Managing Work Place Challenges in Health Care

SLPs working in health care settings may face requests from employers that may or may not be ethically and professionally appropriate. Common "employer demand" scenarios and related resources are listed below to help the SLP navigate the ethics of the situation.

Scenarios

Employer (or physician) requesting that the SLP see a patient that the SLP does not feel is appropriate for services or requesting higher frequency of services than the SLP feels is necessary.

Employer requiring SLP to keep patient on caseload who is noncompliant or refuses treatment.

Employer setting productivity expectations that the SLP feels are too high to achieve or will compromise the quality of patient care.

Employer requesting that the SLP train or supervise another non-SLP professional in the delivery of speech, language, or swallowing treatment.

Employer asking SLP to perform tasks that the SLP feels may be outside her or his scope, such as taking blood pressures or completing intake forms.

Additional Resources