Summary

This position is located in the Audiology & Speech Pathology Service within the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System. The duties and responsibilities are carried out throughout all clinical and other patient care areas involved with the Audiology & Speech Pathology service. The incumbent 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.

Duties

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Duties include but are not limited to:

• Plans, conducts, and coordinates all clinical and administrative aspects of a full range of services associated with contemporary medical speech-language pathology practice.
• Responsible for independent diagnostic assessment of cases 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 inter-disciplinary health care team; and utilizing all diagnostic and evaluative procedures and techniques consistent with contemporary medical speech-language pathology practice.
• Uses instrumentation {e.g. videofluoroscopy, nasoendoscopy, stroboscopy, surface electromyography, computer technology, etc.) to observe, collect data, and measure parameters of communication and swallowing in accordance with the principles of evidence-based practice.
• Provide rehabilitation to individuals with voice disorders including alaryngeal and tracheostomized or ventilator-dependent patients.
• Develops and implements treatment plans designed to improve cognitive-communication processes or to compensate for cognitive-communication disability using adaptive strategies.
• Responsible for planning, conducting, coordinating and monitoring the effectiveness and clinical outcomes of patient-centered treatment and rehabilitation services to maximize and restore to the greatest extent possible physical and social functioning.
• Document results of evaluation, development of treatment goals and treatment plans, discharge recommendations, and education of patients and families within the medical record in the form of evaluation reports, progress notes, education notes and discharge reports.
• Provides routine counseling and guidance to each individual Veteran concerning his/her impairment.
• Attends regular staff meetings and interdisciplinary team meetings as appropriate, review policies and procedures, and attend in-service training.
• Serves as a 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.
• Remain current with new developments in speech pathology and will maintain professional competency by reading professional journals, engaging in continuing education activities, and by communicating with other professionals in the profession and related professions.
• Responsible for supervising and mentoring graduate students and other trainees in speech pathology, covering methods of testing and evaluation, diagnosis, treatment planning and techniques and preparation of reports.
• Adheres to the facility's rules, policies, and procedures and to the American Speech Language Hearing Association's policies regarding professional standards and ethics.
• The incumbent may perform ancillary assignments including program management duties on an occasional basis, where the complexity and amount of work is not substantial.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8:00AM-4:30PM

Compressed/Flexible:May be Available

Telework: Not Available

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• 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.
• Must pass pre-employment physical evaluation.
• 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 will 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.

Qualifications

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. (1) 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 (2) 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.
• English Language Proficiency. SLP candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. a7 7403(f).

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: Experience GS-12: 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:

(a)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.

(b)Skill in administering and interpreting instrumental swallowing evaluations.

(c)Ability to assess the effectiveness of clinical outcomes and adapt clinical procedures and techniques to accommodate unique patient conditions

Preferred Experience: Ideal candidate will have speech-language pathology experience with the adult population, including diagnosis and treatment of dysphagia and cognitive-communication disorders across the full scope of medical speech pathology. Knowledge and familiarity of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems and fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES) instrumentation is preferred; additional training may be provided.

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.

Physical Requirements: Work is primarily sedentary, but requires walking, bending, stooping, and reaching for objects on shelves. On occasion, work may require assisting patient by tugging, lifting, or pushing the patient in a wheelchair or stretcher to maneuver within the clinical or testing environment

Education

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/.

Additional information

Receiving Service Credit for Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.

During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

Benefits

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A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

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Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.