Audiologist

Job Details

Qualifications & Requirements

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. Education: (1) Doctor of Audiology (AUD) from an audiology program recognized by the Accreditation Commission for Audiology Education (ACAE) or Council on Academic Accreditation (CAA) of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). HR office staff and management officials may verify a program's accreditation from ACAE at acaeaccred.org and CAA at caa.asha.org. OR (2) Other doctoral degree in hearing science or a directly related field from an institution accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. NOTE: Effective January 1, 2007, the CAA in Audiology and Speech- Language Pathology of ASHA accredits only doctoral degree or AUD programs in audiology. Licensure: Individuals must hold a full, current, and unrestricted license to practice audiology at the doctoral level in a United States state, territory, commonwealth, or the District of Columbia. English Language Proficiency: Audiologist candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 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: Audiologist, GS-12 Experience. One year of professional experience comparable to the next lower grade level. Examples of experience include: performing audiology assessment and treatment intervention, exercising clinical judgment, adapting clinical procedures and techniques, and documenting in the medical record appropriate information related to patient care. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs). In addition to the experience required at the full performance level, the following KSAs are required: (a) Skill in determining nature, type, and severity of hearing/communication/vestibular disorders. (b) Skill in counseling patients and family members regarding management of hearing/communication/vestibular disorders. (c) Ability to provide professional advice and consultation in areas related to professional audiology to other health care professionals. (d) Ability to independently apply professional contemporary audiologic treatments to the full range of patient populations. Preferred Experience: VA experience is preferred. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12. Physical Requirements: The physical demands of the position would require frequent sitting, walking short distances, standing and bending. It requires fine motor skills and dexterity for working with hearing aids and equipment. This position requires the ability to see fine detail with best corrected vision. Requires a large amount of personal interaction with patients and peers with strong interpersonal skills.

Position Overview

This position is located in the Audiology Section of Specialty Services at the Battle Creek Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC). The audiologist at this level plans, conducts and coordinates all aspects of diagnostic evaluation and treatment of hearing impairment and/or balance disorders; must demonstrate professional knowledge of, and skill in applying a wide range of theories, principles and methodologies of the practice of audiology to a wide range of populations.

Duties

• Major duties include, but are not limited to: Conducts, plans, and coordinates all clinical and administrative aspects of a full range of services associated with contemporary audiology practice, including Telehealth. Direct patient care involving a full range of audiology and balance evaluation and treatment services, including the selection and fitting of hearing aids and other amplification systems and devices, aural (auditory) rehabilitation, and counseling of hearing-impaired veterans and their family. Planning, delivering, and monitoring the effectiveness and clinical outcomes of patient-centered treatment and rehabilitative services for patients with significant physical and psychological complicating conditions; including, but not limited to, the selection and fitting of all types of hearing aids and associated technology; programming of digital hearing aids and associated technology; issuance of hearing protection devices for the prevention of acoustic trauma for those individuals working in a noisy environment; selection and fitting of assistive devices and assistive listening devices such as personal and FM amplifiers; telephone amplifiers, radio and TV magnetic induction devices for special communication problems, and inspection, modification, and repair of amplification devices and ear molds. Plans, conducts, and coordinates auditory (aural) rehabilitation, tinnitus and/or vestibular rehabilitation programs for patients; designs patient-centered treatment plans to assist patient and caregivers to maximize and restore to the greatest extent possible physical and social functioning; and designs, monitors, and conducts a comprehensive hearing conservation program for employees at risk for noise exposure. Serves as a consultant to other facility personnel involving the most difficult and complex cases and is recognized as a subject matter expert on matters relating to hearing, tinnitus, and balance disorders. Responsible for supervising, evaluating, mentoring, and precepting student trainees in audiology and maintained a liaison with affiliated colleges and universities. Complete all documentation in accordance with facility policy and is responsible for proper use, cleaning, and documentation of pertinent reusable medical equipment in accordance with medical center policies. Attend regular staff meetings and inter-disciplinary health care team meetings as appropriate, review policies and procedures, and attend in-service training. Responsible for the proper maintenance and calibration of the specialized electro-acoustic instrumentation. The incumbent must have considerable knowledge of the technical aspects of both the clinical instruments as well as the calibration instruments. Participate in research activities pertinent to clinical audiology. Although limited research is conducted in the clinical setting, the use of carefully executed audiologic procedures may be a part of a research design. The incumbent may be requested to assist in gathering clinical research data. Performs compensation and pension examinations (C&P) including detailed past, family, social, military, and occupational history, comprehensive evaluation of type and severity of hearing loss, tinnitus evaluation, special auditory and vestibular tests, and opinions on the relationship between conditions and military service. Work Schedule: Monday-Thursday, 0800-1630 (Part-time, 32 hours/week) Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 93667-0