ensure that interventions remain current, effective, and outcome-driven.

Patient & Family Engagement

• Provide age-appropriate, family-centered care, actively involving parents, caregivers, and significant others in goal setting, home programs, and the generalization of therapy strategies.
• Provide education, advice, and guidance to patients, caregivers, and staff on effective communication, swallowing, and feeding management to promote safe, consistent care and functional carry-over.

Monitoring & Outcomes

• Monitor patient progress using age-appropriate outcome measures, modifying therapy plans in collaboration with the MDT to achieve realistic, functional goals.
• Maintain comprehensive and accurate assessment and treatment records in line with legal and departmental requirements, and communicate assessment and treatment results to the appropriate disciplines in the form of letters and reports.

Safeguarding & Ethics

• Identify and report any signs of developmental delay, neglect, or safeguarding concerns following organizational policies and procedures.
• Maintain clear professional and clinical boundaries when working with both adult and pediatric populations, ensuring all interventions are developmentally appropriate, ethically sound, and aligned with family-centered and culturally sensitive care principles.

Multidisciplinary Collaboration

• Collaborate effectively with multidisciplinary team (MDT) members—including physicians, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, dietitians, nurses, and psychologists—to ensure coordinated, patient-centered care and optimal rehabilitation outcomes.

Caseload & Operations Management

• Efficiently and effectively manage designated caseload with regard to clinical responsibilities and use of time.
• Demonstrate flexibility in clinical scheduling and site coverage, providing services across homecare, longterm care and outpatient settings, as required to meet operational needs.
• Be responsible for equipment used in carrying out clinical duties and adhere to departmental equipment policy, including competence to use equipment and ensure the safe use of equipment by others.

Compliance & Professional Development

• Comply with organizational and departmental policies and procedures and be proactive in identifying, reviewing and updating as appropriate, which may impact beyond own area.
• Maintain ongoing competencies in adult and pediatric rehabilitation practice through continuous professional development, structured training, and evidence-based practice review.
• Renew and validate all job-specific competencies every two years or as required in conjunction with the performance appraisal to ensure ongoing compliance with DOH and international standards.
• Refer to the Knowledge, Skills, Attitude Framework and Competency Summary Record for Allied Health for the detailed list of speech and language therapy-specific competencies applicable to this role. These include core clinical, technical, and behavioral competencies relevant to adult and pediatric speech and language therapy practice.

Additional Clinical Scope

• Perform hearing screening and evaluation of residents where dual-qualified in Audiology, as clinically indicated and within professional scope of practice.

Qualifications & Experience

Education

• BSc Degree in Speech and Language Therapy (essential)
• MSc in Speech and Language Pathology (preferred)

Experience

• Minimum of 3 years' experience (essential)
• Minimum of 5 years' experience (preferred)

Certification & Licensure

• DOH licensure (essential)
• Member of own country's professional body, e.g. ASHA (preferred)

Skills & Competencies

Communication

• Effective verbal and written communication skills with the English language.
• Highly developed communications and interpersonal skills, working with diverse population.

Clinical Knowledge & Skills

• Appropriate knowledge of speech language evaluation and treatment techniques to manage the rehabilitation population.
• Knowledge and experience in working with tracheostomized and preferably ventilator dependent individuals.
• Effective problem solving skills for speech language evaluation, interpretation, treatment planning and execution taking into consideration patient's age, psychosocial, cultural and religious background.

Professional & Behavioral Competencies

• Basic skills in teaching others and self assessment of learning needs, strengths, and professional goals.
• Safely execute all job responsibilities without risking injury to self or patients.
• Demonstrate the ability to assess and interact with patients and families using the theories of human growth and development, family systems, and cultural background.
• Work independently, be self-directed and contribute as a member of a team.
• Anticipate challenges and develop and implement strategies for addressing them.
• Demonstrate a high level of service delivery. Show initiative with ability to prioritize work, meet deadlines and adapt to changing situations.
• Demonstrate attention to detail.

Technical Skills

• Computer proficiency required. Microsoft Office applications preferred with ability to learn new software.

Additional Information

• Maintain variable work schedule depending on hospital/program needs to provide patient care, including evening, holidays, weekend and travel.
• Full details are available on the employer's original posting.