This position is located in the Audiology (AUD) Section of the Rehabilitation Care Line (RCL) at the Cincinnati, OH VAMC. The duties and responsibilities of the position carried out independently in all clinical and other patient care areas involved with the AUD Section that may include a secondary campus in Fort Thomas, KY and six regional Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOC) as well as the main campus. The incumbent is a Supervisory Audiologist (Section Chief).

Duties

The major duties of this position will include: Functions or Scope of Assigned Duties. a. General Skills: (1) For all assignments above the full performance level, the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope, complexity and range of variety and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time. Supervisory Audiologist in this assignment serves as Section Chief of Audiology and Speech Language Pathology. (2) The Supervisory Audiologist supervises staff, plans, schedules, and assigns work. Section chiefs have broad program management responsibilities for a specific program or programs that are designed to deliver specialized, complex, highly professional services, which are important program components of the facility and significantly impact the health care provided to Veterans. Programs include, but are not limited to hearing health, inpatient, outpatient, and residential audiologic rehabilitation, neuro-audiologic assessments, diagnosis and treatment of tinnitus, externship and postdoctoral fellowship training programs, and management of off-campus sites. Section chiefs manage key clinical, training, research, or administrative programs including the day-to-day activities of these programs. Section chiefs in this assignment supervise and provide strategic plans to ensure the provision of high-quality services to meet the needs of Veterans. They develop and implement short and long-term goals and objectives consistent with the program's strategic plan. They provide oversight of administrative and programmatic resources and deploy those resources to support the program needs. They develop and implement programs, policies, and procedures to meet program goals, VHA policy, and external accreditation requirements. They monitor outcomes using data-driven quality assurance processes and implement strategies for improvement based on data analysis. (3) Primary responsibility is for patient care including the following: evaluates patients to determine nature, type, and severity of hearing and balance disorders using a full range of diagnostic tests and techniques, past, family, and social history, record review, and consultation with family and other health care practitioners; provides hearing aid evaluations, assessments, selection, fitting, orientation, training, and follow-up services; conducts verification measurements to determine function of hearing; and performs tinnitus evaluations, special auditory and vestibular tests. (4) Exercises independent clinical judgment and adapts clinical procedures and techniques to accommodate age-specific and unique patient conditions, needs, and expectations. (5) The incumbent is responsible for ensuring timely and accurate documentation of all interactions in the medical records and that all encounters are correctly documented using electronic medical record and computerized tracking and ordering functions via ROES. (6) The incumbent at this level is required to have the knowledge, skills, and abilities of the full performance level in addition to the following: (a) Skill in conflict resolution to facilitate positive working relationships between employees, team leaders, and managers. (b) Skill in applying evidence-based practices in a professional area. (c) Ability to analyze organizational and operational challenges to develop and implement solutions. (d) Ability to develop the abilities and strengths of current employees. (e) Ability to balance responsibilities, set priorities, and delegate tasks to meet multiple deadlines. (f) Ability to analyze data to manage workload, quality, performance, and productivity within the section. (7) Demonstrates and maintains full competency in the use, pre-cleaning and/or reprocessing of reusable medical equipment (RME). Must ensure that the appropriate Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) and manufacturer's instructions are followed for any step in the use of the RME (pre-cleaning, reprocessing, disinfection, sterilization, maintenance) in which the employee is involved. (8) Demonstrates competence in the utilization of telehealth for patient care and intervention. Completes all required TMS and in-person education/certification related to telehealth as assigned to ensure ongoing competence. (9) Serves as a Clinical Instructor and/or mentor as assigned for students, trainees, and externs in Audiology. May include oversight of the students' educational experience at the assigned locations which includes planning of the caseload, observing and documenting students' performance, assisting/teaching students complex procedures, providing feedback to the students (verbally and/or in writing), and conducting formal interim and/or final evaluations of performance. Work Schedule: Monday- Friday, 8:00am to 4:30pm Telework: Not Available. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 91981-0; GS-13 Financial Disclosure Report: Not required.

Requirements

Qualifications

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. Education. Master's degree or its equivalent in audiology or hearing science from an accredited college or university is required. ["Accredited" means a college or university accredited by a regional accreditation organization and an audiology program recognized by the Accreditation Commission for Audiology Education (ACAE) and/or the Council on Academic Accreditation of the American Speech Language-Hearing Association (ASHA).] Licensure. For those grades that require licensure (GS-12 and above), the incumbent must hold a full, current, and unrestricted license in a State, Territory, Commonwealth, or the District of Columbia. English Language Proficiency. Audiologists must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with chapter 2, section D, paragraph 5a, this part. 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: GS-13 Supervisory Audiologist. (a) Licensure. The incumbent must hold a full, current, and unrestricted license in a State, Territory, Commonwealth, or the District of Columbia. (b) Education and Experience. Completion of 1 year of professional experience equivalent to the next lower grade level, GS-12, directly related to the position being filled, and must fully meet the Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs) at that level. In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the [KSAs identified for the assignment] demonstrate the potential to acquire the assignment specific KSAs as indicated by an asterisk (*). 1. Ability to balance responsibilities and to work with great autonomy. 2. Ability to set priorities and delegate tasks, meet multiple deadlines, analyze organizational problems and develop and implement effective solutions. *3. Ability to analyze and use data effectively to manage workload, quality, performance, and productivity within the section. 4. Skill in interpersonal relationships in dealing with employees, team leaders, and managers. 5. Knowledge of, and ability to utilize, evidence-based practices and clinical practice guidelines in a professional area, and to guide the section staff in applying these tools. *6. Ability to analyze organizational and operational problems and to develop and implement solutions that result in efficient section operation. 7. Skill in problem solving and conflict resolution. 8. Skill in the application and analysis of scientific and clinical literature in a professional area. References: VA Handbook 5005/38, Part II, Appendix G38. Physical Requirements: The incumbent will meet and maintain physical and drug test program requirements for the position as required. Ability to walk or get to all clinics daily requires standing, bending and sitting, as well as carrying objects up to 25lbs short distances (less than 100 yards). Due to the complexity of the work, the multiplicity of the projects at any one time, deadlines, and duties, the job requires a high level of energy, and may be psychologically stressful at times. Due to patient treatment, the work requires normal agility and dexterity.

Education

IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

Contacts

• Address Cincinnati VA Medical Center 3200 Vine Street Cincinnati, OH 45220 US
• Name: Amanda Flores
• Email: [email protected]