Health Technician (Audiology)

Summary NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information - refer to Required Documents below. The Health Technician (Audiology) (HTA) provides assistance to the audiologists in meeting the clinical needs of the patients served in the VA Iowa City VA Health Care System Audiology and Speech Pathology Service (ASPS). The duties and responsibilities are to be carried out in all clinical and other patient care areas involved with the Audiology service. Summary NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information - refer to Required Documents below. The Health Technician (Audiology) (HTA) provides assistance to the audiologists in meeting the clinical needs of the patients served in the VA Iowa City VA Health Care System Audiology and Speech Pathology Service (ASPS). The duties and responsibilities are to be carried out in all clinical and other patient care areas involved with the Audiology service. 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 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 with38 U.S.C. 7407(a) 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 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 Certification Certification by the Council for Accreditation in Occupational Hearing Conservation (CAOHC) as a Certified Occupational Hearing Conservationist (COHC) is required for the HTA - GS-08 assignment only 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 See VA Directive and Handbook 5019 English Language Proficiency HTA - HTSLP or HTASLP candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by38 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: HTA - GS-04 Experience None beyond the basic requirements HTA - 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: (a)Knowledge of anatomy of the head and neck

• b)Ability to communicate clearly orally and in writing
• c)Knowledge of basic hearing assistive technologies
• d)Knowledge of basic infection control procedures and guidelines
• e)Ability to maintain stock and supply level inventories
• f)Skill in using basic computer software such as email - spread sheet and word processing

HTA - 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 and Abilities In addition to the experience above - the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs (a)Knowledge of normal and abnormal ear anatomy

• b)Knowledge of hearing physiology and function to educate patients and families
• c)Knowledge of hearing aids - hearing assistive technology - hearing aid manufacturers and manufacturer software
• d)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
• e)Ability to prepare patients for testing procedures
• f)Ability to document and code patient procedures

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 in the range of GS-4 to GS-6. Physical Requirements: You will be asked to participate in a pre-employment examination or evaluation as part of the pre-employment process for this position Questions about physical demands or environmental factors may be addressed at the time of evaluation or examination. Duties Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Major duties include but are not limited to: 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 Managing office supplies Tracking loaner stock hearing aid inventory 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 Work Schedule: Full-time Monday-Friday 7:30am to 4:00pm Compressed/Flexible: Not Available 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 #: 000000 Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized. #J-18808-Ljbffr U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs