This position is located in the Audiology Service at VA Medical Center in Wilmington, DE. 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

The duties and responsibilities are carried out in all clinical and other patient care areas involved with the Audiology service. The Health Technician (Audiology) supports the function of the clinical programs in Audiology. Duties also include but are not limited to: 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; Conducting hearing puretone air-conduction testing without interpretation for the purpose of hearing conservation and for established patients in regular VA clinic; Non-diagnostic otoscopy; 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. 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. 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); Management of hearing protection device inventory; Responding to routine inquiries from patients, including determining nature of hearing aid inquiry and responding to administrative questions; 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 Compressed/Flexible:Not Authorized Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 000000 Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

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. Certification from the Council for Accreditation in Occupational Hearing Conservation (CAOHC) certification as a (Certified Occupational Hearing Conservationist) COHC Grade Determinations: To meet the required specialized experience for this position, you must have completed one (1) year of progressive experience and/or experience equivalent to the next lower grade level, GS-07, directly related to this position. This experience may include: Completing patient care, supporting diagnostic and treatment procedures, patient charting and patient education. Grade Requirement Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs): In addition to the experience above, you must show that you meet the demonstrated KSAs for this position which include the following: (a) Biologic checks and calibration of audiometric instrumentation. (b) Ability to conduct employee hearing conservation education and training. (c) Knowledge of the hearing conservation program requirements to manage records and files. (d) Ability to perform otoscopic screening and pure-tone air conduction threshold testing for the purpose of hearing conservation. (e) Provide Basic counseling of employees concerning test results and criteria for employee referral to hearing conservation program. (f) Otoscopy and pure tone air conduction testing without interpretation for established patients in regular VA clinic. (g) Ability to provide employee hearing conservation education, training and audiologic technical support. (h) Ability to identify a threshold shift and make appropriate referrals for further testing when indicated. (i) Training of employees on personal hearing protection devices. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-08. Physical Requirements: Light Lifting (under 15lbs); Light Carrying (under 15lbs); Reaching above shoulder; Use of fingers; Walking (up to 2 hours); Standing (up to 2 hours); Ability to distinguish basic colors; Ability to distinguish shades of colors; Hearing (aid permitted).

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 Wilmington VA Medical Center 1601 Kirkwood Highway Wilmington, DE 19805 US
• Name: Amanda Griffin-Fikes
• Phone: 614-999-2509
• Email: [email protected]