Speech-Language Pathologist

About the role

This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific eligibility requirements per VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Program approval — award amount (up to $200,000) and eligibility period (one to five years) — is determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after review of the EDRP application. Former EDRP participants are ineligible to apply. For questions or assistance, contact the EDRP Coordinator at Nicholas.Camilletti@va.gov.

Responsibilities

• Performs diagnostic tests:
  • Conducts independent diagnostic assessment and evaluation of inpatients and outpatients referred for Speech Pathology Services, without limitation as to difficulty or complexity.
  • Conducts interviews with patients and appropriate family members and/or friends.
  • Selects, administers, and interprets diagnostic tests necessary to detect, evaluate, and treat any type of speech, language, voice, and/or swallowing disorders.
  • Responsible for the adequacy of assessment and for reporting findings to other professional workers for formulating diagnostic and remedial judgments.
  • Utilizes all diagnostic and evaluative procedures common to speech pathology.
  • Stays abreast of new developments in speech pathology by reading professional journals and communicating with other professionals.
  • Assesses patient condition from close observation and consultation with other members of the patient treatment team.
• Develops treatment plans and provides therapy:
  • Develops plans for a course of therapy to resolve or minimize speech-related and/or swallowing conditions.
  • Administers tests of voice and speech including modal level and variation of vocal pitch and loudness; variability of the rate of vocal utterance; frequency and complexity of speech disfluency; consistency and adaptation of disfluency in sustained or repeated speaking and aural reading; phonetic analysis of speech to identify and evaluate patterns of misarticulation (distortions, omissions, phonemic substitutions, patterns of variation, speech sound articulation); and identification of phonetic and semantic factors related to this variation.
  • Establishes and maintains an effective therapy relationship with the patient, family, and caregivers.
  • Adjusts treatment plans to patient response and indicators of progress.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.
• Participates in all section-/service-level staff meetings as well as service-level educational programs.

Qualifications

Basic Requirements:

• United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
• English Language Proficiency: Candidates must be able to read, write, speak, and understand English at a level necessary to successfully perform the duties of this position.
• Education and Experience: One of the following:
  • A master's degree, or its equivalent, in speech-language pathology, communication disorders, or a directly related field from an accredited college or university and one year of creditable experience.
  • A doctoral degree in speech-language pathology, communication disorders and sciences, or a related field from an accredited college or university.
• Licensure: For grades requiring licensure (GS-12 and above), the candidate must hold a full, current, and unrestricted license in a State, Territory, Commonwealth, or the District of Columbia. Non-licensed applicants who otherwise meet eligibility requirements for SLP licensure may be appointed to a temporary position as a graduate SLP under 38 U.S.C. 7405(c)(2). Individuals appointed as graduate SLPs may not be promoted to the GS-12 level without being fully licensed. The licensure requirement may be waived by the Under Secretary for Health or designee for individuals engaged in research or academic assignments involving no direct patient care duties. An SLP who has ever had their license revoked, suspended, denied, restricted, limited, or placed on probationary status may be appointed only in accordance with Chapter 3, Section B, Paragraph 16 of the qualification standard.
• Grandfathering Provision: All persons employed in VHA in this occupational series (or another series performing the described duties) on the effective date of the qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the grade held, including positive education and licensure. Employees who do not meet all basic requirements but met qualifications at the time of appointment may be reassigned, promoted up to and including the full performance level, or changed to a lower grade within the occupation, but may not be promoted beyond the full performance level or placed in supervisory/managerial positions. If such employees leave the occupation, they lose protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard in effect at re-entry. Grandfathered SLPs who subsequently obtain additional education and/or licensure meeting all basic requirements must maintain required credentials as a condition of employment. SLPs appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of the qualification standard may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed until they fully meet the basic requirements.

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs): In addition to experience requirements, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following:

• Skill in applying principles and techniques of diagnosis and treatment associated with contemporary speech-language pathology following evidence-based practice for adult patients exhibiting the full range of speech to the full range of patient populations.
• Skill in administering and interpreting instrumental swallowing evaluations.
• Ability to assess the effectiveness of clinical outcomes and adapt clinical procedures and techniques to accommodate unique patient conditions.

Preferred Experience: Licensed Speech-Language Pathologist.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

Physical Requirements: