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This position is located in the Audiology Section of the Operative Care Line at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center (MEDVAMC) in Houston, TX. The position provides support in four functional areas: Hearing aid troubleshooting and repairs, electroacoustic evaluation, minor hearing aid programming, ear impressions related to hearing aid repairs, tracking of repair items; Hearing aid and earmold certification and tracking; Supply orders and management; Daily equipment checks and maintenance. 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. English Language Proficiency: Health Technician (Audiology) 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 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. 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. Certification: None. Grade Determinations: Health Technician (Audiology), GS-0640-7 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 (KSAs). 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. Preferred Experience: Experience as a health technician working in an outpatient setting for Audiology. References: VA Handbook 5005/143, Part II Appendix G70, Health Technician (Audiology), Health Technician (Speech-Language Pathology) and Health Technician (Audiology & Speech-Language Pathology) Qualification Standard. This can be found in the local Human Resources Office. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-7. Physical Requirements: Light lifting (under 15 pounds), light carrying (under 15 pounds), reaching above shoulder, use of fingers, walking, standing, both legs required, ability for rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously, both eyes required, depth perception, ability to distinguish basic colors, ability to distinguish shades of colors. (See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Services). ["Current, permanent VA employees or Federal employees from another agency should apply under CBST-11715970-23-AK. This is an OPEN CONTINUOUS ANNOUNCEMENT and will remain open until June 30, 2023. The initial cut-off date for referral of eligible applications will be November 25, 2022, with subsequent cut-off dates on the 1st of each month. Eligible applications received after that date will be referred at regular intervals or as additional vacancies occur on an as-needed basis until positions are filled. The duties of the Health Technician (Audiology) in the Audiology Section of the Operative Care Line include but are not limited to: Primary responsibility is for 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 Audiology health technicians. Direct patient care duties may include, but not limited to the following: 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, 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; Electroacoustic analysis of devices; Pairing hearing aids and accessories via Bluetooth technology; Programming previously stored settings into hearing aids; Activating remote controls. The incumbent at this level is required to have the knowledge, skills, and abilities to develop and implement the technician role for a program in a focused area of audiology. (Focused area must be described here and must account for 25% of their duties - it may be a focus on hearing aids program, cerumen management program, audiologic rehab program, etcâ¦. duties above can be included if part of the focused area for this incumbent.) Ensuring timely and accurate documentation of all interactions in the medical records and that all encounters are correctly documented using electronic medical record and computerized tracking and ordering functions via ROES. Administrative duties include, but may not be limited to the following: 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; 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, Reprocessing reusable medical equipment based on facility policy according to Medical Center infection control procedures and reusable medical equipment policies. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am-4:30pm Telework: Not available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 000000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized. Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized. Financial Disclosure Report: Not required"]

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