Cambodia is stunningly beautiful, and has a welcoming and fascinating culture that will capture your heart.
Speech Therapy Cambodia is a well-established nonprofit organization whose mission includes building adult dysphagia services in Cambodia, a country where no dysphagia services existed prior to 2014, and where there is no profession of Speech Pathology.
Since 2014, we have been training Cambodian nurses, doctors, and physical therapists to do dysphagia management and we are now beginning a university course in dysphagia.
We are recruiting for 2022 and 2023:
- Lead clinical educator and supervisor. This is a salaried position for SLPs experienced in adult dysphagia. One year minimum.
- Clinical Supervisors for the University program. These are grant-funded positions for SLPs experienced in adult dysphagia. 9-month positions.
If you are interested, please take a look at our complete job descriptions attached.
Thank you!!
JOB TITLE 1: Speech Pathologist/ Therapist: Clinical Lead
DURATION: One year minimum, renewable
START DATE: From October 2022 to February 2023 negotiable
JOB TITLE 2: Clinical Trainers for University Program
DURATION: Nine-months minimum, multiple years available
START DATE: TBD in 2023
CANDIDATE PROFILES AND JOB SUMMARIES
Join us for exciting and rewarding positions in Cambodia! We are looking for dysphagia clinicians (SLP, ST, SLT, Orthophoniste)
- One clinical Lead for our small and friendly team
- Two clinical trainers for a year-long university certificate program in dysphagia management (renewable in 2024 and in 2025)
All candidates are expected to be qualified dysphagia clinicians with at least five years of experience in dysphagia management and at least one year of supervisory experience in dysphagia management. Candidates with less experience and strong profiles will be considered.
Clinical supervision will include overseeing Cambodian clinicians performing swallow screens and evaluating acute hospital patients with dysphagia across three public hospitals and in various other clinics and hospitals. Supervisory assistance will also be needed with treatment plans, chart documentation, communication with medical staff and the like.
BACKGROUND OF THE ORGANIZATION(S)
Speech Therapy Cambodia (STC) www.speechtherapycambodia.org is a US charity, set up in 2014 to fund the development of Speech and Language Therapy/Pathology in Cambodia. Its operational branch—Speech and Swallowing Therapy Cambodia (SSTC)—is a Cambodian registered NGO, established in 2016.
Currently Cambodia has no local Speech therapists/pathologists, nor a Speech Therapy profession. STC began by addressing this at a grassroots level: providing dysphagia training and supervision to Cambodian health care professionals (doctors, nurses, physical therapists) in three Phnom Penh hospitals. SSTC Speech Therapists (permanent and visiting volunteers) now provide hospital supervision of Cambodian dysphagia clinicians whom we have trained over the years, and we provide continuing education and service development support to hospitals.
As a result of our efforts, Cambodia now has roughly 8 clinicians able to provide swallow screening and clinical bedside exams, as well as dysphagia management and rehabilitation appropriate to the Cambodian context. Five additional Cambodians have been partially trained in dysphagia management, with their training halted in 2020 and in 2021 due to the pandemic. This training has resumed. A nurses’ screening training program for 18 nurses across two public hospitals has also recently been completed.
A number of the Cambodian dysphagia clinicians have received training in FEES and are supervised by SSTC as they carry out the procedure. The hospitals have benefitted from FEES equipment that has been donated to hospitals by generous U.S. vendors, facilitated by FEES founder and expert, Dr. Susan Langmore, who has come to Cambodia as a volunteer trainer four times over the years.
OUR TEAM IN CAMBODIA
We have small, close, and friendly permanent team in Cambodia which carries out our projects and operations with the assistance of our remote team in the US and in the UK.
Mr. Leng Veasna, Cambodian general manager in Phnom Penh who carries out the vast majority of SSTC’s non-clinical operations, such as negotiation with ministries, setting up formal meetings, managing our finances, and acting as an overall great cultural link for us.
Ms. Emeline Mottais, Speech Therapist (Orthophoniste), French specialist in dysphagia, who does hands-on supervision of our trained Cambodian dysphagia clinicians in their respective hospitals, conducts online mini-courses in continuing education for them, and contributes to our ongoing program development.
Ms. Khan Dalin, Cambodian interpreter/translator, highly skilled in English, who accompanies our western Speech Therapists as they do their clinical supervision and teaching. She also translates our documents, letters, and materials, and supports online communications.
Highly qualified SLP volunteers complete our team and are scheduled for at least three weeks at a time in Cambodia to assist with special projects.
