Health Technician (Audiology)

Summary This position is located in the Audiology and Speech Pathology Service within the Durham VA Health Care System - in the Garner (primary site} - Durham - Brier Creek - and associated facilities in North Carolina - if/when needed. The duties and responsibilities are carried out in all clinical and other patient care areas involved with the Audiology service. Qualifications 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: Health Technician (Audiology) 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: (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 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 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) 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 AND Demonstrated Knowledge - Skills and Abilities (KSAs) In addition to the experience above - the candidate must demonstrate the following 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 Reference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-6. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-7. Physical Requirements: See Handbook and VA Directive 5019 Duties The Health Technician (Audiology) responsibility is 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 (Audiology) Other duties include - but ar enot 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 - telehealth - neurodiagnostic procedures) 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 and electroacoustic analysis of devices pairing hearing aids and accessories via Bluetooth technology Programming previously stored settings into hearing aids 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 Work Schedule: Monday-Friday - 7:30-4:00pm Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position Functional Statement #: 07414A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized #J-18808-Ljbffr