Speech Pathology careers
at Monash Health
Being the largest public Speech Pathology department in Victoria, Monash Health speech pathologists work with patients from birth to end of life.
With opportunites in a variety of hospital and community-based settings, there are unparalleled opportunities for career growth.
About our Speech Pathology team
Through ongoing training and education, Monash Health speech pathologists are encouraged to develop their skills and expertise within the profession. This includes within the areas of quality, innovation and research. There are opportunities to develop advanced-practice skills in areas of speech pathology including videofluoroscopy, paediatric feeding, tracheostomy, laryngectomy and fibreoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES).
To broaden the experience and knowledge of Monash Health speech pathologists, opportunities for secondments in other areas of the health service where skills are transferable are also supported.
As a speech pathologist at Monash Health, you will be joining a friendly and supportive team of over 120 professionals, delivering outstanding care to our community, every day.
Our areas of Speech Pathology practice
Acute hospital-based care
Our acute, hospital-based teams include speech pathologists ranging from Grades 1-4 working with adults presenting with varying medical conditions at Monash Medical Centre (Clayton), Casey Hospital, Dandenong Hospital, Moorabbin Hospital and the Victorian Heart Hospital.
Speech pathologists working with adults in the acute inpatient care setting may see patients within the following areas:
- Stroke and neurosurgery
- Progressive neurological conditions
- Head and neck cancers
- General medicine and medical subspecialties, including but not limited to: critical care, respiratory, cardiology, oncology, gastroenterology and general surgery.
Sub-acute hospital based care
Monash Health’s speech pathologists in subacute bed-based care, work with adult inpatients at Casey and Kingston Hospitals recovering from varying medical conditions. Inpatient wards are largely split into two streams of care: neurorehabilitation and Geriatric Evaluation and Management (GEM).
Speech pathologists in subacute hospital-based care large work with adults recovering from:
- Stroke, including speech, language and swallowing rehabilitation
- Progressive neurological conditions, such as movement disorders and multiple sclerosis
- General medical conditions, where they have experienced deteriorating swallowing safety and/or cognition.
Subacute hospital-based care allows speech pathologists to develop longer relationships with patients and work closely with their multidisciplinary colleagues.
Care in the community
Various roles are offered for Monash Health speech pathologists working with adults in the community at our sites in Cranbourne, Pakenham, Springvale and Kingston, in clients’ homes and at other community venues.
Adults are referred for ongoing care in the community from the acute care setting or from the subacute hospital-based setting as they continue to recover from illness which has impacted their communication, cognition and/or swallowing. This may include supporting adults to return to studying or work following illness.
Speech pathologists may work in the following settings:
- Rehabilitation (community centre-based and in the home)
- Movement Disorders clinic
- Aged and community care programs
- Aphasia Support group.
Mental Health
For speech pathologists looking to work in Mental Health, there is a range of opportunities available at Monash Health in both inpatient and community settings. There is a focus on communication assessment and diagnostics with paediatric mental health patients and a mix of communication and swallowing for adult and aged mental health patients.
Areas in which speech pathologists may work in mental health include:
- Early Life Mental Health Service (ELMHS) for children aged up to 18 years
- Adult and aged mental health (inpatient, residential and community)
- Working with vulnerable youth in corrections facilities
- Combined mental health and disability programs
- Adult autism diagnostic services.
Children's
There are many opportunities at both Monash Children’s Hospital and in the community for speech pathologists who specialise in working with children.
This includes but is not limited to:
- Working in an acute hospital-based setting at Monash Children’s Hospital with neonates, babies and children with feeding and communication difficulties in areas such as oncology, neurology, gastroenterology, and ear, nose and throat (ENT)
- Inpatient and outpatient Victoria Paediatric Rehabilitation Service (VPRS)
- Outpatient specialist clinics, including paediatric feeding and cleft palate
- Community-based Child and Family program, largely working with children aged 0-6 with mild-moderate speech, language and stuttering disorders
- Working with children who are neurodiverse (developmental paediatrics)
- Community-based Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies program, with a focus on paediatric feeding.
“I feel supported both personally and professionally when I need to be.”
Community Speech Pathologist Linda Pugliese discusses the vast opportunities available for speech pathologists at Monash Health.
“I’ve found a passion for helping my patients be able to reconnect with their peers, family and community, and it’s really special.”
Allied Health graduate Georgia Poupoulis couldn’t be more excited to start her new career as a speech pathologist at Monash Health.
Contact our Speech Pathology team
If you need help with your application or have any questions about what opportunities are available with a Speech Pathology career at Monash Health, we’d love to chat with you.
Speak with Kathryn Potter, Head of Speech Pathology at Monash Health.
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The Monash Health difference
Join our team of 24,000+ people
We’re one of Australia’s largest and fastest-growing health services, and we provide safe, high-quality care across the entire lifespan.
With close ties to leading universities, Monash Health is a hub for research and academic excellence where internationally recognised studies are translated to clinical improvements.
We offer inclusion, equity, and opportunity
We’re committed to being a fair, equitable and non-discriminatory workplace that maximises the talent, potential and contribution of all employees.
Regardless of what stage your career is, there is choice and encouragement to pursue a career path that best suits you.
A workplace where kindness counts
At Monash Health, we care deeply about the community we serve and about one another.
When you join our team, you’ll be supported with a healthy, balanced lifestyle and a range of employee benefits and salary packaging options to best suit you.
Our hospitals and locations
Every year, we provide over 3 million episodes of care to our community in south-eastern metropolitan Melbourne and rural Victoria from over 40 locations, via telehealth, and in communities and homes.
Melbourne is one of the most livable cities in the world, with the serene beaches of the Mornington Peninsula and rolling hills of the Yarra Valley and Dandenong Ranges all within an hour’s reach.