Summary This position is located in the Audiology Suite of the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Department at the Erie VA Medical Center. The primary function of this position is direct patient care involving a comprehensive array of professional services related to the prevention of hearing loss and the identification, evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment of persons with impairment of auditory and vestibular function. Responsibilities Major Duties include but are not limited to: Promoting, designing, implementing, and coordinating wellness programs for prevention of hearing loss and protection of hearing function. Identifying, evaluating, diagnosing, managing, and treating disorders of human hearing, balance, tinnitus, and other disorders associated with the practice of audiology. Performing otoscopic examinations and external ear canal management for removal of cerumen. Conducting and interpreting behavioral, electroacoustic, or electrophysiologic tests used to evaluate disorders associated with the practice of audiology. Evaluating and providing rehabilitation for central auditory processing disorders. Determining 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. Selecting, evaluating, fitting and programming amplification devices and systems customized to the individual needs of Veterans; verifying the effectiveness of such devices or systems; counseling and training Veterans in the use of amplification devices and systems, and determining the benefit of amplification devices and systems. Determining candidacy based on hearing and communication information for auditory implants and making appropriate referrals. Providing auditory rehabilitation including speech reading, communication management, language development, auditory skill development, and counseling for psychosocial adjustment to hearing loss for persons with hearing loss and their families/caregivers. Designing, implementing, supervising, and coordinating industrial or occupational hearing conservation and identification programs including prevention, identification and amelioration of noise-hazardous conditions, identification of hearing loss, recommendation and counseling on use of hearing protection, employee education, training and supervision. Providing appropriate recommendations and possible referrals for rehabilitation of persons with balance disorders who may need habituation, exercise therapy, and balance retraining. Evaluating and providing treatment and management for Veterans with tinnitus using various techniques. Participating in education and administration of Audiology graduate and professional education programs including education, mentoring, and supervision of associated heath trainees. Measuring functional outcomes, consumer satisfaction, effectiveness, efficiency, and cost-benefit of practices and programs. Training, supervising, and managing health technicians and other support personnel. Consulting on accessibility for persons with hearing loss in public and private buildings, programs, and services. Consulting with individuals, public and private agencies, and governmental bodies, or providing, as an expert, opinions regarding medico-legal interpretations of clinical findings, and relevant noise-related considerations including compensation and pension examinations, and effects of hearing loss and tinnitus on activity, participation, and quality of life. Participating in the development of professional and technical standards. Providing services using telehealth diagnostic measures and treatment methodologies. Care and maintain all equipment and schedule calibration and maintenance on equipment . Provides patient and family education relating to patients' hearing impairment and Aural Rehabilitation. Provides clinical training and supervision for Audiology students to fulfill his/her educational and professional requirements. Fulfill and document all continuing education requirements necessary for state licensure and ASHA certification. Participate in interdepartmental staff development programs including leading at least one in service for PM&R and non-PM&R staff. Attend scheduled meetings and in services when possible. Identify needs and implement recommendations and treatment for service needed. Provide accurate and timely information to PM&R supervisor for all reports and monthly statistics. Completes all required trainings and competencies. Completes all documentation in a timely manner. Follows all applicable laws, regulations, and policies regarding confidentiality, security and software licensing, and all sensitive information, including computer access. Performs other duties as assigned Work Schedule: Tour of Duty negotiable Compressed/Flexible: Available Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required 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. 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 identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. Must pass pre-employment physical examination. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. Qualifications 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. Education: (1) Doctor of Audiology (AuD) from an audiology program recognized by the Council on Academic Accreditation (CAA) of the American Speech Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). The CAA is the only accreditation agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation to accredit entry-level audiology programs. HR office staff and management officials may verify the program accredited from CAA at www.caa.asha.org. OR (2) Other doctoral degree in hearing science or a directly related field from an institution accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the USDE. NOTE: Effective January 1, 2007, the CAA in Audiology and Speech Language Pathology of ASHA accredits only doctoral degree or AuD programs in audiology. NOTE for Foreign Education: To be creditable, education completed outside the U.S. must have been submitted to a private organization specializing in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials. Such education must have been deemed at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. programs. 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. English Language Proficiency: Audiologist candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f). 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: Audiologist, GS-12. Experience: In addition to meeting the basic requirements, completion of one year of professional experience equivalent to the GS-11 grade level is required. Examples of experience include: experience with principles and techniques in the assessment and treatment of auditory and balance disorders; performing functions associated with contemporary audiology scope of practice as defined by the American Academy of Audiology or the ASHA; interacting with patients, families and other health care professionals. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs): In addition to the KSAs required at the full performance level, the following KSAs are required: Skill in determining nature, @type and severity of hearing/communication /vestibular disorders. Skill in counseling patients and family members regarding management of hearing/communication/vestibular disorders. Ability to provide professional advice and consultation in areas related to professional audiology to other health care professionals. Ability to independently apply professional contemporary audiologic treatments to the full range of patient populations. Assignment: This is the full performance level for staff audiologists. At this level, audiologists are licensed to practice independently in the provision of audiologic services, consulting with peers and supervisors as appropriate. Audiologists serve as consultants to other health care professionals and are recognized subject matter experts (SME) on matters related to hearing, tinnitus and balance disorders. The supervisor may assign staff audiologists to any VHA program and setting, such as inpatient or outpatient medicine, primary care, surgery, hearing health, neurology, rehabilitation medicine, geriatrics, compensation and pension. Audiologists diagnose audiologic disorders, conduct audiologic or neuro-audiologic assessments, treat auditory disorders through a various modalities and provide adjunctive interventions for the treatment of medical disorders. Audiologists consult with medical center staff on various patient care issues. Staff audiologists may be involved in program evaluation, teaching, training and research activities. Among the modalities provided are individual, family and group audiologic rehabilitation. 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-12. Physical Requirements: See VA 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.
