Summary The Speech Pathology (Clinical Specialist0 is located in the Audiology & Speech Pathology Service at Greater Los Angeles VA Healthcare System. The incumbent has special clinical program responsibilities as an expert in acquired cognitive-communication impairments due to traumatic brain injury (TBI) and polytrauma. Incumbent serves as a subject matter expert, providing clinical guidance and consultation to colleagues and students within the service as well as other services within GLA VA. Responsibilities Duties include but are not limited to: Provides evidence-based clinical care and suggests methods of implementing changes determined necessary by evidence-based practice. Determines materials/supplies, equipment, and facilities required for cognitive-communication evaluations and interventions for patients. Promotes and participates in current and new research and/or quality improvement initiatives in cognitive-communication rehabilitation evaluations and interventions. Provides comprehensive cognitive-communication evaluations, makes appropriate diagnoses, and develops multi-pronged individualized intervention plans. Develops and manages group education and intervention programs. Provides education to patients, family members, and significant others. Makes appropriate referrals to other professionals in the management of Veterans with cognitive-communication impairments related to TBI and polytrauma. Serves as a resource to professional staff concerning the need for and development of cognitive-communication rehabilitation services. Consultation to professional staff is also provided regarding clinical assessment findings and appropriate treatment plans for patients. Coordinates all cognitive-communication rehabilitation related to TBI and polytrauma for staff speech pathologists and trainees. Serves as a subject matter expert on VA GLA's interdisciplinary teams related to cognitive-communication rehabilitation and treatment subsequent to TBI and polytrauma. Manages the cognitive-communication rehabilitation referral processes with speech pathology, audiology, TBI/polytrauma, neurology, neurobehavior, neuropsychology, and other stakeholders. Oversees all TBI/polytrauma cognitive-communication evaluations completed throughout GLA VA. Manages TBI/polytrauma cognitive-communication rehabilitation outcome data collection and reports. Monitors TBI/polytrauma cognitive-communication rehabilitation consult timeliness. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 7:30am - 4:00pm Compressed/Flexible: At Management's Discretion Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Requirements 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 dentification 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 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. English Language Proficiency: SLPs must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with chapter 2, section, paragraph 5a. 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 (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. IIndividuals must hold a full, current and unrestricted license in a U.S. state, territory, commonwealth or the District of Columbia. 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-13: In addition to the basic requirements at the GS-12 level, completion of one year of professional experience comparable to the next lower level. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs). In addition to the experience requirements, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: (a) Knowledge of scientific principles and contemporary, evidence-based practice in differential diagnosis and treatment of speech, language, voice, swallowing and cognitive-communication disorders as it relates to a specialized clinical program. (b) Skill in prioritizing program goals and objectives. (c) Ability to build consensus among clinical team members, interests and points of view. (d) Ability to gather and evaluate outcome data to determine program quality and effectiveness. (e) Ability to serve as a resource to other health care providers regarding a specialized clinical program. 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-13. Physical Requirements: This position is mostly sedentary, some walking to/from patient wards and different buildings on campus. 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. VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement. Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.
