Health Technician -Audiology

US-Department-of-Veterans-Affair; Rochester (Beaver County); On-site; USD 50,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

The VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System Audiology and Speech Pathology Service seeks a GS-7 Hearing Aid Technician to support clinical operations across audiology duties. The incumbent will perform checks, repairs, and maintenance of hearing aids and related devices in collaboration with licensed staff.

Applicants must meet VA requirements; education/experience options apply. The role emphasizes mentoring junior HTAs, preparing patients for advanced testing, and developing the technician program

Qualifications

• Six months of experience or equivalent education related to audiology duties.
• One year of progressive experience at GS-6 level or higher related to the position.

Responsibilities

• Perform visual and auditory checks of hearing aids and related devices.
• Repair or return hearing aids to the factory.
• Restore hearing aid or accessories settings after repair.
• Order, register, certify, issue, and track prosthetic devices.

Skills

Mentor HTAs

Patient prep for testing

Tech program development

Education

Associate degree or higher with related coursework

Tools

Hearing aid testing equipment

Job description

This position is located in the Audiology and Speech Pathology Service at VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System. The duties and responsibilities are carried out in all clinical and other patient care areas involved with the Audiology Section.

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. HTA, HTSLP or HTASLP candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403 (f).
• Experience and Education
  • 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
  • Education: Successful completion of two (2) academic years above high school leading to an associate degree or a bachelor's degree with at least 12 semester hours in courses related to the position. OR
  • 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. OR
  • 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.

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

• Grade Determinations Experience: To meet the required specialized experience for this position, you must have completed one (1) year of progressive experience and/or experience equivalent to the next lower grade level, GS-6, directly related to this position. This experience may include:
  • Completing visual and auditory checks of hearing aids and hearing assistive technology;
  • Repairing or returning hearing aids to the factory;
  • Restoring hearing aid or hearing assistive technology settings after repair or replacement;
  • Ordering, registering, certifying, issuing, and tracking prosthetic devices.
• Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs): In addition to the experience above, you must show that you meet the demonstrated KSAs for this position which include the following:
  1. Ability to mentor and train new HTAs.
  2. Ability to prepare patients for advanced testing procedures performed by the audiologist, such as evoked potentials.
  3. Ability to develop and implement the technician role for a program in a focused area of audiology.

Reference

For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

The full performance level of this vacancy is 6. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-7

Physical Requirements

Employees must bend/lift with good body mechanics, assist patients in wheelchairs by pushing/pulling, walk short distances multiple times during the day, portions of the day using a desk/computer with good body mechanics, sufficient vision/dexterity to perform Otoscopic exams and ear impressions.