Audiologist

Summary

This position is in the Audiology & Speech Pathology Service with the Salt Lake City VA Medical Center at the ST, George, UT. Community Based Outreach Clinic (CBOC). The duties and responsibilities are carried out throughout the medical center including all clinical and other patient care areas involved with the service. The Audiologist at this level plan, conducts, and coordinates all aspects of diagnostic evaluation and treatment of hearing impairment and/or balance disorders.

Duties

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The Audiologist at this level conducts, plans, and coordinates all clinical and administrative aspects of a full range of services associated with contemporary audiology practice.

• Clinical duties and responsibilities include 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.
• Identifies and evaluates individuals with hearing disorders in the reception and perception of speech, language, and other acoustic signals to a full range of patient complexity.
• Administers the full range of tests including the testing of vestibular nerve function; evaluates the type and degree of hearing loss for patients who may be unable to provide consistent and reliable reaction to diagnostics.
• Responsible for 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; programming of digital hearing aids; issuance of hearing protection devices for 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 or TV magnetic induction devices for special communication problems; and inspection, modification, 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 patients and caregivers to maximize and restore to the greatest extent possible physical and 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 a recognized subject matter experts on matters related to hearing, tinnitus, and balance disorders.
• Deliver care using telehealth and working cooperatively with tele-communication technicians (TCT).
• Remain current with new developments in audiology and will maintain professional competency by reading professional journals and engaging in continuing education activities and professional learning experiences and communicating with other professionals in the profession and related professions.
• Communication is required by this position, and 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.
• Responsible for the proper maintenance and calibration of the specialized electro-acoustic instrumentation.
• Have a considerable knowledge of the technical aspects of both the clinical instruments as well as the calibration instruments.
• Responsible for ordering and repairing hearing aids through ROES in accordance with the Independent Hearing Aid Program.
• Will also work closely with audiology technicians and telecommunications technologists in providing patient care. Although the Audiologist does not supervise these positions the incumbent providers clinical direction and oversight of the work performed.

Work Schedule: M-F 8-4:30pm.

Telework: Not Available.

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement #: 54025A, 54026A.

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..
• 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;
• 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.
• English Language Proficiency.: Audiologist candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. a7 7403(f).
• 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.
• Exception for Non-Licensed Audiologist:
  (a) Non-Licensed applicants who otherwise meet the eligibility requirements for licensure, may be given a temporary appointment as a graduate audiologist at the GS-11 grade under the authority of 38 U.S.C. a7 7405(c)(2).
  (b) Non-Licensed individuals shall only provide care under the supervision of a fully licensed audiologists at or above the full performance level.
  (c) Non-Licensed individuals may only be appointed at the entry level and may not be promoted/converted to the GS-12 grade level until licensure is obtained.
  (d) Temporary appointments of non-Licensed audiologists may not be extended beyond two years or be converted to a new temporary appointment.
• Foreign Education.: To be creditable, education completed outside the U.S. must have been submitted to a private organization specializing in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials. Such education must have been deemed at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. programs.

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). Employees in VHA in this occupation, under a permanent, appropriate, and legal placement on the effective date 06/06/2024 of the qualification standard, are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the grade and/or assignment held, including positive education and licensure, where applicable. For employees who do not meet all the basic or assignment specific requirements in this standard, but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed, the following provisions apply:

Grade Determinations:

Audiologist, GS-11.

• Education. None beyond the basic requirements.
• Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs). In addition to the basic requirements, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:
  
  • (a) Knowledge of principles and techniques in the assessment and treatment of auditory and balance disorders.
  • (b) Ability to perform functions associated with contemporary audiology scope of practice as defined by the American Academy of Audiology or the ASHA.
  • (c) Ability to interact with patients, families, and other health care professionals.
• Assignment. Employees at this grade level serve in audiologist entry-level developmental positions. Audiologists perform audiology assessment and treatment intervention, exercise clinical judgment, adapt clinical procedures and techniques, and document in the medical record appropriate information related to patient care.

Audiologist, GS-12.

• Experience. In addition to the requirements at the GS-11 level, completion of one year of professional experience 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) 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.

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 . The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-11 to GS-12.

Physical Requirements: The work involves long periods of moving about the work unit. The work requires regular and recurring bending, lifting, stooping, stretching, lifting, and repositioning and transferring patients. Incumbent may be exposed to patients who are combative, secondary to delirium, dementia, or psychiatric disorders and patients who require restraints. The incumbent must be a mature, sensible individual capable of working effectively in stressful situations, demonstrating cheerfulness, compassion, courtesy, and concern. Must be quick and dependable in taking emergency action in using initiative to prevent accidents. See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Service.

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

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.

Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.

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