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Ernest Health
Bakersfield, California

Speech Language Pathologist Per Diem

Speech-Language PathologistIncludes weekendsPer Diem

Listed compensation

$70.00/Hr

The week · per this posting

Ask the employer about the work setting, call expectations, nights and shift pattern and time off.

Posted 44m ago · Verified live

Job Description

Speech Language Pathologist – Per Diem - Bakersfield, California

Join our world-class team of driven, passionate healthcare professionals who are focused on service excellence and providing top quality care!

  • Weekday and Weekend PRN hours available

Central California Rehabilitation Hospital in Bakersfield, California is a state-of-the-art inpatient rehab hospital offering comprehensive rehabilitative services to patients in the Central Valley.

We specialize in helping individuals bounce back from life-altering health events such as strokes, brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, amputations, and complex orthopedic conditions.

Our dedicated team provides a full spectrum of therapies – physical, occupational, speech, and more – utilizing advanced technologies and evidence-based techniques to accelerate healing.

At Central California Rehabilitation Hospital, patients receive care in a comfortable, encouraging environment with private rooms and fully equipped therapy gyms. Accredited and honored among the nation’s top rehabilitation facilities, we are committed to exceptional patient outcomes and proudly serve as a center of hope and recovery for our community.

As a participating hospital of Ernest Health, we offer robust recognition, wellness, and retention programs. These programs focus on enhancing the employees’ work experience, recognizing, and celebrating achievements. We also encourage employees to share their work experience through “My Ernest Journey” and through our Engagement Survey, where our approach is “You Spoke, We Listened”. These platforms provide additional avenues for employees to give feedback about their work experience and share what is important to them.

What You Bring

A passion for patient care, a team player, motivating and collaborating therapist to assist patients to reach the best outcome.

  • Graduate Degree from an accredited program in Speech Language Pathology.
  • Current State Speech Language Pathology License.
  • Current CPR

Qualifications

Required Skills

  • Current and valid state licensure as a Speech Language Pathologist required.
  • Certificate of Clinical Competence from ASHA or Clinical Fellowship Year status or equivalent preferred.
  • Two years’ experience in rehabilitation hospital setting preferred.
  • Current BLS certification from an approved required.

Additional Qualifications/Skills

Demonstrates an understanding of treatment costs and financial support as they relate to quality and efficiency.

Demonstrates appropriate application of age specific standards, policies and procedures and guidelines in caring for adolescent, adult, and geriatric patients

  • Demonstrates competency in the provision of care according to established standards
  • Knowledge of clinical operations and procedures.
  • Demonstrates general computer skills including: data entry, word processing, email, and record management.
  • Leadership skills in delegating, organizing, and educating coworkers and staff.
  • Effective organizational and time management skills.
  • Effective written and verbal communication skills.
  • Ability to maintain proper levels of confidentiality.
  • Ability to work closely and professionally with others.
  • Ability to maintain quality, safety, and/or infection control standards.

Responsibilities

Uses specialized knowledge and training in speech language pathology services as well as independent judgment and discretion to assess, diagnose, and treat speech, language, cognitive, communication, voice, swallowing, fluency, and other related disorders.

Independently examines patient's medical history and develops diagnosis and treatment plans and then implements those treatment plans with full responsibility for preparation of related documentation and patient and other medical provider communication. Integrates the hospital’s mission and “Guiding Principles” into daily practice.

Posted Total Compensation

The wage range for this role takes into account the wide range of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions including, but not limited to, skill sets, experience, education and training, licensure and certifications, and other business and organizational needs.

It’s not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the top of the range for their role and compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each case. A reasonable estimate of the current range is $

Minimum Salary

USD $70.00/Hr.

Maximum Salary

USD $70.00/Hr.

Qualifications

Education
Master's degree (postgraduate degree)
Experience
2+ years of experience

Key Skills

Patient assessmentTreatment planningSwallowing disordersCognitive therapyCommunication disordersOrganizational skillsInterdisciplinary collaboration

Speech-Language Pathologist Career Context

Of the 50 active Speech-Language Pathology listings this role was benchmarked against, 12% are remote, 42% have no call, 46% require no weekends.

Speech-Language Pathology pay on WeekdayDoc is up 3.2% vs. the prior quarter (through Sep 2026).

The cost-of-living index for California is 110.7 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)). 63.6% of California clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

Top contract/1099 Speech Language Pathologist Jobs

49 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution30 jobs · 28 employers

11
<$125k
3
$125k-140k
8
$140k-155k
6
$155k-170k
2
$170k+

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks40 jobs · 28 employers

401k / retirement match
88%
CME allowance
55%
Sign-on bonus
3%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

#1

Acute Care Speech Language Pathologist - CPMC Van Ness Campus

Sutter Health · San Francisco, California

$65.01-$91.01/hr
#2

Speech Language PathologistPer Diem

Providence · Santa Monica, California

$48.79-$75.74/hr
#3

Speech Language Pathologist (SLP) On-Call

$65-$70/hr
#4

Speech Therapist - 2nd & 3rd Grade (In-Person)

$60-$65/hr
+ 47 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

median 3.0this job 1.5
Better work-life than 10% of Speech Language Pathology listings

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 6,882 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

  • Includes weekends

Living in Bakersfield

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$357k
Typical market rent
$1,858/mo
Residents’ average commute
24 min
State income tax
Up to 13.3%
Sources & methodology

Sources: Zillow home values (Aug 2026), Zillow market rents (Aug 2026), U.S. Census ACS 2024 five-year.

City-level figures. Not a cost-of-living guarantee.

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About Ernest Health

Hospitals and Health Care
Mesquite, Texas
501-1,000 employees

Benefits & Perks

Wellness programs
Retention programs
Recognition programs