Tarndeep Samra

• Msc in Speech-Language Pathology from The University of British Columbia

• Practicum experience in private practice, long-term care, acute, and in/outpatient rehabilitation

• 9 months experience as a Communication Disorders Assistant for clients with autism, aphasia, and other communication disorders

• 1 year working as a Behaviour Interventionist at a Pediatric Therapy Centre

• 2 years of experience as a Speech Assistant Volunteer in a GF Strong Rehabilitation Centre for Stroke and TBI patients

Volunteer - Stroke Recovery Association of BC - Virtual Zoom Sessions

(2024-04)

• Facilitates communication among patients with differing severities of Aphasia using Supported Conversation for Adults With Aphasia (SCA™) techniques (e.g., keywording, using pictures, gestures, etc)
• Aids participants to build meaningful connections by engaging in genuine conversations (e.g., conversations about their daily life, what advice they would give to others who have had a stroke, sharing knowledge based on trivia questions, etc)

Employee, Acute/Outpatient Rehabilitation - Surrey Memorial Hospital - Surrey, BC

(2023-05 - 2023-09)

• Administered bedside swallowing assessments and communication assessments (e.g., Brisbane, Frenchay) to clients with Aphasia, Parkinson’s Disorder, Huntington’s Disease, etc.
• Explained dysphagia therapy techniques such as effortful swallow and the masako maneuver to aid in maintenance of swallowing function of clients with neurodegenerative diseases
• Conducted voice therapy using techniques such as “resonant voice therapy” to aid clients with dysphonia

Externship 1 - Private Practice/Private Schools - Port Moody, BC

(2021-05 - 2021-06)

• Lead one-to-one sessions targeting social, receptive, and expressive communication in clients with autism, down syndrome, and other developmental disorders age 4-17
• Administered standardized assessments including the Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals-4 (CELF-4), Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT 4), Expressive Vocabulary Test (EVT), and Preschool Language Scales-5 (PLS-5)
• Monitored, recorded and reviewed client progress using tools such as SOAP notes and SALT (Systematic Analysis of Language Transcripts) which lead to creating specific goals for each client

Externship 2 - Camp Connect, UBC - Vancouver, BC

(2021-08 - 2021-08)

• Facilitated group sessions targeting social communication and connection between clients with Aphasia aged 40-60+ using methods such as keywording
• Planned camp activities with the clinical lead and other classmates that included considering the varying severity levels of aphasia

Externship 3 - CareLife Fleetwood/Surrey Memorial Hospital - Long-term care, Acute/In-patient, and Outpatient Rehabilitation; Surrey, BC

(2021-09 - 2021-12)

• Administered bedside swallowing assessments, oral mechanism exams and certain standardized assessments (e.g., FAVRES, BDAE) to clients with Aphasia, Parkinson’s Disorder, Dysarthria, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and Dementia
• Practiced client-centered care by developing goals using the SMART framework when working in outpatient rehabilitation

Externship 4 - Kelowna General Hospital - Acute, In-patient and Outpatient Rehabilitation; Kelowna, BC

(2022-04 - 2022-06)

• Administered standardized assessments (e.g., WAB, SCCAN), intake communication screens, and swallowing assessments to patients with Aphasia, ALS, Head/Neck cancer, etc
• Lead one-to-one sessions using low-tech (e.g., communication booklets) and high tech (e.g., Tactus Therapy) AAC within an inpatient rehabilitation setting with patients with Wernicke’s/Global Aphasia, Apraxia, and TBI

Communication Disorders Assistant (Employee) - Theranet Therapy Service - Surrey

(2019-11 - 2020-08)

• Assisted with the implementation of speech therapy programs that aided in social, receptive, and expressive communication in clients aged four and up
• Monitored and reviewed client progress with the assigned Speech-Language Pathologist which lead to creating specific goals for each client
• Lead one-to-one home-based sessions to improve reading comprehension, articulation, and labelling using tools such as categorizing pictures or unscrambling incorrect sentences
• Utilized tools such as “touch-chat” to help facilitate communication among non-verbal clients

Behaviour Interventionist (Employee) - Symbiosis Pediatric Therapy - Surrey

(2018-06 - 2019-11)

• Carried out behavioural treatment programs for children aged 3 to 9 with autistic and behavioural disorders by collaborating with Behaviour Consultants, Occupational Therapists, and Speech-Language Pathologists
• Aided the children in tasks such as reading, writing, as well as utilizing receptive and expressive language

Speech Assistant (Volunteer) - G. F Strong Rehabilitation Centre - Vancouver, BC

(2016-07 - 2018-05)

• Facilitated group sessions with 10 clients aged 18-60+ with Aphasia and TBI to practice conversational skills and effective communicative strategies, including recognizing different facial expressions and debating topics in the news
• Lead one-to-one sessions to improve articulation by engaging in conversations and practicing effective ways to communicate, such as using an iPad app

Master of Science - Speech-Language Pathology - The University of British Columbia

Bachelor of Arts - Speech Science, Psychology - The University of British Columbia