Mimi Ballinger

Implementing health care initiatives and providing clinical care across regional, rural, and remote towns within NSW. Servicing pediatric and adult clients supported by NDIS, Medicare plans, and private.

• Provides speech therapy services to remote and rural communities, flying in daily for consultations, often working 12+ hour days.
• Overseeing and managing personal client caseloads across various remote locations (seven locations, 40+ clients).
• Utilizing trauma-informed care within practice across the lifespan.
• Formulating appropriate and targeted reports for various individual needs, as required by external stakeholders, such as NDIS and NSW Education.
• Culturally appropriate and informed clinical care.
• Establishing relationships with the wider community and health groups to provide relevant care to community members.
• Manages complex and chronic caseloads, including patients with advanced neurological conditions, degenerative diseases, and dysphagia.
• Manages complex and chronic caseloads, including patients with advanced neurological conditions, degenerative diseases, and dysphagia.
• Conducts comprehensive swallowing assessments and develops individualized dysphagia management plans.
• Delivers therapy across diverse settings, including hospitals, aged care facilities, private residences, and Indigenous communities.
• Demonstrates adaptability and resilience in high-pressure environments, with limited resources.
• Collaborates with multidisciplinary teams, families, and caregivers to ensure optimal patient outcomes.
• Maintains high standards of clinical documentation and reporting for NDIS and aged care services.
• Assesses and treats adults with communication and swallowing disorders, including neurodegenerative conditions (e.g., MS, Parkinson’s, stroke, MND).
• Provides therapy in clinic and community settings, including residential care, and private homes.
• Develops evidence-based intervention plans tailored to individual client needs.
• Engaging in pediatric assessments and interventions for children aged 2 to 17 years.
• Integrates visual supports and compensatory strategies to enhance patient outcomes.
• Manages a caseload of 40 clients on a fortnightly basis.

• Specializing in pediatric care, catering to clients with speech sound disorders, receptive, and.
• Expressive language disorders and early intervention needs.
• Proficient in administering and scoring a range of assessments, including PLS-5, CELF-2, CELF-3, CELF-5, RAPT, SPAT-R, DEAP, and PPVT.
• Skilled in offering guidance on NDIS funding and CDM management plans to families.
• Demonstrated leadership as the coordinator of two team-building events.
• Conducted four preschool screeners to enhance understanding of speech pathology services in the local area, and expand the client base for a growing business.
• Contributed to a preschool readiness presentation for educators and parents, emphasizing developmental milestones and expectations for children aged 3 to 5 years.
• Observed and collaborated with other professionals, i.e., occupational therapists.

• Administered comprehensive swallow, speech, and language assessments for adult patients in acute care settings, ensuring a thorough evaluation of communication and swallowing functions.
• Collaborated with a multidisciplinary team, including physicians, nurses, and occupational therapists, to develop and implement personalized treatment plans for patients with complex conditions.
• Observed and participated in diagnostic tests and instrumental assessments, including VFSS (Videofluoroscopic Swallow Study) and FEES (Fiberoptic Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing), to better understand and address swallowing disorders.
• Gained experience observing pediatric feeding clinics and contributed to the care team for a tracheostomy patient, broadening clinical expertise in diverse patient populations.
• Provided evidence-based therapeutic interventions for patients with communication and swallowing disorders, tailoring treatment strategies to individual needs.
• Maintained accurate and organized patient records, progress notes, and treatment plans, adhering to confidentiality and documentation standards.
• Participated in family and caregiver education, effectively explaining treatment strategies, recommendations, and progress to ensure holistic care.
• Completed a quality improvement project on phonomotor treatment for patients with aphasia, enhancing clinical understanding and improving patient outcomes.
• Developed proficiency in using electronic medical records (EMR) systems for patient documentation and management.