Details
Posted: 04-Jun-22
Location: Eureka, California
Salary: Open
Categories:
Allied Health
Internal Number: 652294500
This health technician (audiology) position at is located in the Audiology Section of the Rehabilitation Service of the VA San Francisco Health Care System (VASFHCS) on the Eureka campus. Service delivery is in person at a clinic site and via telehealth. Responsibilities include but are not limited to supporting patient care diagnostic and treatment procedures, documenting patient care activities, completing patient education, managing clinical and office supplies, and repairing hearing aids. 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: Citizenship. Be a citizen of the United States (U.S.). Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7407(a). English Language Proficiency. HTA candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403 (f). Experience and Education. 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 least 12 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. Certification. Not applicable for GS-7 HTA. Loss of Credential. Not applicable for GS-7 HTA. Grandfathering Provision. All individuals employed in VHA in this occupational series or in another occupational series performing the duties as described in the qualification standard on the effective date of the qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the grade held including positive education and licensure/trademark/registration/certification. For employees who do not meet all the basic requirements required in this standard, but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it, the following provisions apply: (1) They may be reassigned, promoted up to and including the full performance (journey) level, or changed to lower grade within the occupation, but may not be promoted beyond the journey level or placed in supervisory or managerial positions. (2) If an HTA who was retained under this provision leaves the occupation, the employee will lose protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of re-entry to the occupation. (3) HTAs who are appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of the qualification standard may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed, on a temporary or permanent basis, until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standard. (4) Employees initially grandfathered into this occupation, who subsequently obtain additional education and/or licensure/certification/registration that meet all the basic requirements of this qualification standard must maintain the required credentials as a condition of employment in the occupation. 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. Physical Requirements. Must pass a pre-employment physical. 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 (HTA), GS-07 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 and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: Ability to mentor and train new HTAs; Ability to prepare patients for advanced testing procedures performed by the audiologist, such as evoked potentials; Ability to develop and implement the technician role for a program in a focused area of audiology. 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. Preferred Experience: References: VA Handbook 5005/143, Part II, Appendix G70, May 13,2021 The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-7. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-7. Physical Requirements: The work requires some physical exertion such as prolonged periods of standing, bending, reaching, crouching, stooping, stretching, and lifting moderately heavy items such as manuals, record boxes, equipment or assisting patients. ["The health technician (audiology) at this advanced level supports the staff audiologists by completing clinical and administrative duties. Clinical duties include, but are not limited to: Greets and escorts patients; Instructs patient on hearing loss or hearing aids on an individual basis or in a group setting; Completes non-diagnostic otoscopy; Completes cerumen management; Takes earmold impressions; Troubleshoots and repairs hearing aids; Provides basic hearing aid information for patients and care partners; Performs listening checks on hearing aids; Pairs hearing aids and accessories via Bluetooth technology; Completes electroacoustic analysis on all new hearing aids and those returned from repair; Downloads previously stored settings into hearing aids; Documents patient care activities in an accurate and timely manner in the electronic medical record; Prepares and mails surveys and enters patient data. Administrative duties include, but are not limited to: Manages office supplies; Maintains appropriate levels of clinical supplies in all patient care rooms; Manages clinical supplies and quarterly ordering procedures; Assures that all clinical supplies have current use date; Tracks loaner stock and hearing aid inventory; Verifies orders upon arrival to ensure components are present and working correctly; Packages and mails hearing aids and accessories; Processes 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 responds to administrative questions; Assists patients, visitors, and others requesting information; Manages infection control and patient safety for the audiology clinic; Maintains clean, disinfected instrumentation, equipment, and work surfaces in the audiology clinic. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 07:30 am - 04:00 pm\nCompressed/Flexible: Not available\nTelework: Not available\nVirtual: This is not a virtual position.\nFunctional Statement #: 000000\nRelocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized\nFinancial Disclosure Report: Not required"]