Summary

The Inpatient Clinical Specialist is located in the Audiology & Speech Pathology Service at VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System at the West Los Angeles Medical Center. The Audiologist (Inpatient Clinical Specialist) has special clinical program responsibilities as an expert in inpatient audiology including triage, bedside evaluations, asynchronous evaluations, and intervention.

Duties

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Duties include but are not limited to:

• Provides evidence-based clinical care and suggests methods of implementing changes determined necessary by evidence-based practice.
• Determines materials/supplies, equipment, and tools required for inpatient care.
• Triages veterans admitted for inpatient care for hearing loss, provides bedside audiologic assessments, and hearing aid services.
• Manages audiologic care of veterans admitted to the Domiciliary and Nursing Home.
• Provides comprehensive audiologic evaluations of veterans receiving inpatient care.
• Provides education to patients, family members, and significant others
• Serves as a resource to professional staff concerning the need for and development of inpatient services. Consultation to professional staff is also provided regarding clinical assessment findings and appropriate treatment plans for patients.
• Collaborates with other inpatient healthcare providers to serve veterans with hearing loss and communication barriers.
• Assumes complete professional responsibility for their clinical assessment findings, patient care decisions, and documentation.
• Coordinates all inpatient continuing education for staff audiologists and residents.
• Facilitates all inpatient care equipment updates for VA GLA Audiology.
• Serves as subject matter expert on VA GLA HCS interdisciplinary teams related to inpatient evaluation and treatment.
• Manages the inpatient audiology referral process.
• Oversees all inpatient evaluations completed throughout VA GLA HCS.
• Serves as POC for inpatient related issues via Secure Messaging within the Audiology Clinics.
• Manages inpatient outcome data collection and reports.
• Monitors inpatient evaluation consult timelines.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 7:00Am - 3:30PM

Compressed/Flexible:Not Available

Telework: Not Available

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): 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.

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

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
• 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. a7 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 (Clinical Specialist) 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.

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: This position is mostly sedentary, some walking to/from patient wards and different buildings on campus.

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/.

Additional information

Receiving Service Credit for Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.

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.

If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.

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Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

Benefits

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A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

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Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.