Health Technician (Audiology)

Job Title

Allied Health Professional

Duties

Total Rewards of an Allied Health Professional Major duties include but are not limited to:

• Responsible for routine repairs of all hearing aids that may be delivered or mailed to the Audiology clinic. During clinic hours, the incumbent meets with veterans on a one-to-one basis to solve hearing aid problems. In this capacity, the incumbent provides primary level troubleshooting and repair for veterans who are experiencing hearing aid problems. The ability to succeed in this role requires effective communication with patients who have communication disorders.
• Services commonly provided by the technician include evaluation of the hearing aid's function and fit, changing of batteries, process removal of stuck batteries, replacing battery doors, cleaning of electrical contacts, removal of impacted cerumen from the hearing aid, replacing ear mold tubing, inspecting and replacing cords, and counseling the veteran in optimal use and proper methods of care for the instruments.
• When it is necessary for a hearing aid to be returned to a VA contract manufacturer for repair, the incumbent prepares all the necessary paperwork and records, wraps the hearing aid, and ships it. The incumbent makes appropriate entries in the clinic's record tracking system in order to insure that the hearing aid is properly tracked during the repair. When the hearing aid is returned, the technician checks to insure that it is operational. S/he then either mails the hearing aid to the veteran, or asks the clerk to schedule the veteran for an appointment, as appropriate.
• When the incumbent determines that the patient demonstrates skill or knowledge deficits, s/he provides specific training or patient education and documents as appropriate in the patient record.
• The incumbent is required to properly document all interactions in the medical record in the form of clinical progress notes.
• The management of stock and custom hearing aids, batteries, assistive listening devices and ear mold orders of on- and off-contract devices are the responsibility of this staff member. All hearing aids and assistive listening devices are accounted for by this employee with an inventory to be reviewed on a regularly determined schedule.
• When the hearing aids are delivered to the clinic the incumbent is responsible for certifying the hearing aids and for checking the hearing aids to ensure that all ordered components are present and that the hearing aids are operational and ready to be issued.
• As part of the hearing aid fitting the incumbent instructs the patient in the proper use and care, as well as the rights and responsibilities, and safety measures for safe and effective use of the hearing aid and any assistive listening devices that are issued.
• The incumbent assists in preparing patients for specialized procedures including auditory brainstem testing, to include skin preparation and electrode resistance testing.

Work Schedule: Intermittent, Monday - Friday 7:30am - 4:00pm

Compressed/Flexible: Not Authorized

Telework: Not Authorized.

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement #: 21W34-A

US Department of Veterans Affairs