This position is located in the Audiology Service at Columbia VA Health Care System and the surrounding Community Care Outpatient Clinics.

Duties

Primary responsibility is for patient care, supporting diagnostic and treatment procedures, patient charting, patient education, including hearing conservation, telehealth services and speech instrumental procedures , which do not require a full professional audiology-speech education or knowledge and skills represented by audiology or speech licensure. Support functions include both direct patient care and administrative duties. Sets up for procedures (e.g., vestibular, neurodiagnostic procedures, telehealth visits, clinical swallow evaluations) Triages patients to an audiologist or speech pathologist. Instructs and counsels patients on hearing loss, hearing aids, on an individual basis, or in a group setting. Conducts hearing pure-tone air-conduction testing. Connects hearing aids and accessories via Bluetooth technology. Performs non-diagnostic otoscopy and cerumen management. Takes earmold impressions. Troubleshoots and repairs hearing aids. Provides basic hearing aid information for patients and caregivers. Performs listening checks on hearing aids and Electroacoustic analysis of devices. Pairs hearing aids and accessories via Bluetooth technology. Programs previously stored settings into hearing aids. Activates remote controls. Trains employees and patients on personal hearing protection devices; and prepping therapy or educational materials. Ensures timely and accurate documentation of all interactions in the patient's medical record. Orders electronically equipment, components, and accessories, verifying orders are correct, and are working correctly. Manages incoming and outgoing hearing aid repair process. Manages hearing protection devices inventory and speech supplies for clinical swallow evaluations and laryngectomy care. Responds to routine inquires from patients. Manages infection control, patient safety, and areas related to clinical supplies for the audiology clinic. Maintains clean, disinfected instrumentation, equipment, and work surfaces in the audiology clinic. Reprocesses reusable medical equipment based on facility policy, according to Medical Center infection control procedures, and reusable medical equipment policies. Performs other duties as assigned by management. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 7:30am - 4:00pm. Subject to change by the needs of management. Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 544-54459F Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Qualifications

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 or Experience: 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. Certification. Certification by the Council for Accreditation in Occupational Hearing Conservation (CAOHC) as a Certified Occupational Hearing Conservationist (COHC) is required for the HTA, GS-08 assignment only. English Language Proficiency: Applicants must be proficient in spoken and written English. Certification: Certification by the Council for Accreditation in Occupational Hearing Conservation (CAOHC) as a Certified Occupational Hearing Conservationist (COHC) is required for the Health Technician (Audiology) GS-08 position. Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates. HTA, GS-08 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. Certification. CAOHC certification as a COHC is required for this assignment. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs). In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: (a) Ability to conduct employee hearing conservation education and training. (b) Knowledge of the hearing conservation program requirements to manage records and files. (c) Ability to perform pure tone air conduction testing. (d) Ability to provide audiologic technical support to the employee hearing conservation program. (e) Ability to identify a threshold shift and make appropriate referrals for further testing when indicated. Preferred Experience: Must be highly competent with Telehealth procedure cart and Audiology peripheral devices. References: VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Appendix G70 - Health Technician (Speech-Language Pathology) Qualification Standard. Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-08.

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 Columbia VA Health Care System 6439 Garners Ferry Road Columbia, SC 29209 US
• Name: Memory Prudhomme
• Phone: 203-994-1945
• Email: [email protected]