Speech-Language Pathologists

• Summary

• Details

Work Activities

• Consult with and advise educators or medical staff on speech or hearing topics, such as communication strategies or speech and language stimulation.
• 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.
• Develop individual or group activities or programs in schools to deal with behavior, speech, language, or swallowing problems.
• Complete administrative responsibilities, such as coordinating paperwork, scheduling case management activities, or writing lesson plans.
• 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.
• 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.
• Conduct or direct research on speech or hearing topics and report findings for use in developing procedures, technologies, or treatments.
• Instruct clients in techniques for more effective communication, such as sign language, lip reading, or voice improvement.
• Complete administrative responsibilities, such as coordinating paperwork, scheduling case management activities, or writing lesson plans.
• Develop speech exercise programs to reduce disabilities.
• Supervise students or assistants.
• 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.
• Consult with and refer clients to additional medical or educational services.
• Conduct or direct research on speech or hearing topics and report findings for use in developing procedures, technologies, or treatments.
• Design, develop, or employ alternative diagnostic or communication devices or strategies.
• Conduct lessons or direct educational or therapeutic games to assist teachers dealing with speech problems.
• 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.
• 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.
• Consult with and refer clients to additional medical or educational services.
• Teach clients to control or strengthen tongue, jaw, face muscles, or breathing mechanisms.
• Participate in conferences, training, continuing education courses, or publish research results to share knowledge of new hearing or speech disorder treatment methods or technologies.
• 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.
• Monitor patients' progress and adjust treatments accordingly.
• Complete administrative responsibilities, such as coordinating paperwork, scheduling case management activities, or writing lesson plans.
• 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.
• Supervise students or assistants.
• Participate in conferences, training, continuing education courses, or publish research results to share knowledge of new hearing or speech disorder treatment methods or technologies.
• Educate patients and family members about various topics, such as communication techniques or strategies to cope with or to avoid personal misunderstandings.

Skills

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

Abilities

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

Knowledge

• Production and Processing
  • Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
• Design
  • Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
• 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.
• 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.
• Mechanical
  • Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
• 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.
• English Language
  • Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Fine Arts
  • Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
• Law and Government
  • Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Sociology and Anthropology
  • Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
• 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.
• History and Archeology
  • Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
• Telecommunications
  • Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Transportation
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
• Biology
  • Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
• Economics and Accounting
  • Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
• 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.
• Food Production
  • Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
• 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.

Education

Education

Master's degree

Work Experience

No work experience

Training

Internship/residency

Education and Training Opportunities

×

Education and Training Opportunities

• Central Washington University
  400 East University Way, Ellensburg WA 98926
  School Type

  Public, 4-year or above

  Admissions
  School Size

  5,000 - 9,999

  Financial Aid 509-963-1111
  Other Degrees Offered

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

  http://www.cwu.edu/
  Program Name
  Audiology/Audiologist and Speech-Language Pathology/Pathologist
  Length
  4 years
  Award Level
  Bachelor's degree
  Save

  ---

• 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
  More than 4 years
  Award Level
  Master's degree, Bachelor'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
  Doctor's degree - research/scholarship, Bachelor's degree, Master's degree
  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
  Audiology/Audiologist and 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, Bachelor's degree, Master'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
  Speech-Language Pathology/Pathologist
  Length
  More than 4 years
  Award Level
  Master's degree
  Save
  Program Name
  Communication Sciences and Disorders, General
  Length
  4 years
  Award Level
  Bachelor's degree
  Save
  Program Name
  Audiology/Audiologist and Speech-Language Pathology/Pathologist
  Length
  4 years
  Award Level
  Bachelor's degree, 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