This position is located in the Audiology/Speech Pathology Department at Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center (FHCC) in North Chicago, Illinois. The FHCC is larger than just a single facility and comprises a system of facilities throughout northeastern Illinois that provide medical and dental services to U.S. military Veterans, recruits, Active Duty service members and other eligible beneficiaries.

Duties

Primary responsibility is for patient care, supporting diagnostic and treatment procedures, patient charting and patient education, including hearing conservation, 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). Direct patient care duties may include, but are not limited to the following: 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, neuro diagnostic procedures); Patient instruction and counseling on hearing loss, hearing protection, hearing aids or other assistive listening devices either on an individual basis or in a group setting; Conducting hearing pure tone air-conduction testing without interpretation for the purpose of hearing conservation and for established patients and employees, without interpretation, in regular VA clinic; 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; and Training of employees and patients on personal hearing protection devices and/or hearing conservation education. Receives and screens calls from veterans, completes walk-in or car side repair appointments on incoming devices from veterans with complaints about their hearing aids or assistive listening devices. Checks malfunctioning hearing aids to determine if problems can be corrected in the clinic or whether the instrument must be returned to the manufacturer or the VA Denver Acquisition and Logistics Center (DALC) for repair. The incumbent must ensure 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. Administrative duties include, but may not be limited to the following: Managing office supplies; Tracking loaner stock hearing aid inventory; Electronic ordering, verifying orders upon arrival to ensure components are present and working correctly; Scheduling appointments; Packaging and mailing hearing aids and accessories; Processing ROES transactions (e.g. certifying and issuing hearing aids, entering orders and repairs); Management of hearing protection device inventory; Responding to routine inquiries from patients, including determining nature of hearing aid inquiry and responding to administrative questions; Assisting patients, visitors, and others requesting information; Management of infection control, patient safety, and clinical supplies for the audiology clinic; Maintenance of clean, disinfected instrumentation, equipment, and work surfaces in the audiology clinic; and Reprocessing reusable medical equipment based on facility policy according to Medical Center infection control procedures and reusable medical equipment policies. The Lead HTA carries additional responsibilities that involve the oversight of specific services within the audiology clinic. The Lead HTA will assist the audiology supervisor and/or staff audiologist with technician oversight duties including making work assignments, monitoring workflow, providing input on performance, resolving daily workplace issues, and maintaining efficient flow of patient care. They may provide training to staff, students and/or trainees; and may provide input into special advancements, promotions, and disciplinary actions for HTA staff. The incumbent at this level is required to have the knowledge, skills, and abilities to develop and implement the technician role for a program focused in area of hearing conversation 25% of the time. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 7:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. or 7:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m. Telework: Not Available Functional Statement #: 000000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): 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. 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. 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. 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: Lead 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: Knowledge of organization theory and leadership theory. Ability to apply principles of leadership during interactions with staff. Ability to identify problems in clinic operations, consider possible solutions and implement actions approved by supervisor. Skill in communicating programmatic decisions to staff. References: VA Handbook 5005/143, PART II APPENDIX G70 The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-8.

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 Captain James A Lovell Federal Health Care Center 3001 Green Bay Road North Chicago, IL 60064 US
• Name: Antonio Olgin
• Phone: 2162127241
• Email: [email protected]