Speech-Language Pathologists

• Summary

• Details

Work Activities

• Use computer applications to identify or assist with communication disabilities.
• Consult with and refer clients to additional medical or educational services.
• Develop individual or group activities or programs in schools to deal with behavior, speech, language, or swallowing problems.
• Write reports and maintain proper documentation of information, such as client Medicaid or billing records or caseload activities, including the initial evaluation, treatment, progress, and discharge of clients.
• Administer hearing or speech and language evaluations, tests, or examinations to patients to collect information on type and degree of impairments, using written or oral tests or special instruments.
• Educate patients and family members about various topics, such as communication techniques or strategies to cope with or to avoid personal misunderstandings.
• Supervise or collaborate with therapy team.
• Teach clients to control or strengthen tongue, jaw, face muscles, or breathing mechanisms.
• Complete administrative responsibilities, such as coordinating paperwork, scheduling case management activities, or writing lesson plans.
• Communicate with students who use an alternative method of communications, using sign language or computer technology.
• Design, develop, or employ alternative diagnostic or communication devices or strategies.
• Complete administrative responsibilities, such as coordinating paperwork, scheduling case management activities, or writing lesson plans.
• Use computer applications to identify or assist with communication disabilities.
• Communicate with students who use an alternative method of communications, using sign language or computer technology.
• Write reports and maintain proper documentation of information, such as client Medicaid or billing records or caseload activities, including the initial evaluation, treatment, progress, and discharge of clients.
• Monitor patients' progress and adjust treatments accordingly.
• Develop speech exercise programs to reduce disabilities.
• Complete administrative responsibilities, such as coordinating paperwork, scheduling case management activities, or writing lesson plans.
• Provide communication instruction to dialect speakers or students with limited English proficiency.
• Administer hearing or speech and language evaluations, tests, or examinations to patients to collect information on type and degree of impairments, using written or oral tests or special instruments.
• Supervise or collaborate with therapy team.
• Supervise students or assistants.
• Provide communication instruction to dialect speakers or students with limited English proficiency.
• Conduct or direct research on speech or hearing topics and report findings for use in developing procedures, technologies, or treatments.
• Conduct lessons or direct educational or therapeutic games to assist teachers dealing with speech problems.
• Conduct or direct research on speech or hearing topics and report findings for use in developing procedures, technologies, or treatments.
• Participate in conferences, training, continuing education courses, or publish research results to share knowledge of new hearing or speech disorder treatment methods or technologies.
• Consult with and advise educators or medical staff on speech or hearing topics, such as communication strategies or speech and language stimulation.
• Participate in conferences, training, continuing education courses, or publish research results to share knowledge of new hearing or speech disorder treatment methods or technologies.
• Supervise students or assistants.
• Consult with and refer clients to additional medical or educational services.
• Develop or implement treatment plans for problems such as stuttering, delayed language, swallowing disorders, or inappropriate pitch or harsh voice problems, based on own assessments and recommendations of physicians, psychologists, or social workers.
• Evaluate hearing or speech and language test results, barium swallow results, or medical or background information to diagnose and plan treatment for speech, language, fluency, voice, or swallowing disorders.
• Participate in and write reports for meetings regarding patients' progress, such as individualized educational planning (IEP) meetings, in-service meetings, or intervention assistance team meetings.
• Participate in and write reports for meetings regarding patients' progress, such as individualized educational planning (IEP) meetings, in-service meetings, or intervention assistance team meetings.
• Instruct clients in techniques for more effective communication, such as sign language, lip reading, or voice improvement.

Skills

• Speaking
  • Talking to others.
• Mathematics
  • Using math to solve problems.
• Monitoring
  • Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.
• Repairing
  • Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.
• Service Orientation
  • Looking for ways to help people.
• Systems Evaluation
  • Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.
• Negotiation
  • Bringing people together to solve differences.
• Technology Design
  • Making equipment and technology useful for customers.
• Operation and Control
  • Using equipment or systems.
• Judgment and Decision Making
  • Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.
• Management of Personnel Resources
  • Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.
• Management of Material Resources
  • Managing equipment and materials.
• Equipment Maintenance
  • Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.
• Persuasion
  • Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.
• Active Listening
  • Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
• Time Management
  • Managing your time and the time of other people.
• Social Perceptiveness
  • Understanding people's reactions.
• Complex Problem Solving
  • Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
• Critical Thinking
  • Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
• Management of Financial Resources
  • Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.
• Equipment Selection
  • Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.
• Systems Analysis
  • Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.
• Quality Control Analysis
  • Testing how well a product or service works.
• Science
  • Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.
• Active Learning
  • Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.
• Installation
  • Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.
• Troubleshooting
  • Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.
• Writing
  • Writing things for co-workers or customers.
• Reading Comprehension
  • Reading work-related information.
• Instructing
  • Teaching people how to do something.
• Learning Strategies
  • Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.
• Coordination
  • Changing what is done based on other people's actions.
• Programming
  • Writing computer programs.
• Operations Analysis
  • Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.
• Operations Monitoring
  • Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.

