Health Technician (Audiology)

Full Job Description

This position is located within the Audiology and Speech Pathology Service at James A. Haley Veterans' Hospital and Clinics.

The duties and responsibilities are carried out in all clinical and other patient care areas involved with the Audiology service.

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. Experience and Education.

Experience. Six months of experience comparable to the next lower level which demonstrates the knowledge, skills and abilities related to the duties of the position to be filled. OR Education.

Successful completion of two academic years above high school leading to an associate degree or a bachelor's degree with at least 12 semester hours in courses related to the position.

OR Experience/Education Combination. Equivalent combinations of experience and education are qualifying.

An example of a combination of experience/education is three months of experience comparable to the next lower level which demonstrates the knowledge, skills and abilities related to the duties of the position to be filled and one year above high school with a minimum of 6 semester hours related to the health care industry.

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: In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates.

Health Technician (Audiology) - GS 07, Experience.

Completion of one year of progressive experience and/or experience equivalent to the next lower grade level directly related to the position being filled.

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs). In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: (a) Ability to mentor and train new HTAs.

(b) Ability to prepare patients for advanced testing procedures performed by the audiologist, such as evoked potentials.

(c) Ability to develop and implement the technician role for a program in a focused area of audiology.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

Physical Requirements: Physical aspects associated with work required of this assignment are typical for the occupation, see Duties section for essential job duties of the position.

May require standing, lifting, carrying, sitting, stooping, bending, pulling, and pushing.

May be required to wear personal protective equipment and undergo annual TB screening or testing as conditions of employment. Major Duties:

Primary responsibility is for patient care, supporting diagnostic and treatment procedures, patient charting and patient education, which do not require a full professional audiology education or knowledge and skills represented by audiology licensure.

Support functions include both direct patient care and administrative duties> In addition, the incumbent must be able to mentor and train new health technicians (Audiology).

Greeting and escorting patients; Triaging patients to an audiologist based on complexity of the procedures being completed. Patient set up for procedures (e. g.

, vestibular, neurodiagnostic procedures). Patient instruction and counseling on hearing loss or hearing aids either on an individual basis or in a group setting.

Conducting hearing pass/fail screenings without interpretation. Non-diagnostic otoscopy. Cerumen management. Taking earmold impressions. Hearing aid troubleshooting and repair.

Providing basic hearing aid information for patients and caregivers. Performing listening checks on hearing aids. Electroacoustic analysis of devices.

Pairing hearing aids and accessories via Bluetooth technology. Programming previously stored settings into hearing aids. Activating remote controls. Perform additional duties as assigned.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 07:00am-03:30pm, Extended hours based on service needs. Telework: Telework Eligible (Ad- Hoc) Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement #: 72202F Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized