This position is in the Speech-Language Pathology Section of the Audiology & Speech-Language Pathology Service at the VA Northern California Health Care System (VANCHCS). Service delivery is in person at a clinical site, or in a veteran's home or care facility, and via telehealth. The incumbent will function as an independent staff Speech-Language Pathologist at the full performance level.

Duties

The speech-language pathologist at this level conducts, plans, and coordinates clinical and administrative aspects of a full range of services associated with contemporary speech-language pathology practice. The incumbent is responsible for independent diagnostic assessment and evaluation of cases that are referred to the Speech-Language Pathology Section without limitation as to difficulty or complexity. The incumbent will be responsible to conduct interviews with the patients and appropriate family members or friends; and to select, administer and interpret the diagnostic test results necessary to detect and evaluate the presence of a speech, language, voice, fluency, communicative, cognitive, and/or swallowing disorder. The incumbent is responsible for (1) assessing patient conditions from examination, observation and consultation with other members of an interdisciplinary health care team; (2) utilizing diagnostic and evaluative procedures and techniques consistent with contemporary speech-language pathology practice, (3) developing an appropriate plan of care and delivering treatment as designed and consistent with principles of evidence-based practice, (4) documenting evaluation and treatment actions and outcomes in appropriate formats in a timely manner, in accordance with facility policy, and completing all related administrative tasks, and (5) reporting the findings to Veterans and their families, and to professional colleagues. The incumbent is responsible for planning, conducting, coordinating, and monitoring the effectiveness and clinical outcomes of patient-centered treatment and rehabilitative services to maximize and restore physical and social functioning to the greatest extent possible. Treatment may be provided to individuals or to a group of Veterans, led either by the incumbent independently or by the incumbent in collaboration with other related professionals. The incumbent 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 communicative disorders, and swallowing disorders. The incumbent will remain current with new developments in speech-language pathology and will maintain professional competency by reading professional journals and engaging in continuing education activities and professional learning experiences, and by communicating with other professionals in speech-language pathology and related professions. Professional interpersonal communication is required by this position and the incumbent will be expected to attend staff meetings and inter-disciplinary health care team meetings as appropriate; review policies and procedures; and attend in-service training. The incumbent may participate in research activities pertinent to speech-language pathology. Although limited research is conducted in the clinical setting, the use of carefully executed procedures may be a part of a research design. The incumbent may be requested to assist in gathering clinical research data. The incumbent may perform ancillary assignments, including program management duties on an occasional basis, where the complexity and amount of the work is not substantial. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8:00am - 4:30pm Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 000000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

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: a. Citizenship. Be a citizen of the United States (U.S.). Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7407(a). b. English Language Proficiency. candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f). c. Education and Experience. (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, or (2) A doctoral degree in speech-language pathology, communication disorders and sciences or a related field, from an accredited college or university. 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. Accredited College or University: a college or university recognized by a regional accreditation organization and a speech-language pathology academic program recognized by the Council on Academic Accreditation of the American Speech-Language Hearing Association. Creditable Experience: To be creditable, the experience must have required the use of knowledge, skills and abilities associated with the assessing, diagnosing, treating and preventing communication and swallowing disorders with contemporary professional speech-language pathology practice. This knowledge may be evidenced by one of the following:(1) At least one year of active professional practice or equivalent. Active professional practice means paid or non-paid employment as a professional SLP engaged in the practice of speech-language pathology as defined by the appropriate licensing board.(2) Academic course work leading to a doctoral degree in speech-language pathology, communication disorders and sciences or a related field. Experience is only creditable if it is both of the following:(1) Work as a professional SLP related to the position to be filled; and (2) The work is at a level comparable to speech-language pathology experience at the next lower grade level. NOTE: You must provide a copy of your transcripts with your job application (no assumptions will be made) d. Licensure. Individuals must hold a full, current and unrestricted license in a U.S. state, territory, commonwealth or the District of Columbia. NOTE: You must provide a copy of your licensure with your job application (no assumptions will be made) e. Grandfathering Provision: 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). f. Grade Determinations. In addition to the basic requirements, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates. Speech-Language Pathologist, GS-12: (1) 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. (2) 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. NOTE: all experience and KSA's must be clearly stated in resume (assumptions will not be made) g. Preferred Experience: Minimum of 3 years with voice and swallow experience in both the inpatient and outpatient setting. h. References: VA HANDBOOK 5005/153, PART II, APPENDIX G30. SPEECH-LANGUAGE PATHOLOGIST QUALIFICATION STANDARD, GS-0665, Veterans Health Administration dated September 22, 2022. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-12. i. Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and 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 VA Northern California Health Care System 10535 Hospital Way Mather, CA 95655 US
• Name: Frances Medina
• Phone: 000-000-0000
• Email: [email protected]