Summary
Overview
Work History
Education
Skills
Accomplishments
Certification
Timeline
Generic

Melissa K. Backstrom, M.S. CCC-SP

Highland,CA

Summary

Director of Rehabilitation, oversees day-to-day operations of rehabilitation services in the University and Children's Hospital to deliver highest standard of services with best possible outcome for patients. Maintains current speech-language pathology license and has over 30 years of rehabilitation and leadership experience in a hospital setting. Directs clinical management of all rehab team members to foster quality improvement, excellent care planning and positive clinical utilization to meet program standards and guidelines.

Overview

35
35
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification

Work History

Director, Rehabilitation Therapy Services

Loma Linda University Medical Center
Loma Linda, CA
04.1990 - Current

Director, Rehabilitation Therapy Services, 2020 - Current

  • Oversee daily operations for University and Children's Hospitals rehabilitation teams of approximately 100 therapists. Includes maintaining staffing levels based on patient census, meeting all regulatory requirements, coordinating staff training, and mentoring leadership teams, maintaining good relationships with hospital leadership and physician groups
  • Increased FTE's to meet increased patient volume
  • Manage budgets for 6 cost centers
  • Ensure all cost centers meet productivity and provide coaching for teams as needed to meet goals
  • Addressing employee performance issues and utilizing HRM when disciplinary action was required
  • Participate in multiple hospital wide committees, including Safe Patient Handling, Service Best Practice, Hand Hygiene, CH QI, Uniform Steering, Early Mobility, Schwartz Center Rounds planning group
  • PI improvement teams including Early Mobility, and Onboarding/Hiring
  • Led PI Project in rehab to decrease turnaround time from physician order to completed evaluation
  • Providing excellent customer service based on GRETE and Service Best Practice Team
  • CTP - coordinated rehab team's move into Troesh Medical Campus. Included training staff to be survey ready, ensured compliance with Title 22 regulations, oversaw staff training and education on new equipment and way finding. Ensured all gym equipment was installed correctly and was in working order. Worked with CTP oversight team and Project Managers to meet all requirements for this project.

Prior positions include:

Rehabilitation Manager, UH/CH 2005-2020

Speech Pathology Supervisor, UH/CH/EC/ORC 2002-2005

Occupational Therapy and Speech Pathology Supervisor 1998-2002

Speech Pathology Supervisor 1995 - 1998

Per Diem Speech Pathologist - 1990 - 1995

Highlights from prior positions include:

  • Providing speech therapy to inpatient rehab and acute care patients from 1990-2005 Member of CVA and TBI Teams (1990-1995)
  • Coordinated monthly CEU in-services for rehab staff, utilizing Staff Development Services
  • Lead planning committees for multiple conferences targeting rehab, nursing and respiratory care teams, including 11 annual laryngectomy conferences, adult dysphagia conference, OT splinting conference, NICU feeding and swallowing conference, and voice conference
  • Supervised speech pathology student interns
  • Coordinated student programs with LLU and other universities to provide internship/affiliations for their students
  • Presenter at New Employee Orientation, Innovating Excellence, Basic Concepts in Rehabilitation Nursing
  • Member of LLEAP Document Design Committee. Designed LLEAP forms for speech pathology. Coordinated training for rehab staff to transition to computerized documentation

Speech-Language Pathologist

Life Dimensions
, California
11.1989 - 04.1990

Provided speech-language pathology services to patients in skilled nursing facilities.

  • Completed evaluations focusing on communication, cognitive and swallowing impairments for residents in skilled nursing facilities.
  • Established treatment plans, including long and short range goals targeting areas of impairment
  • Provided treatments to improve residents swallowing, communication and cognitive abilities
  • Educated family members on goals and treatment plans
  • Provided in-services to CNA's on swallowing impairments and their roles in maintaining safety during meals

Speech-Language Pathologist

Patsy Czvick, LLC
San Bernardino, CA
07.1987 - 11.1989

Contract Speech-Language Pathologist at Robert H. Ballard Center for Rehabilitation

  • Completed Clinical Fellowship Year
  • Provided evaluations and treatment to inpatients and outpatients in areas of communication, cognitive and swallowing impairments
  • Care provided to patients, aged toddler to geriatric, with neurologic impairments during inpatient rehabilitation program
  • Established short term, and long term goals for patients targeting their communication, cognitive and/or swallowing impairments
  • Supervised speech pathology student interns
  • Educated caregivers on communication, cognitive and swallowing deficits. Provided home exercise programs
  • Created group therapy program for inpatient rehabilitation patients

Education

Bachelor of Arts - Communication Disorders

Chapman University
Orange, CA

Master of Science - Communicative Disorders

University of Redlands
Redlands, CA

Skills

  • Policy and Program Development
  • Employee Mentoring and Training
  • Coordinating projects including professional conferences
  • Rehabilitation Plans
  • Creating positive work environment that empowers employees to do their best work
  • Time management
  • Excellent Communication skills

Accomplishments

  • Operations Committee, California Speech-Language-Hearing Association Annual State Conference Palm Springs, CA 1997
  • Shuler, J., Backstrom, M., and Shaughnessy, P. "A Systematic Approach to Clinical Supervision in the Medical Setting". Presented, Council of Supervisors in Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology Conference, Cincinnati, Ohio, June 1996.
  • Shuler, J., Backstrom, M., and Shaughnessy, P. "A Systematic Approach to Clinical Supervision in the Medical Setting". Presented, California Speech-Language-Hearing Association Annual State Conference, San Diego, CA, June 1995.
  • Gutierrez, T., Backstrom, M., Salazar-Kuo, N., "An Interdisciplinary Approach to Dysphagia Care in Stroke Patients. Is It Possible?" Poster Presentation, California Speech-Language-Hearing Association Annual State Conference, Long Beach, CA April 1991.

Certification

  • Licensed Speech-Language Pathologist number SP 7017 - 1988-current
  • Certificate of Clinical Competence, American Speech-Language-Hearing Association 1988 - current

References available upon request

Timeline

Director, Rehabilitation Therapy Services

Loma Linda University Medical Center
04.1990 - Current

Speech-Language Pathologist

Life Dimensions
11.1989 - 04.1990

Speech-Language Pathologist

Patsy Czvick, LLC
07.1987 - 11.1989

Bachelor of Arts - Communication Disorders

Chapman University

Master of Science - Communicative Disorders

University of Redlands
Melissa K. Backstrom, M.S. CCC-SP