The incumbent works in the Audiology & Speech Pathology Clinic at the Columbia VA Health Care System and serves under the Chief of Audiology and Speech Pathology with direction from the licensed professional staff (Audiologist or Speech Language Pathologist). Duties may be performed at the WJB Dorn, Medical Center, and/or any other CBOC that is part of the Columbia VA Health Care System.

Duties

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. Direct patient care duties may include, but not limited to, the following: Turns on audiology equipment in the morning and performs biologic listen check. Greeting and escorting patients; 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; Cerumen management; Taking earmold impressions; Hearing aid troubleshooting and repair; Providing basic hearing aid information for patients 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; Activating remote controls. The incumbent performs simple foreign body removal of cotton tip applicators heads, cotton, and varied foreign bodies from ear canals. 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. Performs other duties as assigned. 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 patients, including determining nature of hearing aid inquiry and responding to administrative questions; Assisting patients, visitors, and others requesting information; Management of infection control, patient safety, and clinical supplies for the audiology clinic; Maintenance 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. Entering IOI-HA data in CPRS/ROES. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 7:30am - 4pm. Telework: Not Available. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: FS51160 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized. Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized. Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required.

Requirements

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. 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, Education. Successful completion of two academic years above high school leading to an associate degree or a bachelor's degree with at least12 semester hours in courses related to the position. OR, 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. 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-05 Experience. One year 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, Education. Successful completion of four academic years above high school leading to a bachelor's degree with at least 24 semester hours in courses related to the position or a bachelor's degree in a major field of study appropriate to the functions of the occupation. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, Abilities. In addition to meeting the experience or educational requirements for this grade level, the candidate must fully demonstrate the following KSAs: Knowledge of anatomy of the head and neck. Ability to communicate clearly orally and in writing. Knowledge of basic hearing assistive technologies. Knowledge of basic infection control procedures and guidelines. Ability to maintain stock and supply level inventories. Skill in using basic computer software such as email, spreadsheet and word processing. Health Technician (Audiology), GS-06 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. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, Abilities. In addition to meeting the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: Knowledge of hearing physiology and function to educate patients and families. Knowledge of hearing aids, hearing assistive technology, hearing aid manufacturers and manufacturer software. 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. Ability to prepare patients for testing procedures. Ability to document and code patient procedures. Preferred Experience: Experience with repair of hearing aids, experience conducting hearing screenings for an occupational health program, knowledge of speech-language pathology clinical procedures, experience with screening for swallowing disorders and/or communication impairment. References: VA Handbook 5005/143 PART II APPENDIX G70. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-05 to GS-06. Physical Requirements: Requirements established for individual positions in occupations that do not have Medical Standards as defined above. Physical requirements are those physical, mental, and emotional capabilities and characteristics that are essential for successful job performance. Physical requirements must be clearly supported by the actual duties of the position and documented in the position description or functional statement and supported by a study(ies) or evaluation(s) establishing physical requirement(s) is job-related to the occupation(s). An applicant or employee may not be disqualified arbitrarily on the basis of physical requirements or other criteria that do not relate specifically to performance of the duties of a specific position.

Education

IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on 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/.

Contacts

• Address Columbia VA Health Care System 6439 Garners Ferry Road Columbia, SC 29209 US
• Name: Trena O. Melvin
• Phone: (470) 840-6199
• Email: [email protected]