This position is located in the Audiology and Speech Pathology Service at the Atlanta VA Health Care System, including an acute care hospital and community living center. The duties and responsibilities are carried out throughout the medical center including all clinical and other patient care areas involved with serving inpatients and outpatients. There is potential for telework opportunities to serve outpatients.

Duties

Major duties include, but are not limited to: 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. Demonstrates professional knowledge of, and skill in applying, a wide range of theories, principles, and methodologies of the practice of speech-language pathology to a wide range of populations. Conducts interviews with the patients and appropriate family members and/or friends, selects, administers and interprets the diagnostic test necessary to detect and evaluate any type of speech, language, voice, fluency, cognitive, and/or swallowing disorders. 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 administration of a full range 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 disfluency; consistency and adaptation of disfluency 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 treatment plan to patient response and indicators of progress. 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. Responsible for supervising, mentoring, and precepting student trainees in speech-language pathology and maintaining liaisons with affiliated colleges and universities. May participate in research activities pertinent to speech-language pathology. Work Schedule: 8:00am-4:30pm, Tuesday-Saturday Telework: Ad hoc Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 508-50766-O Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

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. Education: 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. 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. English Language Proficiency: Speech Language Pathologist must be proficient in spoken and written English. 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). All Speech-Language Pathologists employed in VHA in this occupation on the effective date of this qualification standard (September 22, 2022) are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title, series and grade held, including positive education and licensure/certification/registration that are part of the basic requirements of the occupation. For employees who do not meet all the basic requirements required in this standard, but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it, the following provisions apply: Such employees, may be reassigned, promoted [up to and including the full performance (journey) level, or changed to lower grade within the occupation, but may not be promoted beyond the journey level or placed in supervisory or managerial positions. Employees initially grandfathered into this occupation, who subsequently obtain additional education and/or licensure/certification/registration that meet all the basic requirements of this qualification standard must maintain the required credentials as a condition of employment in the occupation. If an employee who was retained in an occupation listed in 38 U.S.C. § 7401(3) under this provision leaves that occupation, the employee loses protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of reentry to the occupation. Failure to Obtain Licensure: In all cases, graduate SLP must actively pursue obtaining the required licensure from the date of their appointment. The Human Resource office staff will provide the unlicensed SLP written requirement 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. Loss of Credential: Management officials, in collaboration with HR Office staff, must immediately relieve employees of the duties and responsibilities associated with the occupation who fail to maintain the required certification, both current and in good standing, which may result in separation from employment. An SLP who has, or has ever had, their SLP license revoked, suspended, denied, restricted, limited or issued/placed in a probationary status may be appointed only in accordance with the provisions in Chapter 3, section B, paragraph 16 of this part. Foreign Education: 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. GS-11 Grade Determinations Applicants for this grade level must be able to demonstrate the following knowledge, skills, and abilities: (a) Knowledge of principles and techniques in assessing and treating disorders of speech, language, cognitive-communication and swallowing. (b) Knowledge of instrumentation and technologies for assessing and treating communication and swallowing disorders. (c) Ability to adapt clinical procedures and techniques to accommodate unique patient conditions, needs and goals. GS-12 Grade Determinations: (a) Licensure. The incumbent must hold a full, current, and unrestricted license in a State, Territory, Commonwealth, or the District of Columbia. (b) Education and Experience. Completion of 1 year of professional experience comparable to the next lower level and possession of a full, current, and unrestricted license to practice speech-language pathology. For positions engaged in research S-LP assignments involving no direct patient care, completion of a doctoral degree in speech-language pathology, communication disorders, or a related field is fully qualifying. In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the KSAs identified for the assignment. Speech-Language Pathologist. Staff S-LPs at this grade level must demonstrate professional knowledge of, and skill in applying, a wide range of theories, principles, and methodologies of the practice of speech-language pathology to a wide range of populations. Individuals may perform ancillary assignments, including program management duties on an occasional basis, where the complexity and amount of work is not substantial (less than 25% of the time). Applicants for this grade level must be able to demonstrate the following knowledge, skills, and abilities: (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: 1-2 years of acute care experience, working with patients with dysphagia; 1-2 years of experience conducting instrumental evaluations of swallowing. 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. References: VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Appendix G30, dated September 22, 2022. Physical Requirements: See VA Handbook 5019.

Education

IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on 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: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

Contacts

• Address Atlanta VA Medical Center 1670 Clairmont Road Decatur, GA 30033 US
• Name: Ryan Fowler
• Phone: 314-652-4100 X63106
• Email: [email protected]