Summary

This position is located in the Audiology and Speech Pathology Department at the VA North Texas Healthcare System. The duties and responsibilities are carried out throughout the medical center and in surrounding community-based outpatient clinic (CBOC) facilities, including all clinical and other patient care areas involved with the service.

Duties

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Duties are but not limited to:

General Clinical Responsibilities:

• Uses advanced knowledge of and skill in applying a wide range of theories, principles, and methodologies in the practice of audiology to diverse patient populations;
• Evaluates patients to determine the nature, type, and severity of hearing loss and tinnitus using in-depth record reviews, health history interviews, standardized questionnaires, and a battery of audiological diagnostic tests;
• Conducts compensation and pension examinations and provides sound medical opinions when requested, the results of which will be utilized in the assessment of hearing impairment for medico-legal purposes;
• Practices independent clinical judgement and adapts clinical procedures and techniques to accommodate unique patient requirements;
• Provides professional advice, counseling, and recommendations for treatment of hearing loss and tinnitus to patients and their families;
• Establishes candidacy for hearing aids and other assistive listening devices based on type and degree of hearing loss as well as the individual's physical, cognitive, and communication needs;
• Provides audiological treatment through dispensing of amplification devices following best practice guidelines, including programming of devices using real-ear measurements and evaluating functional post-fitting status;
• Consults and collaborates with primary care providers, otologists, mental health professionals, and other healthcare practitioners as part of a team to address the global needs of the patient;
• Incumbent plans, conducts, and coordinates auditory (aural) rehabilitation, tinnitus management, and/or basic vestibular evaluations;
• Conducts hearing conservation or monitoring hearing evaluations; Incumbent provides services using telehealth modalities which may include diagnostic measures and treatment (including remote applications and VVC);
• Incumbent will be responsible for supervising, evaluating, mentoring, and precepting student trainees in audiology and maintained a liaison with affiliated colleges and universities. He/she may also provide instruction to residents and interns who seek information relation to audiology;
• Incumbent will complete all documentation in accordance with facility policy;
• Communication is required by this position and the incumbent will be expected to attend regular staff meetings and inter-disciplinary health care team meeting as appropriate; review policies and procedures, and attend in-service training;
• The incumbent may perform ancillary assignments, including program management duties on an occasional basis, where the complexity and among of the work is not substantial. This includes training, supervising, and managing health technicians and other support personnel.

Special Clinical Program Responsibilities: Cochlear Implant Audiologist:

• Assesses moderately to profoundly hearing-impaired patients for candidacy for cochlear implants;
• Provides evaluation, management, programming, and rehabilitation services to cochlear implant patients;
• Provides comprehensive cochlear implant candidacy exams assessing the patent's current auditory rehabilitation status;
• Plans and coordinates appropriate implantation treatment and management programs;
• Performs administration functions relating to the cochlear implant program for the purposes of quality management, customer service and workload tracking;
• Reviews inter-facility consults for cochlear implantation and coordinates care with the patient's parent facility, often including remote cochlear implant programming;
• Applies current technology with regards to cochlear implants, FM systems, and assistive listening devices to maximize rehabilitation of each patient;
• Utilizes aural rehabilitation methods with recipients to enhance their listening progress post- surgery;
• Provides counseling for patients and their families regarding profound hearing loss, cochlear implantation, and the impact on their lives;
• Develops and implements in-service programs for VA staff to enhance interdisciplinary care and understanding;
• Determines candidacy for bone-anchored hearing aids and osseo-integrated amplification devices, including pre and post-surgical assessment and device programming;
• Stays informed on current and emerging cochlear implant and BAHA technology and programming techniques;
• Facilitates new software updates and installations;
• Continues to grow and improve the clinic's remote programming relationships and agreements;
• Continues to develop and adapt clinic protocols to provide the best-known care for cochlear implant recipients.

Work Schedule: 7:30am- 4pm

Telework: Not Available

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement #:55142-F

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
• Subject to background/security investigation.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Must pass pre-employment physical examination.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.
• A current, state issued driver's license is required for this position. Note: We cannot accept photographs, therefor; do not submit a copy of your license with your application package. If an interview is requested, you will be required to provide a copy of your current, valid state issued driver's license.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

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. Audiologist candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).
• Education. 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
• 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.
• The Under Secretary of Health, or designee, may appoint a candidate without a license who will be assigned to a research, academic, or administrative position with no patient care responsibilities. In such instances, HR office staff can only appoint these candidates in exceptional circumstances where their credentials demonstrate high professional attainment or expertise in the specialty area.
• All audiologists who perform compensation and pension examinations perform direct patient care duties and must possess a full, current, and unrestricted license to practice audiology and must meet the experience requirements under Section 2. D. See 38 C.F.R. § 4.85.

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).

GS-13:

Experience. At least two years of experience as a professional audiologist, with at least one year comparable to the next lower grade level.

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs). In addition to the KSAs required at the full performance level, the following KSAs are required:

(a) Advanced knowledge in a focused area of contemporary audiology practice to provide oversight of a specialty program.

(b) Skill to evaluate the specialty program to ensure deadlines and goals are met.

(c) Skill to coordinate initiatives and build consensus among interdisciplinary team members.

(d) Ability to monitor and report on work progress in the specialty program to adjust workload and processes.

(e) Ability to serve as the SME and provide education relating to the specialty program.

Assignment. For all assignments above the full performance level, the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope, complexity, and range of variety and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time. Audiologists (Clinical Specialists) provide leadership and direct oversight in the design, development, implementation, planning, and management of the specialty program. They serve as coaches or facilitators for the interdisciplinary team and are responsible for training all support staff and trainees as it relates to the specialty program. These individuals serve as the SME in matters regarding the specialty program.

Preferred Experience:

• At least two years experience selecting, fitting, and dispensing hearing aids.
• General experience with the adult or geriatric population preferred.
• At least 1 year experience evaluating candidacy, selecting, programing, and troubleshooting Cochlear Implant devices. Adult population 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-13.

Physical Requirements: The work is sedentary. Some work may require movement between offices, hospitals, warehouses, and similar areas for meetings and to conduct work. Work may also require walking/standing, in conjunctions with travel to and attendance at meetings and/or conferences away from the work site. Incumbent may carry and lift light items weighing less than 15 pounds.

Education

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

Accreditation Information: Please site specific the accreditation information from the qualification standards or use the generic description for all others. Example - Sample for Audiologist: The doctoral degree must be fully accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Audiology Education (ACAE) or Council on Academic Accreditation (CAA) of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA).. Verification of accreditation may be made obtained from http://acaeaccred.org & http://caa.asha.org/

NOTE: If your school has changed names, or is no longer in existence, you must provide this information in your application.

NOTE: If your school was accredited by ACAE or ASHA at the time of graduation but is no longer listed on the website, you must provide documentation of accreditation with your application packet.

Additional information

During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status.