Speech-Language Pathologist

This position is located in the Audiology and Speech Pathology Service at the Palo Alto VA Health Care System. Duties and responsibilities are carried out throughout the medical center, including all clinical and other patient care areas involved with the Service. SLP plans, conducts, and coordinates all aspects of diagnostic assessments and evaluations and therapeutic and rehabilitative services for speech, language, voice, fluency, cognitive, and swallowing disorders.

FUNCTIONS OR SCOPE OF ASSIGNED DUTIES INCLUDE, BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO:

GS-11: Is under the general supervision of the Chief or Ass't Chief of the Audiology/Speech Pathology Service or as assigned. Program goals and objectives are provided. The employee is responsible for planning and carrying out the assignment independently, resolving most of the conflicts that arise, coordinating the work with others as necessary, and interpreting policy on own initiative in terms of established objectives. In some assignments, the employee also determines the approach to be taken and the methodology to be used. The employee keeps the supervisor informed of progress and potentially controversial matters. Completed work is reviewed only to ensure it meets technical requirements or expected results.

GS-12: Is under the general supervision of the Chief of Audiology and Speech Pathology Service or the Assistant Chief of the Service as assigned. Program goals and objectives are provided. The employee is responsible for planning and carrying out the assignment independently, resolving most of the conflicts that arise, coordinating the work with others as necessary, and interpreting policy on own initiative in terms of established objectives. In some assignments, the employee also determines the approach to be taken and the methodology to be used. The employee keeps the supervisor informed of progress and potentially controversial matters. Completed work is reviewed only to ensure it meets technical requirements or expected results.

Duties listed below are at the Full performance level of GS-0665-12.

• Conducts, plans, and coordinates all clinical and administrative aspects of a full range of services associated with contemporary speech-language pathology practice.
• Responsible for independent diagnostic assessment and evaluation of cases that are referred to Speech-Language Pathology without limitation as to difficulty or complexity.
• Responsible for the adequacy of assessment and for the reporting of the findings to other professional workers with whom he/she or other members of the speech-language pathology service may cooperate in formulating diagnostic and clinical judgments; assesses patient condition from close observation and consultation with other members of the interdisciplinary health care team; and utilizes all diagnostic and evaluative procedures and techniques consistent with contemporary speech-language pathology practice.
• Responsible for planning, conducting, coordinating, and monitoring the effectiveness and clinical outcomes of patient-centered treatment and rehabilitative services to maximize and restore to the greatest extent possible physical and social functioning.
• Responsible for the administration of a full range of tests of speech, language, voice, fluency, and cognition, including modal level and variation of vocal pitch and loudness; variability of the rate of vocal utterance; frequency and complexity of speech dysfluency; consistency and adaptation of dysfluency in sustained or repeated speaking and aural reading; phonetic analysis of speech designed to identify and evaluate patterns of misarticulation, such as distortions and omissions of sounds, as well as phonemic substitutions, including patterns of variation and speech sound articulation; and identification of phonetic and semantic factors related to this variation.
• Develops an effective and comprehensive plan of care for swallowing disorders in collaboration with other health care practitioners; establishes and maintains an effective therapy relationship with the patient, family, and caregivers; and adjusts the treatment plan to patient response and indicators of progress.
• Consultant to other facility personnel involving the most difficult and complex cases and is a recognized subject matter expert on matters related to speech, language, voice, fluency, cognitive, and swallowing disorders.
• Communication is required by this position, and the incumbent will be expected to attend regular staff meetings and interdisciplinary health care team meetings as appropriate; review policies and procedures; and attend in-service training.
• Responsible for supervising, mentoring, and precepting student trainees in speech-language pathology and maintaining liaisons with affiliated colleges and universities.
• Participate in research activities pertinent to speech-language pathology.
• Complete all documentation in accordance with facility policy.
• Other Duties as assigned.

Work Schedule: M-F 8:00 am - 4:30 pm; weekend coverage may be expected, or as determined by the supervisor
Compressed/Flexible: This may be authorized at the supervisor's discretion
Telework: Not Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: GS-11 10737F, GS-12 10740F

Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met.

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.
• Education and Experience:
  • 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 (see paragraph 2.g.). OR
  • A doctoral degree in speech-language pathology, communication disorders and sciences or a related field, from an accredited college or university.
• Licensure: Individuals must hold a full, current, and unrestricted license in a U.S. state, territory, commonwealth, or the District of Columbia.
  • Non-licensed applicants who otherwise meet the eligibility requirements for SLP licensure may be appointed to a temporary position as a graduate SLP under the authority of 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 requirement for licensure may be waived by the Under Secretary for Health or designee in VHA Central Office for individuals engaged in research or academic assignments involving no direct patient care duties, in accordance with current activities.
  • An SLP who has, or ever has had, their speech-language pathology license revoked, suspended, denied, restricted, limited, or issued/placed on probationary status may be appointed only in accordance with the provisions in Chapter 3, section B, paragraph 16 of this part.
• Failure to Obtain Licensure: In all cases, graduate SLP must actively pursue obtaining the required licensure from the date of their appointment. The Human Resources office staff will provide the unlicensed SLP with written requirements to obtain licensure, the date by which the license must be acquired, and the consequences for not becoming licensed by the deadline. The written notice must be provided prior to the entrance on duty date. Failure to obtain the required credentials by the prescribed date may result in termination of employment

May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria).

Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates.

Speech-Language Pathologist, GS-11

• Education: None beyond the basic requirements.
• Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs): In addition to the basic requirements, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:
  • Knowledge of principles and techniques in assessing and treating disorders of speech, language, cognitive-communication, and swallowing.
  • Knowledge of instrumentation and technologies for assessing and treating communication and swallowing disorders.
  • Ability to adapt clinical procedures and techniques to accommodate unique patient conditions, needs, and goals.
• Assignment: SLPs at this entry developmental grade level assess and treat patients with routine speech, language, voice, cognitive-communication and swallowing disorders following the principles of evidence-based practice and perform clinical procedures with respect to age-specific, unique patient conditions and needs. When assessing and treating patients with complex or rare speech, language, voice, cognitive-communication, and swallowing disorders, SLPs may require consultation with an SLP at the full performance or higher level.

Speech-Language Pathologist, GS-12:

• Experience: In addition to the basic requirements at the GS-11 level, completing one year of professional experience comparable to the next lower level and possessing a full, current, and unrestricted license to practice speech-language pathology.
• Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs): In addition to the experience requirements, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:
  • 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.
• Assignment: This is the full performance level. At this level, SLPs independently provide evidence-based assessment and treatment interventions to individuals with a wide range of speech, language, voice, cognitive-communication, and swallowing disorders. Staff SLPs select, administer, and interpret standardized and non-standardized assessment measures. They integrate assessment findings into a patient-centered treatment plan of care and evaluate the effectiveness of interventions by collecting and documenting treatment outcomes. SLPs may be assigned to work in a specific clinical area such as traumatic brain injury, head and neck cancer, movement disorders, or spinal cord injury. They may provide clinical training experiences for trainees and students and participate in research activities

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

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-11 to GS-12.

Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Service

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/.

If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.
To be creditable, education completed outside the U.S. must be deemed at least equivalent to that gained in a conventional U.S. program by a private organization specializing in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials.

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
• Subject to background/security investigation.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a 1- or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.