Summary This position is located in the Audiology Service at the VAMC Salt Lake in Salt Lake City, Utah. 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. Responsibilities Responsible primarily for the 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 Licensures. Supports functions include both direct patient care and administrative duties. Greets and escorts patients; Patient instruction and counseling on hearing loss or hearing aids either on an individual basis or in a group setting; Conducts hearing pass/fail screenings without interpretation; Non-diagnostic otoscopy; Cerumen management; Taking earmold impressions; Hearing aid troubleshooting and repair. Provides basic hearing aid information for patients and caregivers. Performs listening checks on hearing aids. Electroacoustic analysis of devices. Pairs hearing aids and accessories via Bluetooth technology; Programming previously stored settings into hearing aids; Activating remote controls. Responsible for ensuring timely and accurate documentation of all interaction in the medical records and that all encounters are correctly documented using electronic medical record and computerized tracking and ordering functions via ROES Manages office supplies. Tracks loaner stock hearing aid inventory. Electronic orders, verifying orders upon arrival to ensure components are present and working correctly. Places RTC orders for appointments. Packages and mails hearing aids and accessories. Processes ROES transactions (e.g., certifying and issuing hearing aids, entering orders and repairs). Responds to routine inquiries from patients, including determining nature of hearing aid inquiry and responding to administrative questions. Assists patients, visitors, and other requesting information. Management of infection control, patient safety, and clinical supplies for the audiology clinic. Maintenance of lean, disinfected instrumentation, equipment, and work surfaces in the Audiology clinic. Reprocesses reusable medical equipment based on facility policy according to Medical Center infection control procedures and reusable medical equipment policies. Responsible for planning and carrying out the assignment, resolving most of the conflicts that arise, coordinating the work with other as necessary and interpreting policy on own initiative in terms of established objectives. Responsible for carrying out the assignment under the direct supervision of the Supervising Audiologist. Completed work is reviewed by the supervising Audiologist. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00 am - 4:30 pm Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases When setting pay, a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of higher or unique qualifications or special needs of the VA (Above Minimum Rate of the Grade). 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)Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior [work experience] or military service experience. 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 #: 52076-A 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. 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). 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 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/or 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. (TRANSCRIPTS ARE REQUIRED IF SELECTING THIS OPTION) 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. OR (4) Foreign Education: To be creditable, education completed outside the U.S. must have been submitted to a private organization that specializes in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials and such education must have been deemed at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. programs. (TRANSCRIPTS AND EDUCATION EQUALIVENCY ARE REQUIRED IF SELECTING THIS OPTION) 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: HTA GS-7 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. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate 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. Preferred Experience: Completion of one year of progressive experience and/or experience equivalent to the next lower grade. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-7. Physical Requirements: The work in volves long periods of moving about the work unit. The work requires regular and recurring bending, lifting, stooping, stretching, lifting, and repositioning and transferring patients. Incumbent may be exposed to patients who are combative, secondary to delirium, dementia, or psychiatric disorders. The incumbent must be a mature, sensible individual capable of working effectively in stressful situations, demonstrating cheerfulness, compassion, courtesy, and concern. Must be quick and dependable in taking emergency action in using initiative to prevent accidents. 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.
