The Audiology and Speech Pathology Service is currently recruiting for one Audiologist for the Cheyenne, WY location. Basic Requirements: Citizenship. Be a citizen of the United States (U.S.). Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7407(a). Education. Doctor of Audiology (AUD) from an audiology program recognized by the Accreditation Commission for Audiology Education (ACAE) or Council on Academic Accreditation (CAA) of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). HR office staff and management officials may verify a program's accreditation from ACAE at acaeaccred.org and CAA at caa.asha.org. OR Other doctoral degree in hearing science or a directly related field from an institution accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. NOTE: Effective January 1, 2007, the CAA in Audiology and Speech- Language Pathology of ASHA accredits only doctoral degree or AUD programs in audiology. Licensure. Individuals must hold a full, current, and unrestricted license to practice audiology at the doctoral level in a United States state, territory, commonwealth, or the District of Columbia.1)The Under Secretary of Health, or designee, may appoint a candidate without a license who will be assigned to a research, academic, or administrative position with no patient care responsibilities. In such instances, HR office staff can only appoint these candidates in exceptional circumstances where their credentials demonstrate high professional attainment or expertise in the specialty area.2) All audiologists who perform compensation and pension examinations perform direct patient care duties and must possess a full, current, and unrestricted license to practice audiology and must meet the experience requirements under Section 2. D. See 38 C.F.R. § 4.85. Exception for Non-Licensed Audiologist. (a) Non-Licensed applicants who otherwise meet the eligibility requirements for licensure, may be given a temporary appointment as a graduate audiologist at the GS-11 grade under the authority of 38 U.S.C. § 7405(c)(2). (b) Non-Licensed individuals shall only provide care under the supervision of a fully licensed audiologists at or above the full performance level. (c) Non-Licensed individuals may only be appointed at the entry level and may not be promoted/converted to the GS-12 grade level until licensure is obtained. (d) Temporary appointments of non-Licensed audiologists may not be extended beyond two years or be converted to a new temporary appointment. GRADE DETERMINATIONS. In addition to the basic requirements for employment, candidates must meet the following grade-determining criteria for appointments at grade levels specified. Audiologist, GS-11.Education. None beyond the basic requirements. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs). In addition to the basic requirements, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:(a) Knowledge of principles and techniques in the assessment and treatment of auditory and balance disorders.(b) Ability to perform functions associated with contemporary audiology scope of practice as defined by the American Academy of Audiology or the ASHA.(c) Ability to interact with patients, families, and other health care professionals. Audiologist, GS-12.Experience. In addition to the requirements at the GS-11 level, completion of one year of professional experience comparable to the next lower grade level. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs). In addition to the KSAs required at the full performance level, the following KSAs are required:(a) Skill in determining nature, type, and severity of hearing/communication/vestibular disorders.(b) Skill in counseling patients and family members regarding management of hearing/communication/vestibular disorders.(c) Ability to provide professional advice and consultation in areas related to professional audiology to other health care professionals.(d) Ability to independently apply professional contemporary audiologic treatments to the full range of patient populations. Preferred Experience: Working Audiologist with 2 plus years experience References: VA HANDBOOK 5005/38, PART II. APPENDIX G29 The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12. Applicants may be selected in the range of a GS-11 to a GS-12 for this vacancy. Physical Requirements: The work requires some physical exertion such as prolonged periods of sitting, bending, reaching, crouching, stooping, stretching, and lifting moderately heavy items. Must be able to push a patient in a wheelchair and assist in transferring from wheelchair to exam chair. ["List the major duties and responsibilities of the position. Demonstrate contemporary audiology practice; anatomy, physiology, acoustics, applied acoustics, communication, psychoacoustics, and auditory/vestibular pathophysiology; principles and techniques in the assessment and treatment of auditory and balance disorders; clinical services, and the ability to perform them independently Communicate effectively orally and in writing; Perform functions associated with contemporary audiology scope of practice; behavioral and electrophysiologic assessments to diagnose hearing and balance disorders; otoscopic examination and external ear canal management for removal of cerumen Interact with patients, families, and other health care professionals in a polite and professional manner Conduct assessments and provide treatment interventions; Develop coherent treatment strategies; and Provide consultation to other health care professionals. Clinical Responsibilities: Treat hearing disorders through a variety of modalities and provide adjunctive interventions for treatment of medical disorders Make appropriate medical referrals Identify, evaluate, diagnose, manage, and treat disorders of human hearing, balance, tinnitus, and other disorders associated with the practice of audiology Conduct and interpret behavioral, electroacoustic, or electrophysiologic tests used to evaluate disorders associated with the practice of audiology Determine the appropriateness of amplification devices and systems such as hearing aids, sensory aids, hearing assistive devices, alerting and telecommunication systems, and captioning devices; for Veterans with hearing impairment taking into consideration physical, acoustic, cosmetic, situational, and contextual factors Select, evaluate, fit, and program amplification devices and systems customized to the individual needs of Veterans; verify the effectiveness of such devices or systems; counsel and train Veterans in the use of amplification devices and systems, and determine the benefit of amplification devices and systems Determine candidacy based on hearing and communication information for auditory implants Evaluate and provide treatment and management for Veterans with tinnitus using techniques that include, but are not limited to, educational counseling, biofeedback, masking, sound therapy, hearing aids, directed counseling, and combined methods Evaluate need for hearing protection devices for hearing conservation and provide patient education on use. Participate in education and administration of audiology graduate and professional education programs including education, mentoring, and supervision of associated heath trainees Measure functional outcomes, consumer satisfaction, effectiveness, efficiency, and cost-benefit of practices and programs to maintain and improve the quality of audiology services Train, supervise, and manage health technicians and other support personnel Participate in Compensation and Pension examination program Other Significant Responsibilities Responsible for timely completion of all clinical charting, consults and documentation required by the Medical Center or healthcare system as appropriate Requests patient appointments (via return to clinic orders) appropriately and ensures coverage of assigned clinics by periodic review of clinic schedule Attends and actively participates in staff meeting and training Completes annual professional and mandatory training by required dates Participates in the development of professional and technical standards May be assigned to provide services using telehealth diagnostic measures and treatment methodologies (including remote applications) Other duties and responsibilities may be assigned as required for the efficient operation of the department Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8:00am-4:30pm Telework: Ad-Hoc Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 54255 Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required"]
The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is the largest integrated health care system in the United States, providing care at 1,321 health care facilities, including 172 VA Medical Centers and 1,138 outpatient sites of care of varying complexity (VHA outpatient clinics) to over 9 million Veterans enrolled in the VA health care program. VHA Medical Centers provide a wide range of services including traditional hospital-based services such as surgery, critical care, mental health, orthopedics, pharmacy, radiology and physical therapy. In addition, most of our medical centers offer additional medical and surgical specialty services including audiology & speech pathology, dermatology, dental, geriatrics, neurology, oncology, podiatry, prosthetics, urology, and vision care. Some medical centers also offer advanced services such as organ transplants and plastic surgery.