OUR REMOTE TEAM
Ms. Annie Johnson, an SLT from the UK, worked for Speech Therapy Cambodia/ Speech and Swallowing Therapy Cambodia as Clinical Lead in Phnom Penh 2018-2021. She has returned to the UK recently but continues to work two days a week for SSTC as a consultant and is in continual contact with the SSTC team and extremely active in our projects.
Ms. Elizabeth Chafcouloff founded Speech Therapy Cambodia in 2013 and is a speech pathologist specialized in dysphagia. She spent many months a year 2014-2019 setting up the program and recruiting SLP clinical educators and trainers who created a solid training program. She is in weekly meetings with members of the SSTC team, and participates in program development for SSTC.
Dr. Alice E. Smith conducted training in speech therapy in Cambodia over a period of 14 years from 2002 to 2016. A specialist in cleft lip and palate, she was a regular speech advisor for the Operation Smile Cambodia team, and lived in Cambodia for several years, teaching university sessions, and operating a mobile speech-language clinic around the country. Alice is also an expert in dysphagia practice. She is an advisor for Speech Therapy Cambodia and is a current board member.
QUALIFICATIONS
Essential Qualifications (for both positions)
- Speech and Language Pathologist/ Therapist (MS/MA, CCC in US, or Qualified in other countries).
- Minimum 5 years post MA/MS, CCC, or post Qualification dysphagia management experience as an SLP/SLT/ SP
- Experience teaching and supervising others in adult dysphagia management
- Able to work with mental flexibility – e.g. in context of rapidly changing plans and schedules
- Proven record of working well under direction and providing direction/support to others
- Strong organizational and time management skills
- Innovative, enthusiastic and creative team player; highly effective professional communication
- Professional English language skills (native speaker / fluent English as an additional language)
- Willingness to accept a living wage for Cambodia, but not a high wage
- Possess a strong sense of adventure as well as a healthy work ethic in order to take on a job that requires both a great deal of flexible thinking and emotional resilience.
Essential Cross-Cultural Experience (for both positions)
- Record of effective working in cross-cultural /multi-cultural context
- Experience working with and through interpreters
- Experience living in or at least traveling in low-resourced countries such as in Southeast Asia, Africa, Central America, and the like
- Demonstrate an interest in and appreciation of Asian cultures. API candidates are especially encouraged to apply.
Highly Desirable Experience (for both positions)
- University lecturing and curriculum development experience
- Personal second language learning experience
BENEFITS
General benefits (for both positions)
- Ability to shape hospital programs and to engage in program development
- Opportunity to work closely with and to teach Cambodian clinicians
- Opportunity to help Cambodian patients in great need
- Ability to influence the creation of the profession of speech pathology in Cambodia
- Work as part of a small but dedicated team
- Access to a global network of peers and mentors with expertise in speech therapy, international development, project management, fundraising, communications, working with disability, and more.
- Very reasonable daily and weekly work schedules
- Paid annual and sick leave, flexible working and compensatory time available, plus many public holidays.
SPECIFIC JOB DESCRIPTIONS
(1) SPEECH PATHOLOGIST, CLINICAL LEAD
Supervised by/ Reports to: Elizabeth Chafcouloff, President, Speech Therapy Cambodia
Job Duties
1. Provides Clinical Supervision and teaching:
- Supervises Cambodian dysphagia clinicians as they assess/treat dysphagia patients in acute, adult, inpatient setting (two positions are shared).
- Co-creates and delivers (in conjunction with existing SLP staff) new teaching content for clinicians.
- Identifies and problem-solves any issues impacting on clinical delivery by Cambodian trainees (e.g. record keeping/data collection, referral pathways, performance issues).
- Supervises and provides teaching for FEES (as qualified).
2. Participates in program development:
- Collaborates with Cambodian healthcare facilities to grow and develop dysphagia service structures, prioritizing quality and sustainability.
- Identifies clinical resource gaps (e.g. written materials, videos, equipment) and helps plan how to meet these needs.
3. Carries out collaborative management of SSTC team:
- Oversees SSTC Team activities, ensuring appropriate scheduling, task assignment, and timely implementation of activities. Participates in weekly team meetings to discuss activities and to support efforts and outcomes.
- Supports SSTC General Manager with clinical aspects of arranging venues, resources, permissions, and communications (e.g. for formal teaching)
- With SSTC General Manager, appropriately maintains records, communications and document management systems (e.g. team calendar, quarterly reports, professional email, shared document drive).
- Attends meetings with external stakeholders to ensure smooth coordination and planning.
4. Contributes to ongoing projects:
- Role involves leading on/contributing to projects which create awareness, and resources for the future of Speech Therapy in Cambodia.
