Making a Case: Staffing and Workload Support
Staffing and workload challenges in health care settings affect more than just clinician schedules—they influence patient outcomes, clinician well-being, and a facility’s ability to provide high-quality care. When staffing is limited, organizations miss out on the full value that speech-language pathologists (SLPs) provide.
Staffing challenges arise when there are too few providers, or the wrong mix of providers, to meet patient needs. Workload challenges include unrealistic caseloads, limited time for documentation or collaboration, and limited support for essential but nonbillable activities like student supervision or quality initiatives.
57% of SLPs in health care settings reported no allotted time for interprofessional practice.
This resource helps you gather meaningful information about your setting and use it to build a strong, strategic case for staffing models that support your full impact.
Help leadership understand why you’re asking for more time: It’s not because that’s what it’ll take for you to get your job done but, rather, that’s what it’ll take for you to do your job to its full capacity.
Get to know your organization.
Knowing how your organization makes staffing decisions and knowing the operational pressures that your administrators track helps you tailor your case and speak directly to their priorities.
Staffing and Coverage
- What is the facility’s average daily census and length of stay?
- How does the organization determine staffing and workload—patient census, productivity standards, or something else?
- What’s the current ratio of full-time and part-time SLPs when fully staffed?
- Is there PRN or contract support available during leave or census spikes?
Hiring and Retention
- Are there open positions? If so, how long have they been vacant?
- What’s the staff turnover rate?
- Does your organization’s recruitment and retention strategy include student supervision or training in interprofessional practice?
Organizational Priorities
- What metrics matter most to your leadership—re-admission rates, length of stay, patient satisfaction, or compliance?
Show how you spend your time.
Capture the full scope your responsibilities [XSLX]—not just treatment minutes, but documentation, family/caregiver training, coordination with nursing and the rehab team, care planning, and any committee work, quality initiatives, and supervision. Capturing and sharing this information helps you document your role clearly—and makes it easier to see where time constraints limit your full contribution.
Know how your organization stacks up.
Use to compare staffing and time allocation patterns in your setting with that of other organizations in a similar setting.
Using the dashboard
- Open the full-screen view by clicking the angled arrow icon in the bottom right corner.
- Explore filters by setting. Note any differences between your setting and the benchmarks, and note any patterns that stand out.
- If you need additional or setting-specific data, email healthservices@asha.org.
Source: 2024 ASHA Survey: Productivity, Staffing, and Resource Availability for SLPs. Email Surveys@asha.org for more information about this survey.
Put it all together.
You’ve gathered a lot of meaningful information. Now it’s time to put those pieces together. This section helps you translate what you learned into a clear, strategic message that builds your story with outcomes that your leadership is focused on.
Start with the challenge you’re consistently experiencing.
Lead with a concrete example of what’s happening in your setting. This might be delays in evaluations, limited time for documentation, frequent coverage gaps, or tasks you can’t consistently get to. Frame it in one sentence.
Link the challenge to an operational impact—then show what improves with appropriate SLP capacity.
Use your organization’s priorities and your observations to explain the following issues:
- why the issue matters to the organization, affecting care or workflow
- what improves when SLPs have the time and staffing they need, choosing examples from your non-billable time inventory to connect to quality, safety, patient experience, or compliance or tying your request to risk or cost reduction when possible
Be strategic in your messaging.
Sometimes the biggest shift isn’t what you say—it’s how you say it. Framing your message in terms of risk, outcomes, and solutions helps administrators hear and act on your concerns.
Here are a few examples:
- Before:
- “I’m overwhelmed and can’t get everything done.”
- After:
- “Current workload expectations are limiting my ability to meet patient needs and complete documentation accurately, which increases risk and affects team efficiency.”
- Before:
- “I don’t have time to supervise students.”
- After:
- “Student supervision strengthens our workforce pipeline. We could align this with our recruitment needs by building time into the schedule.”
- Before:
- “I don’t have time to be on the Falls Prevention Committee—I only have time to see patients.”
- After:
- “My expertise supports safety and communication goals. Allocating time for this could increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the committee’s recommendations and increase our patient safety metrics.”
Resources
- ASHA Survey Reports
- Demonstrating the Value of Speech-Language Pathology Services in the Patient-Driven Groupings Model (PDGM)
- Demonstrating the Value of Speech-Language Pathology Services in the Patient-Driven Payment Model (PDPM)
- Demonstrating Your Value
- Navigating Workplace Challenges in Health Care
- NOMS Speech-Language Pathology Registry
- The Role of SLPs in Maintaining Compliance With Medicare Survey and Certification Standards for Skilled Nursing Facilities
