This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific individual eligibility requirements in accordance with VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) and eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after complete review of the EDRP application.

Duties

The incumbent is a staff member of the Geriatrics and Extended Care service line in the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Service (PM&RS)/Audiology department at the West Texas VA Health Care System (WTVAHCS). The position is located in the PM&RS/Audiology department in Big Spring, Texas. The position requires the therapist to be proficient in providing care for the home health population. This position is considered full-time home health, however, the incumbent will be required to provide Speech Pathology services as needed in the Community Living Center (CLC), Domiciliary, and Outpatient clinic. The incumbent carries a patient load; is responsible for maintaining appropriate patient record in accordance with Speech Pathology, VA, and JCO policies and standards. In addition, the incumbent attends team training sessions or conferences; participates in in-service education; student education programs of various levels. The incumbent evaluates each patient's functional level, develops and implements treatment plan specific to the patients needs. At least one year of professional experience at the GS-12 level, the Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) at this level has special clinical responsibilities related to treating Neurological Progressive disorders to include, but not limited to: Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), Parkinson's disease, Multiple Sclerosis, Alzheimer's disease, and Huntington's disease. The incumbent serves as a subject matter expert for providing Speech Pathology services to patients diagnosed with a Neurological Progressive disorder. The incumbent has advanced knowledge base and skills to expand care options for this specific patient population through specialized care plans targeting dysphagia, cognitive communication, assistive technology, language, voice, and overall communication needs/wants. Incumbent may be required to provide Speech Pathology services to all sites of care within the West Texas VA Health Care System, if needed. 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 EDRP Authorized: Contact [email protected], the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement,03/14/2024 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. 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 as SLP in a U.S. state, territory, commonwealth or the District of Columbia. Grade Determinations: Speech-Language Pathologist (Clinical Specialist), GS-13. Experience/Education. In addition to the basic requirements at the GS-12 level, completion of one year of professional experience comparable to the next lower level and completion of one or more of the following: (a) Board certification such as BRS-S Disorders or BC-ANCDS; or (b) Completion of a residency or fellowship post-graduate degree; or (c) College credits (three or more courses) above the graduate degree in the areas relevant to the advance practice. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs). In addition to the experience requirements, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: (a) Advanced knowledge in a focused area of contemporary speech pathology practice for contemporary and evidence-based practice in differential diagnosis and treatment. (b) Skill in interpreting advanced specialized clinical management programs in focused areas of contemporary speech-language pathology practice. (c) Ability to provide consultation and continuing education in a specific SLP disorder area. Assignments. For all assignments above the full performance level, the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope, complexity and range of variety and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time. SLP clinical specialists apply advanced knowledge of scientific principles and contemporary and evidence-based clinical practice in a specific disorder area. SLPs in this assignment use professional judgment to diagnose patients with the most complex disorders not typically seen in routine clinical practice; develop and implement evidence-based and individualized clinical management programs; and render professional opinions. These patients may present with multiple physical, sensory, motor, cognitive or other complicated communication or swallowing disorders that require advanced clinical decision-making skills using complex data. On a regional or national level, SLP clinical specialists serve as subject matter experts for a specific clinical area, adding knowledge to the profession by providing expert consultation, continuing education and mentoring to colleagues, clinical fellows and students. Differentiating Full Performance Level from Clinical Specialist Level. This is done based on the differences between independent practice, which is required for all SLPs at the full performance level and a clinical specialist. An SLP practicing at the independent level has a generalized knowledge of practice, whereas the SLP clinical specialist has specialized knowledge of practice typically related to a particular diagnosis or patient population. The SLP clinical specialist can be further differentiated from the independent SLP by their ability to expand clinical knowledge in the profession, provide consultation and guidance to colleagues, role model effective speech language pathology practice skills and teach or mentor less experienced SLPs. An SLP with advanced knowledge, clinical skills and personal qualifications that meet the standard for the SLP clinical specialist must be assigned to a position that requires use of the practice skills to be considered for the SLP grade Preferred Experience: Advanced knowledge in treating Neurological Progressive disorders Experience working in Home Health setting Advanced knowledge in treating Dsyphagia disorders References: VA Handbook 5005/153, Part II, Appendix G30 dated September 22, 2022 The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-13. Physical Requirements: Physical aspects associated with work required of this assignment are typical for the occupation and would generally not require a pre-placement examination.

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: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

NOTE: If your school has changed names, or is no longer in existence, you must provide this information in your application

Contacts

• Address George H O'Brien Jr VA Medical Center 300 Veterans Boulevard Big Spring, TX 79720 US
• Name: VISN 17 SSU USAS Group
• Email: [email protected]