A speech-language pathologist specializing in voice disorders — evaluating and treating voice problems related to vocal misuse, neurological conditions, head/neck cancer, gender-affirming voice work, professional voice users (singers, teachers, broadcasters), and other voice-specific concerns. Subspecialty practice within SLP.
Most days tend to involve voice evaluations (perceptual assessment, acoustic measurement, videostroboscopy review with ENT colleagues), voice therapy sessions targeting specific voice production patterns, professional voice consultation, and the cross-disciplinary partnership work with otolaryngologists and singing voice specialists. You'll often see clients across acuity levels — from teachers with vocal fatigue to professional singers with nodules to transgender clients seeking gender-affirming voice training.
The variance between settings is real — hospital-based voice clinics (often within otolaryngology departments) provide multi-disciplinary voice care; specialty voice centers serve professional voice users, gender-affirming voice work, and complex cases; private practice voice specialists serve fee-paying clients across the voice user spectrum; academic voice programs blend clinical work with research and student training. Specialty training (post-CFY mentorship, specialty fellowships) plus videostroboscopy interpretation skills anchors voice subspecialty practice.
People who tend to thrive here are comfortable with the technical depth of voice production and laryngeal physiology, capable of partnering with otolaryngologists, and patient with the slow arc of voice change. CCC-SLP plus voice subspecialty training and experience anchors paths. The work tends to offer intellectually engaging work, the satisfaction of helping people preserve or transform their voices, and meaningful client impact, with the trade-off being the relatively narrow specialty practice base and the often-self-pay nature of voice work — for those drawn to voice work, the role offers a unique career space.
Where this role sits in the broader career landscape — and where it can take you.
Roles like this one sit within a broader occupational category. The numbers below reflect that full landscape — helpful for context, but your specific experience will depend on level, specialty, and where you work.
Roles with similar work and overlapping career paths
View all Healthcare roles →A speech-language pathologist specializing in voice disorders — evaluating and treating voice problems related to vocal misuse, neurological conditions, head/neck cancer, gender-affirming voice work, professional voice users (singers, teachers, broadcasters), and other voice-specific concerns. Subspecialty practice within SLP.
Median pay for a Voice Pathologist is about $95K nationally, with the field ranging roughly from $60K to $133K depending on experience, employer, and metro (BLS).
Core skills for this role include Critical Thinking, Active Listening, Social Perceptiveness, Reading Comprehension, and Speaking.
Most people in this role hold a master's degree.
Employment in this field is projected to grow about 15% through 2034, with roughly 178,790 people working in it today (BLS).
Closely related roles include Oral Therapist, Speech Clinician, and Speech Therapist.
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