Abilities

• Category Flexibility
  • Grouping things in different ways.
• Spatial Orientation
  • Knowing where things are around you.
• Information Ordering
  • Ordering or arranging things.
• Response Orientation
  • Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.
• Peripheral Vision
  • Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.
• Control Precision
  • Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.
• Wrist-Finger Speed
  • Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.
• Extent Flexibility
  • Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.
• Dynamic Flexibility
  • Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
• Gross Body Coordination
  • Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.
• Written Comprehension
  • Reading and understanding what is written.
• Flexibility of Closure
  • Seeing hidden patterns.
• Written Expression
  • Communicating by writing.
• Number Facility
  • Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.
• Finger Dexterity
  • Putting together small parts with your fingers.
• Fluency of Ideas
  • Coming up with lots of ideas.
• Explosive Strength
  • Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.
• Sound Localization
  • Noticing the direction that a sound came from.
• Multilimb Coordination
  • Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.
• Dynamic Strength
  • Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.
• Speech Recognition
  • Recognizing spoken words.
• Reaction Time
  • Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.
• Problem Sensitivity
  • Noticing when problems happen.
• Trunk Strength
  • Using your lower back and stomach.
• Near Vision
  • Seeing details up close.
• Glare Sensitivity
  • Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.
• Depth Perception
  • Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.
• Speech Clarity
  • Speaking clearly.
• Inductive Reasoning
  • Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.
• Deductive Reasoning
  • Using rules to solve problems.
• Static Strength
  • Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.
• Mathematical Reasoning
  • Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.
• Manual Dexterity
  • Holding or moving items with your hands.
• Gross Body Equilibrium
  • Keeping your balance or staying upright.
• Visual Color Discrimination
  • Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.
• Auditory Attention
  • Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.
• Oral Comprehension
  • Listening and understanding what people say.
• Speed of Closure
  • Quickly knowing what you are looking at.
• Arm-Hand Steadiness
  • Keeping your arm or hand steady.
• Oral Expression
  • Communicating by speaking.
• Perceptual Speed
  • Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
• Speed of Limb Movement
  • Quickly moving your arms and legs.
• Visualization
  • Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.
• Rate Control
  • Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.
• Far Vision
  • Seeing details that are far away.
• Night Vision
  • Seeing at night or under low light.
• Memorization
  • Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.
• Time Sharing
  • Doing two or more things at the same time.
• Originality
  • Creating new and original ideas.
• Selective Attention
  • Paying attention to something without being distracted.
• Hearing Sensitivity
  • Telling the difference between sounds.
• Stamina
  • Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.

Knowledge

• Communications and Media
  • Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
• Law and Government
  • Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
• Physics
  • Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.
• Philosophy and Theology
  • Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.
• Mechanical
  • Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
• English Language
  • Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.
• Economics and Accounting
  • Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
• Sales and Marketing
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
• Food Production
  • Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
• Public Safety and Security
  • Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
• Therapy and Counseling
  • Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
• Design
  • Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
• Psychology
  • Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
• Foreign Language
  • Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.
• Production and Processing
  • Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
• Mathematics
  • Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• Computers and Electronics
  • Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
• Chemistry
  • Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
• Education and Training
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• Biology
  • Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
• Building and Construction
  • Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
• Fine Arts
  • Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
• Transportation
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
• Geography
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
• History and Archeology
  • Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
• Administration and Management
  • Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
• Customer and Personal Service
  • Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Sociology and Anthropology
  • Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
• Medicine and Dentistry
  • Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
• Personnel and Human Resources
  • Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
• Engineering and Technology
  • Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
• Telecommunications
  • Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
• Administrative
  • Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.

