Southwest Health System logo
Southwest Health System
Cortez, Colorado

Speech Language Pathologist

Speech-Language PathologistFull-Time

Listed compensation

$34.52-$55.23/hr

Listing transparency2 of 6 stated

Ask the employer about the work setting, call expectations and weekend coverage.

Employment & setting
Full-Time
Call expectations
Not specified
Weekends
Not specified
Posted 1h ago · Verified live

Job Description

Our Story, Your Future

SHS was established in 1914, Southwest Health System, Inc. has a rich history of serving rural communities and has a strong mission to provide the highest quality healthcare to our patients. We offer comprehensive "care close to home", helping people in small towns receive quality operations and services you'd only expect from a big city. By only using the latest technology and employing the best staff, we create a patient experience unlike any other. Our employees love our respectful culture, our excellent compensation package, and our incredible location, making our hospital the place to build dream careers!

Your Clinical Impact

As a Speech Language Pathologist at Southwest Health System, you’ll help patients regain safe swallowing, clear communication, and cognitive-communication function—delivering skilled therapy that protects safety and restores independence.

Key responsibilities

  • Complete thorough speech, language, cognition, and swallowing evaluations and establish individualized plans of care
  • Provide evidence-based interventions across aphasia, dysarthria, dysphagia, voice, fluency, and related needs
  • Secure physician orders for certification/recertification and communicate status changes promptly to the care team
  • Coordinate treatment and discharge planning with physicians, interdisciplinary partners, and agency staff
  • Educate patients/caregivers, support pain management approaches, and maintain compliant documentation

Required qualifications/skills

  • Bachelor’s/Master’s in Speech Therapy/Pathology (accredited)
  • ASHA CCC-SLP (or in process per Medicare guidelines), current Colorado SLP credential, and current BLS
  • Strong customer service, communication, organization, and basic computer skills; knowledge of applicable regulations

Bring your expertise and energy—apply today to make every session count.

A Day That Flies

Your day kicks off by reviewing new referrals and recent clinical notes, then moving into focused assessments—language, motor speech, cognition, and swallow function—so you can pinpoint what’s changing and what matters most. Between sessions, you connect quickly with physicians and teammates to keep orders and updates tight, timely, and crystal clear. You’ll coach patients and caregivers on practical strategies they can use immediately, adapt plans as progress shows up (or clinical status shifts), and keep safety front and center in every setting. You’ll wrap up by finalizing visit verification and documentation, then joining interdisciplinary conversations that keep care coordinated and outcomes moving in the right direction.

  • Rewards That Matter
  • Medical, Dental, and Vision coverage
  • Life Insurance
  • Health Savings Account (HSA)
  • Paid Time Off (PTO)
  • Employee Discounts
  • 403(b) retirement plan
  • Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

Requirements

Candidates must hold a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Speech Therapy or Pathology from an accredited institution. Additionally, current ASHA CCC-SLP certification, a Colorado SLP credential, and BLS certification are required.

Qualifications

Education
Professional certificate or licensure
Experience
2+ years of experience

Key Skills

Cognitive-communication therapyAphasia interventionDysphagia treatmentDysarthria treatmentVoice therapyFluency therapyClinical documentationPatient educationInterdisciplinary coordinationCare planningCommunication skills

Speech-Language Pathologist Career Context

Of the 40 active Speech-Language Pathology listings this role was benchmarked against, 10% are remote, 70% have no call, 90% require no weekends.

Speech-Language Pathology pay on WeekdayDoc is up 6.2% vs. the prior quarter (through Aug 2026).

The cost-of-living index for Colorado is 103.1 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)), so the posted ~$93k midpoint carries the purchasing power of roughly $91k in an average-cost state. 60.9% of Colorado clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

Top Speech Language Pathologist Jobs

9 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution9 jobs · 8 employers

2
<$95k
1
$104k
4
$115k-135k
2
$135k-155k

Annual compensation range

Work-Life Balance Distribution9 jobs · 8 employers

0
1-2
0
3-4
0
5-6
8
7-8
1
9-10

Higher = better work-life balance

#1

Home Health Speech Language Pathologist, SLP - Napa/VacavillePer Diem

CVHCare · Vallejo, California

Up to $140,000
#2

Speech Therapist, Home Care

Mass General Brigham · Beverly, Massachusetts

$72k-$138k
#3

Speech Therapist - FITZGERALD

up to $130,000
#4

Speech Language Pathologist, Home Health PRN

$110k–$123k
+ 7 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

1.5/ 10
Listing-based score

Living in Cortez

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$356k
Typical market rent
$1,756/mo
Residents’ average commute
15 min
State income tax
Up to 4.4%
Sources & methodology

Sources: Zillow home values (Aug 2026), Zillow market rents (Aug 2026), U.S. Census ACS 2024 five-year.

City-level figures. Not a cost-of-living guarantee.

Southwest Health System logo

About Southwest Health System

Hospitals and Health Care
Cortez, CO
51-200 employees

Benefits & Perks

Medical, Dental, and Vision coverage
Life Insurance
Health Savings Account (HSA)
Paid Time Off (PTO)
Employee Discounts
403(b) retirement plan
Employee Assistance Program (EAP)