VA Connecticut Health Care System is seeking a Health Technician to work in the Audiology Clinic, Newington campus. This position combines direct patient care activities with support functions which are characterized by both clinical and administrative duties for the Audiology clinic. The primary responsibility is for patient care, supporting diagnostic and treatment procedures, patient charting and patient teaching with a high level of independence.

Duties

The duties of this occupation fall under patient care and administrative management and are not limited to the following samples : Patient Care: Receives requests or instructions for procedures. Interprets requests or instructions for Audiology personnel. Receives assignments for a variety of difficult examinations including cerumen removal, non-diagnostic otoscopy, earmold impressions, hearing aid programming and troubleshooting/repair, and modification of amplification procedures. Employee independently interprets and carries out the requests. Receives and directs patients, answers routine questions and makes appropriate referrals. Furnishes information related to disability, eligibility, insurance claims, in relation to Audiology care and in accordance with release of information policy to patients. Explains procedures, instructs patients on procedures, and positions patient for desired results as appropriate. Independently explains procedures and positions patients for a variety of difficult procedures in face-to-face and telehealth settings. Operates and maintains medical and telehealth equipment for diagnostic and treatment procedures. Serves as a technical expert in the operation and maintenance of specialized equipment and instruments. Sets up all necessary accessories or supplies and advises other Audiology personnel of new equipment, accessories, or supplies. Ensures proper cleaning and disinfection of equipment by following manufacturers recommendations or stablished cleaning protocols. Performs minor maintenance and adjustments as needed. Performs or supports direct patient care by obtaining vital signs, conducting hearing and tympanometric screening (without interpretation); conducting otoacoustic emission tests (without interpretation);performing non-diagnostic otoscopy; performing ear impressions; performing invasive procedures such as cerumen management; performs checks on hearing aids and other amplification devices; performing troubleshooting and minor repairs to hearing aids, ear molds, and other amplification devices; cleans hearing aids and other amplification devices; performing electroacoustic analysis of hearing aids and other amplification devices. Administrative Management: Assists management regarding developing, maintaining and improving management methods and procedures and overall effective utilization of personnel and resources. Acts as a spokesperson for Audiology service concerning administrative functions. Oversees the many facets involved in clinical computing and information security in the service. Assists OI&T with interfacing many different pieces of medical equipment with CPRS. Enters requests for office supplies, repairs on office equipment, printing and other services as needed. Responsible for control records for the service, including Safety Data Sheets (SDS) and the Departmental Emergency Response Plan using knowledge of regulatory agencies including The Joint Commission and other government agencies such as the Office of Inspector General. Formulating and administrating policies and developing or coordinating directive material implementing these policies and procedural interpretations of guidelines. Responsible for developing short and long-range plans, conducting systematic reviews and assuring documentation and reporting of Service transactions, activities, workload, etc. Completes and enters encounter data ensuring proper coding for workload, utilization, productivity, and reimbursement purposes. Serves on various committees. Completes and enters encounter data ensuring proper coding for workload, utilization, productivity, and reimbursement purposes. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 7:30am-4:00pm Compressed/Flexible:Not Available Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 689-F03282 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not Authorized 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. English Language Proficiency: HTA, HTSLP or HTASLP candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403 (f). Experience and Education: (1) 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, (2) 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, (3) 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. Certification: Not required at the GS-07 level. Grandfathering Provision: 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-07 Health Technician Audiology: In addition to the basic requirements for this occupation you must meet the experience and all of the KSA's below to be found qualified at the GS-07 level. Experience: Completion of one full year ( 52 weeks ) of progressive experience and/or experience equivalent to the next lower grade level GS-06 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: Ability to mentor and train new HTAs. Ability to prepare patients for advanced testing procedures performed by the audiologist, such as evoked potentials. Ability to develop and implement the technician role for a program in a focused area of audiology. Preferred Experience: One year of experience in an Audiology/ENT/or Speech clinical setting. Knowledge of policies, directives, and precedents that affect administrative operations of Audiology Service such as VistA scheduling package, DSS, Encounter Capture, and ROES. Knowledge of procedures used in determining eligibility of patients for services. References: VA Handbook 5005/143 PART II APPENDIX G70 HEALTH TECHNICIAN (AUDIOLOGY), HEALTH TECHNICIAN (SPEECH-LANGUAGE PATHOLOGY) AND HEALTH TECHNCIAN (AUDIOLOGY & SPEECH-LANGUAGE PATHOLOGY) QUALIFICATION STANDARD GS-0640 Veterans Health Administration Promotion Potential : The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-07. Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019.

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 West Haven VA Medical Center 950 Campbell Avenue West Haven, CT 06516 US
• Name: Karen Terebesi
• Phone: (203) 951-9651
• Email: [email protected]