Summary The Health Technician (Audiology) is located in the VA Augusta Health Care System, in the Audiology and Speech Pathology Service of the at the Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center. The duties and responsibilities are carried out in all clinical and other patient care areas involved with the Audiology and Speech Pathology Service. The Health Technician supports the function of the clinical programs in Audiology under the supervision of a GS-12 Audiologist or Speech Pathologist or above. Responsibilities Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Primary responsibility is for 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. In addition, the incumbent must be able to mentor and train new health technicians. Major Duties and Responsibilities include but are not limited to the following: Patient Care - Direct patient care duties may include, but not limited to: 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). Providing 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 and Cerumen management; Taking earmold impressions. Hearing aid troubleshooting and repair; Provides basic hearing aid information for patients and caregivers. Performing listening checks on hearing aids. Conducting electroacoustic analysis of devices. Pairing hearing aids and accessories via Bluetooth technology. Programing previously stored settings into hearing aids. Activating remote controls. Developing and implementing the technician role for a program in a focused area of audiology. Focused area to account for 25% of clinical duties will include cerumen management and hearing aids program. 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 Functions - Administrative duties may include, but not limited to: 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 patients, including determining nature of hearing aid inquiry and responding to administrative questions. Assisting patients, visitors, and others requesting information. Managing of infection control, patient safety, and clinical supplies for the audiology clinic. Maintaining of clean, disinfected instrumentation, equipment, and work surfaces in the audiology clinic. Reprocessing reusable medical equipment based on facility policy according to Medical Center infection control procedures and reusable medical equipment policies. Work Schedule: 8:00am-4:30pm, Monday - Friday Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized. Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized. Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases. Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year) Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment, up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child. Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment, full time employees with a total family income below $144,000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66. Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement) Telework: Not Available. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 60039F Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized. Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job. All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959. Must be proficient in written and spoken English. You may be required to serve a trial period. Subject to background/security investigation. Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). 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 and Education: 1. Experience. Completion of one year experience in a health care field that demonstrates the applicant's ability to perform the work or provides an understanding of the work such as but not limited to a health technician (audiology). 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 hours in courses related to the position. An official transcript must be submitted for verification. 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. None 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. Health Technician Audiology, 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. AND (2) Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSA). In addition to the experience above, you must demonstrate all of the following Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (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. (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 HTA at this level works under supervision and 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 audiology team to develop training programs for patients and staff. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. The full performance level of this vacancy is 7. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-7. Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019. 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/. Additional Information Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed. During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status. VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement. Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.
