This position is located in the Audiology Service at Kernersville Health Care Center in Kernersville, North Carolina. The duties and responsibilities are to be 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

The primary responsibilities of this role are 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. Duties include but are not limited to: Greeting and escorting patients. Patient instruction and counseling on hearing loss or hearing aids either on an individual basis or in a group setting. Conducting hearing pass/fail screenings without interpretation. Non-diagnostic otoscopy; Taking earmold impression. 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. Managing office supplies. Tracking loaner stock hearing aid inventory. Electronic ordering. verifying orders upon arrival to ensure components are present and working correctly. Packaging and mailing hearing aids and accessories. Processing ROES transactions (e.g. certifying and issuing hearing aids, entering orders and repairs). 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. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8:00am-4:30pm Telework: Not Eligible for Telework Virtual: This is not a virtual position. 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. 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. (Transcripts Required) 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. (Transcripts Required) 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. 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. 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: In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates. HTA, GS-05 (1) Experience. One year 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 four academic years above high school leading to a bachelor's degree with at least 24 semester hours in courses related to the position or a bachelor's degree in a major field of study appropriate to the functions of the occupation. (3) Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, Abilities. In addition to meeting the experience or educational requirements for this grade level, the candidate must fully demonstrate the following KSAs: (a) Knowledge of anatomy of the head and neck. (b) Ability to communicate clearly orally and in writing. (c) Knowledge of basic hearing assistive technologies. (d) Knowledge of basic infection control procedures and guidelines. (e) Ability to maintain stock and supply level inventories. (f) Skill in using basic computer software such as email, spreadsheet and word processing. HTA, GS-06 (1) 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. (2) Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: (a) Knowledge of normal and abnormal ear anatomy. (b) Knowledge of hearing physiology and function to educate patients and families. (c) Knowledge of hearing aids, hearing assistive technology, hearing aid manufacturers and manufacturer software. (d) Ability to solve problems or make decisions regarding hearing aid, hearing assistive technology and patient care, consistent with the documented and co-signed plan of care under the supervision of an audiologist. (e) Ability to prepare patients for testing procedures. (f) Ability to document and code patient procedures. Preferred Experience: Assisting patients, visitors, and others requesting information. Assuring that all clinical supplies are within the current use date Tracking loaner stock and inventory of devices Verifying orders upon arrival to ensure components are present and working correctly Packaging and mailing devices and accessories Processing ROES transactions (upon training) (e.g. certifying and issuing hearing aids, entering orders and repairs) Responding to routine inquiries from patients, including determining nature of inquiry and responding to administrative questions Taking earmold impressions (upon training); Hearing aid troubleshooting and repair (upon training). Providing basic hearing aid information for patients and caregivers (upon training); Performing listening checks on hearing aids (upon training). HTA, GS-07 (1) 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. (2) 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. Lead HTA, GS-08 (1) 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. (2) Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs). In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: (a) Knowledge of organization theory and leadership theory. (b) Ability to apply principles of leadership during interactions with staff. (c) Ability to identify problems in clinic operations, consider possible solutions and implement actions approved by supervisor. (d) Skill in communicating programmatic decisions to staff. References: VA Handbook 5005/Part II G70 The full performance level of this vacancy is GS8. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS5 to GS8. Physical Requirements: The work requires some physical exertion such as prolonged periods of standing, bending, reaching, crouching, stooping, stretching, and lifting moderately heavy items such as manuals, record boxes, equipment, or assisting patients.

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 WG Bill Hefner Salisbury VA Medical Center 1601 Brenner Avenue Salisbury, NC 28144 US
• Name: La-Tequl Edmonds-Arroyo
• Email: [email protected]