The position Health Technician (Audiology) (HTA) is located in the Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology Service (ASPS), Audiology Section, in the VA Northern California Health Care System (VANCHCS). The duties and responsibilities are carried out in all clinical and other patient care areas involved with the Audiology service. The health technician supports the function of the clinical programs in Audiology.

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). This position functions above the full performance level for the Health Technician (Audiology) position and serves in an advanced role. Under supervision of a licensed audiologist, the incumbent performs a full range of duties and is responsible for day-to-day clinical support services of staff audiologists at the assigned location as well as participating in the programmatic development and advanced support of the facility-wide audiology program. The incumbent is expected to exercise independent judgement and will often provide guidance to less experienced staff members and will require minimal direct supervision. This advanced position functions above the full performance level and therefore requires the performance of higher-level duties. The higher-level duties associated with this advanced-level position may include, but are not limited to: Mentors and trains new health technicians in audiology. May develop and implement the technician role for a program in focused area of audiology. Audiology specific duties include, but are not limited to: Prepares patients for advanced testing procedures performed by the audiologist. Completes electroacoustic analysis on all new hearing aids and those returned from repair. Verifies hearing aid settings are correct upon receiving hearing aid repairs by connecting to Noah and programming previously stored settings into hearing aids. Greeting and escorting patients. Instructing patient on hearing loss or hearing aids on an individual basis or in a group setting. Completing non-diagnostic otoscopy Administrative duties include, but are not limited to: Coordinate activities of the clinic with medical support services throughout the organization. Participate in performance improvement activities aimed at improving the efficiency of the patient process, specifically hearing aid manufacturer trainings. Manages clinic inventory including devices to be fit, loaner devices, and clinic supplies. Managing office supplies - maintaining appropriate levels of clinical supplies in al patient care rooms. Managing clinical supplies through Omnicell and quarterly ordering procedures. Assuring that all clinical supplies have current use date. Work Schedule: Monday to Friday, 8:00am to 4:30pm Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 03455F Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Qualifications

Basic Requirements: 1. United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy. 2. English Language Proficiency: HTA candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403 (f). 3. 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. Grandfathering Provision:All individuals employed in VHA in this occupational series or in another occupational series performing the duties as described in the qualification standard on the effective date (May 13, 2021) of the qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the grade held including positive education and licensure/trademark/registration/certification. For employees who do not meet all the basic requirements required in this standard, but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it, the following provisions apply: They may be reassigned, promoted up to and including the full performance (journey) level, or changed to lower grade within the occupation, but may not be promoted beyond the journey level or placed in supervisory or managerial positions. If an HTA who was retained under this provision leaves the occupation, the employee will lose protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of re-entry to the occupation. HTAs who are appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of the qualification standard may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed, on a temporary or permanent basis, until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standard. Employees initially grandfathered into this occupation, who subsequently obtain additional education and/or licensure/certification/registration that meet all the basic requirements of this qualification standard must maintain the required credentials as a condition of employment in the occupation. Foreign Education: To be creditable, education completed outside the U.S. must have been submitted to a private organization that specializes in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials and such education must have been deemed at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. programs. Grade Determinations: 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. Preferred Experience: Minimum 1 year of experience with the following: Hearing aid troubleshooting/in-house repairs Direct support of audiologist during patient care Hearing aid orientations Pairing/troubleshooting bluetooth connections with hearing aids Pairing/troubleshooting assistive listening devices (such as remote mics and tv connectors) with hearing aids References: VA Handbook 5005/143, PART II, APPENDIX G70, HEALTH TECHNICIAN (AUDIOLOGY) QUALIFICATION STANDARD, Dated May 13, 2021 The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-7. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-7. 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: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

Contacts

• Address VA Northern California Health Care System 10535 Hospital Way Mather, CA 95655 US
• Name: Rolane Jack
• Phone: 808-835-9634
• Email: [email protected]