Summary

The incumbent is a staff health technician (Audiology) under the supervision of the FxHCC Assistant Chief of Audiology. This position is located in the Audiology Section at the Fredericksburg Health Care Center (FxHCC) in Fredericksburg - Virginia. The duties and responsibilities are to be carried out in all clinical and other Veteran care areas involved with the Audiology service. The health technician supports the function of the clinical programs in Audiology.

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
• 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: GS6: (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 Assignment
• Employees at this grade level serve as a full performance level HTA
• The HTA at this level works independently under the direction of a licensed audiologist
• Assignments associated with this position include - but are not limited to: completing visual and auditory checks of hearing aids and hearing assistive technology
• repairing or returning hearing aids to the factory
• restoring hearing aid or hearing assistive technology settings after repair or replacement
• and ordering - registering - certifying - issuing and tracking prosthetic devices
• The health technician assists in setting up and delivering face to face and telehealth visits by preparing the equipment for patient evaluation and other audiology procedures
• The health technician provides clinical procedures consistent with the documented and co-signed plan of care which may include non-diagnostic otoscopy - cerumen management - foreign body removal and ear mold impressions and without interpretation - immittance screening and hearing screening
• The health technician educates patients - family and staff on topics including but not limited to hearing aid and hearing assistive technology care - maintenance - use and operation - hearing conservation and realistic expectations for hearing aid use
• The health technician completes documentation for each episode of care and codes procedures as appropriate in the patient record in preparation for co-signature by the audiologist Reference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/
• The full performance level of this vacancy is 6
• The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of 6 Physical Requirements:

Duties

• DUTIES: The primary responsibility is for Veteran care - supporting diagnostic and treatment procedures - Veteran charting and Veteran education - which do not require a full professional audiology education or knowledge and skills represented by audiology licensure Support functions include both direct Veteran care and administrative duties Direct Veteran care duties may include - but not limited to the following: greeting and escorting Veterans
• Veteran 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
• cerumen management
• taking earmold impressions
• hearing aid troubleshooting and repair
• providing basic hearing aid information for Veterans 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
• and activating remote controls The incumbent is responsible for ensuring 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 may include - but not limited to the following: managing office supplies
• tracking loaner stock hearing aid inventory
• electronic ordering - verifying orders upon arrival to ensure components are present and working correctly
• scheduling appointments
• 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 Veterans - including determining nature of hearing aid inquiry and responding to administrative questions
• assisting Veterans - visitors - and others requesting information
• managing infection control - Veteran safety - and clinical supplies for the Audiology clinic
• maintaining clean - disinfected instrumentation - equipment - and work surfaces in the Audiology clinic - and reprocessing reusable medical equipment based on facility policy according to facility infection control procedures and reusable medical equipment policies
• Meets the needs of customers while supporting VA missions
• Communicates and treats customers in a courteous - tactful and respectful manner
• Provides the customer with consistent information according to established policies and procedures
• Handles conflict and problems in dealing with the customer constructively and appropriately The position requires the incumbent to possess or develop an understanding of the particular needs of these of Veterans in the age brackets of 18 years to 65+ years
• Sensitivity to the special needs of all Veterans in respect to age - developmental requirements - and culturally related factors must be consistently achieved Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8am-4:30pm Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Functional Statement #: 000000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO):