These position is located in the Audiology Service of the Lexington VA Health Care System. The health technician supports the function of the clinical programs in Audiology. The incumbent is a staff health technician (Audiology) under the supervision of a GS-12 audiologist or above. Council for Accreditation in Occupational Hearing Conservation (CAOHC) certification as a (Certified Occupational Hearing Conservationist) COHC is required for this assignment.

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, neurodiagnostic procedures) Patient instruction and counseling on hearing loss, hearing protection, or hearing aids either on an individual basis or in a group setting 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 Training of employees and patients on personal hearing protection devices. 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 and must be performed at least 25% of the time: Managing office supplies; Electronic ordering; Equipment procurement; Verifying orders upon arrival to ensure components are present and working correctly; Serving as clinic Lead ADPAC; Serving as primary timekeeper; 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; Maintenance of clean, disinfected instrumentation, equipment, and work surfaces. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 7:30am - 4:00pm Compressed/Flexible:Not Available Telework: ADHOC Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 30138F 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. 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. 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. 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 of the qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the grade held including positive education and licensure/trademark/registration/certification. 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). Grade Determinations: HTA GS-08 (1) Experience. Completion of one year of progressive experience and/or experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-7) directly related to the position being filled. Example of specialized experience include, but are not limited to: completing adjustments to hearing aid settings as outlined in the audiologist's plan of care, preparing patients for advanced diagnostic procedures such as vestibular and neurodiagnostic procedures. Taking earmold impressions; Hearing aid troubleshooting and repair; Providing basic hearing aid information for patients and caregivers; Performing listening checks on hearing aids. (2) 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. (3) Assignment. For all assignments above the full performance level, the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope, administrative independence, complexity and range of variety as described in this standard at the specified grade level and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time. The health technician works under the direction of a licensed audiologist. Assignments associated with this position include, but are not limited to completing adjustments to hearing aid settings as outlined in the audiologist's plan of care, preparing patients for advanced diagnostic procedures such as evoked potentials and collaborating with team to develop training programs for patients and staff. The health technician may perform pure tone air conduction threshold testing for established patients and employees, without interpretation. The health technician may provide employee hearing conservation education and training, basic counselling of employees concerning test results and criteria for employee referral. This health technician collaborates with the Hearing Conservation Program Manager and manages records associated with the hearing conservation program. References: VA Handbook 5005/143 PART II APPENDIX G70, May 13, 2021 The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-8. Physical Requirements: Light lifting and carrying (under 15 pounds); use of fingers and both hands required; Near vision correctable at 13" to 16" to Jaeger 1 to 4; Far vision correctable in one eye to 20/20 and to 20/40 in the other; Mental and Emotional Stability; works outside and inside; works closely with others.

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 Lexington VA Health Care System 2250 Leestown Road Lexington, KY 40511 US
• Name: Sherrie Taylor
• Phone: 502-910-5327
• Email: [email protected]