Education

Education

Master's degree

Work Experience

No work experience

Training

Internship/residency

Education and Training Opportunities

×

Education and Training Opportunities

• Eastern Washington University
  526 5th Street, Cheney WA 99004-2496
  School Type

  Public, 4-year or above

  Admissions
  School Size

  10,000 - 19,999

  Financial Aid 509-359-6200
  Other Degrees Offered

  Undergraduate degree or certificate offering,Graduate degree or certificate offering
  Website

  http://www.ewu.edu/
  Program Name
  Speech-Language Pathology/Pathologist
  Length
  4 years
  Award Level
  Bachelor's degree, Master's degree
  Save

  ---

• University of Washington-Seattle Campus
  1400 NE Campus Parkway, Seattle WA 98195-4550
  School Type

  Public, 4-year or above

  Admissions
  School Size

  20,000 and above

  Financial Aid 206-543-2100
  Other Degrees Offered

  Undergraduate degree or certificate offering,Graduate degree or certificate offering
  Website

  https://www.washington.edu/
  Program Name
  Communication Sciences and Disorders, General
  Length
  More than 4 years
  Award Level
  Master's degree, Bachelor's degree, Doctor's degree - research/scholarship
  Save
  Program Name
  Speech-Language Pathology/Pathologist
  Length
  More than 4 years
  Award Level
  Master's degree
  Save

  ---

• Walla Walla University
  204 S College Ave, College Place WA 99324-1198
  School Type

  Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above

  Admissions
  School Size

  1,000 - 4,999

  Financial Aid 509-527-2615
  Other Degrees Offered

  Undergraduate degree or certificate offering,Graduate degree or certificate offering
  Website

  https://www.wallawalla.edu/
  Program Name
  Speech-Language Pathology/Pathologist
  Length
  2 years
  Award Level
  Associate's degree
  Save

  ---

• Washington State University
  French Administration Building, Pullman WA 99164-5910
  School Type

  Public, 4-year or above

  Admissions
  School Size

  20,000 and above

  Financial Aid 509-335-3564
  Other Degrees Offered

  Undergraduate degree or certificate offering,Graduate degree or certificate offering
  Website

  https://wsu.edu/
  Program Name
  Audiology/Audiologist and Speech-Language Pathology/Pathologist
  Length
  More than 4 years
  Award Level
  Doctor's degree - research/scholarship, Master's degree, Bachelor's degree
  Save

  ---

• Western Washington University
  516 High Street, Bellingham WA 98225-9008
  School Type

  Public, 4-year or above

  Admissions
  School Size

  10,000 - 19,999

  Financial Aid 360-650-3000
  Other Degrees Offered

  Undergraduate degree or certificate offering,Graduate degree or certificate offering
  Website

  http://wwu.edu/
  Program Name
  Communication Sciences and Disorders, General
  Length
  4 years
  Award Level
  Bachelor's degree
  Save
  Program Name
  Speech-Language Pathology/Pathologist
  Length
  More than 4 years
  Award Level
  Master's degree
  Save

  ---

Close

Pay

Washington Annual Salary

102450/yr

Washington Hourly Wage

49.26/hr

Washington Employment Trends

Currently Employed

4,080

Yearly Projected Openings

330

Personality

Social: People interested in this work like activities that include helping people, teaching, and talking. They do well at jobs that need:

• Dependability
• Integrity
• Concern for Others
• Self Control
• Cooperation
• Adaptability/Flexibility

Tools

• Adaptive communication switches for the physically challenged
• Audiometers
• Audiometric booths or acoustic hearing test chambers
• Cassette players or recorders
• Compact disk players or recorders
• Desktop computers
• Digital cameras
• Digital voice recorders
• Electromyography EMG units
• Flow sensors
• Hand held camcorders or video cameras
• Headphones
• Keyboards
• Microphones
• Notebook computers
• Personal computers
• Portable stereo systems
• Pressure indicators
• Scanners
• Sound measuring apparatus or decibel meter
• Speech mirror
• Stroboscopes
• Tablet computers
• Televisions
• Video cassette players or recorders
• Voice synthesizers for the physically challenged

Technology

• Analytical or scientific software
• Cloud-based data access and sharing software
• Computer based training software
• Desktop communications software
• Electronic mail software
• Internet browser software
• Medical software
• Music or sound editing software
• Office suite software
• Spreadsheet software
• Video creation and editing software
• Voice recognition software
• Word processing software