- The following are examples, but input/ engagement /responsibilities can be highly variable, depending on time available:
- Coordinates (with support) possible University course with University of Puthisastra in conjunction with both in-country and remote team
- Prepares content for and presents at conferences, lectures or other formal settings as required
- Designs and oversees small scale research into dysphagia/speech therapy
- Works with external agencies to develop dysphagia/speech therapy related outputs to benefit Cambodia – for example, creation of Cambodian IDDSI.
- Plans and delivers a variety of awareness-raising activities/events/materials
Additional Highly Desirable Experience
- FEES trained/ experience teaching FEES
- Experience working with developing health care projects in a low-middle income country
Salary and Extras
- Salary of US $1,250 per month. Four-day work week—30 hours. Sufficient for daily living needs with a reasonable apartment in a good area, and frequent explorations of Cambodia during time off.
- Employer obtains work permit, and support for obtaining visa (official letters, etc.)
- Costs for work permit and visa, and salary tax are covered by the Employer.
- Assistance in finding airline flights to Cambodia is provided by the Employer, as well assistance in finding housing in Phnom Penh.
- Leave is accumulated at 1.5 days per month for full time staff (pro-rata for part time—this position is 80% time), in accordance with Cambodian law.
- Comp time is very flexible and is encouraged but must be approved well in advance.
- Paid time off also includes all Cambodian official public holidays (20-25 holidays/ year).
- Any work-related expenses are covered by the Employer (internal travel, work-related lodging, etc.)
- Paid sick leave is taken on an as-needed basis, with no set number of days. If long-term, or frequent sick leave is needed, this will be discussed with management.
- Health insurance is the responsibility of the employee, but assistance will be provided for good carriers.
Airfare to and from Cambodia is the responsibility of the employee.
(2) CLINICAL SUPERVISORS, UNIVERSITY PROGRAM
Supervised by/ Report to: Elizabeth Chafcouloff, President, Speech Therapy Cambodia
Job Duties
1. Provide Clinical Supervision and teaching:
- Review dysphagia lecture materials, exam materials, and workshop materials from university course
- Supervise Cambodian dysphagia trainees in their practicum training, as they assess/treat dysphagia patients in acute, adult, inpatient setting, including hands-on supervision for screens, evaluations, chart reviews, communication with other medical personnel, referral pathways, treatment planning, documentation, and the like (as for intense CF supervision).
- Conduct periodic Saturday morning in-person workshops for students, including role-play, case-study presentations, and the like (outline provided)
- Identify, report, and problem-solve any issues impacting on clinical delivery by Cambodian trainees (e.g. record keeping/data collection, referral pathways, performance issues).
2. Participate in program development:
- Collaborate with Cambodian healthcare facilities to grow and develop dysphagia service structures, prioritizing quality and sustainability.
Funding and Extras
- This is a Grant-funded position. All living expenses are generously covered: housing, international airfare, meals, internal transportation, health and travel insurance, contingencies (sick leave, unexpected expenses, etc.)
- Workweek can sometimes be 4 days, depending on need
- Time off includes two weeks during the contract period, and all Cambodian official public holidays (20-25 holidays/ year).
- Grant agents obtain work permit, and support for obtaining visa (official letters, etc.)
- Costs for work permit and visa are covered by the Grant
- Assistance in finding airline flights to Cambodia is provided by the Grant agents, as well assistance in finding housing in Phnom Penh.
- Any work-related expenses are covered by the Grant (internal travel, work-related lodging, etc.)
- Paid sick leave is taken on an as-needed basis, with no set number of days. If long-term, or frequent sick leave is needed, this will be discussed with management
HOW TO APPLY
Before applying, we encourage you to visit our Facebook and website for further information on our mission, vision and projects: www.speechtherapycambodia.org; Speech Therapy Cambodia Facebook.
To apply, please send your CV, brief cover letter/email, plus a personal statement outlining how you meet the qualifications (max. 600 words) to: speechtherapycambodia2017@gmail.com.
For specific questions, or an informal chat, please contact:
Annie Johnson (UK based, Clinical Lead): annie@speechtherapycambodia.org and/ or Elizabeth Chafcouloff, (US-based founder/ program coordinator): chafcouloff@gmail.com.
COVID INFORMATION
STC provides all protective equipment necessary for entering public hospitals—masks, gowns, gloves, head coverings and face shields. SSTC is in close contact with hospitals, and together we monitor current conditions and safety precautions.
If you are triple vaccinated, your risk of serious disease is low, but as you know you can still be at risk for contracting Covid whenever you fly somewhere. Right now, Covid in Cambodia is remarkably controlled. SSTC requires that all candidates be triple vaccinated (with official documentation.)
There are constantly changing regulations for entry into Cambodia, as with all travel these days. We will give you up-to-date information, as it evolves.
