<p>Summary</p> <p>The Health Technician (Hearing Instrument Specialist) (HIS) FLOAT position is located in the Audiology and Speech Pathology Service at the Viera VA Clinic. The incumbent is assigned to a primary duty station but will routinely cover at other sites in accordance with facility policy. The health technician supports the function of clinical programs in Audiology. The incumbent is a staff health technician (Audiology float) under the supervision of a GS-12 audiologist or above.</p> <p>Qualifications</p> <p>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.</p> <p>Basic Requirements:</p> <ul> <li>Citizenship </li><li>Be a citizen of the United States (U.S.) </li><li>Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7407(a) </li><li>English Language Proficiency </li><li>Health Technician (HIS) candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f) </li><li>Experience and Education </li><li>Experience </li><li>Completion of the Department of Labor Apprenticeship Program for Hearing Aid Specialists </li><li>OR - Education </li><li>Successful completion of two academic years above high school that includes coursework related to the field: hearing science - human anatomy and physiology - hearing instrument science - gerontology - psychology or other general healthcare areas </li><li>Foreign Education </li><li>To be creditable - education completed outside the U.S. must be deemed at least equivalent to that gained in a conventional U.S. program by a private organization specializing in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials </li><li>Licensure or Registration </li><li>Individuals must hold a full - current and unrestricted license or registration to practice as a HIS in a state - territory - commonwealth or the District of Columbia Board Certification </li><li>Individuals must hold active board certification from the National Board for Certification in Hearing Instrument Sciences (NBC-HIS) </li><li>Exception for Non-Board Certified Health Technician (HIS) </li><li>Non-board certified applicants who otherwise meet the eligibility requirements for appointment - may be given a temporary appointment as a graduate Health Technician (HIS) under the authority of 38 U.S.C. § 7405(c)(2)(B) </li><li>Non-board certified individuals shall only provide care under the supervision of a licensed audiologist </li><li>Non-board certified individuals may only be appointed at the entry level and may not be promoted/converted until board certification is obtained </li><li>Temporary appointments of non-board certified Health Technician (HIS) may not be extended beyond two years or converted to a new temporary appointment </li><li>GRADE DETERMINATIONS In addition to the basic requirements above - the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates </li><li>Health Technician (HIS) - GS-05 Experience </li><li>None beyond the basic requirements </li><li>Knowledge - Skills and Abilities (KSAs) </li><li>In addition to the experience above - the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: Knowledge of basic anatomy of the head and neck </li><li>Knowledge of basic infection control procedures and guidelines </li><li>Skill in using basic computer software to complete tasks such as using email - creating spreadsheets and word processing </li><li>Ability to communicate orally and in writing </li><li>Ability to follow verbal and written instructions </li><li>Ability to maintain stock and supply level inventories </li><li>Health Technician (HIS) - GS-06 Experience </li><li>One year of experience equivalent to the next lower (GS-5) grade </li><li>Knowledge - Skills and Abilities (KSAS) </li><li>In addition to the experience above - the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: Knowledge of normal and abnormal ear anatomy </li><li>Knowledge of hearing aids - hearing assistive technology - hearing aid manufacturers and manufacturer software </li><li>Skill in documenting patient procedures and patient devices </li><li>Skill in providing patient education for hearing aid use - to include assisting patient with hearing aid insertion - removal and hygiene (cleaning and disinfection) </li><li>Ability to provide patient education and training regarding hearing loss and communication strategies for various listening situations </li><li>Ability to solve problems or make decisions regarding hearing aids - hearing assistive technology and patient care that is consistent with the documented and co-signed plan of care under the supervision of an audiologist </li><li>Ability to prepare patient - equipment - and/or environment for audiology procedures </li><li>Ability to provide triage of patient telephone calls or audiology requests </li><li>Reference </li><li>For more information on this qualification standard - please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/ </li><li>Physical Requirements </li><li>Physical aspects associated with work required of this assignment are typical for the occupation - see Duties section for essential job duties of the position </li><li>May require standing - lifting - carrying - sitting - stooping - bending - pulling - and pushing </li><li>May be required to wear personal protective equipment and undergo annual TB screening or testing as conditions of employment </li><li>Work Environment </li><li>Work is performed in an office/clinic setting with minimal risks that requires normal safety precautions </li><li>the area is adequately lighted - heated - and ventilated </li><li>However - the work environment requires someone with the ability to handle several tasks at once in sometimes stressful situations. </li></ul> <p>Duties</p> <ul> <li>Support functions of the Health Technician (HIS) include both direct patient care and administrative duties </li><li>Direct patient care duties may include - but are not limited to the following: Greeting and escorting patients </li><li>Patient instruction and counseling on hearing loss or hearing aids either on an individual basis or in a group setting </li><li>Conducting hearing pass/fail screenings without interpretation </li><li>Immittance screening without interpretation </li><li>Non-diagnostic otoscopy </li><li>Taking earmold impressions </li><li>Hearing aid troubleshooting and repair </li><li>Providing basic hearing aid information for patients and caregivers consistent with the audiologist's treatment plan - including but not limited to - realistic expectations - communication strategies - and/or aural rehabilitation </li><li>Assisting in set up and delivery of face-to-face and telehealth visits by preparing the equipment for patient evaluation and other audiology procedures including - but not limited to daily biologic listening calibration of audiometric equipment and calibration of real-ear equipment </li><li>Performing listening checks on hearing aids </li><li>Electroacoustic analysis of devices </li><li>Pairing hearing aids and accessories via Bluetooth technology </li><li>Programming previously stored settings into hearing aids </li><li>Activating remote controls </li><li>Assisting patients through triaging phone calls and audiology requests with regards to priority and urgency - following the audiologist's plan of care </li><li>Administrative duties may include - but are not limited to the following: Managing office supplies </li><li>Tracking loaner stock hearing aid inventory </li><li>Electronic ordering - verifying orders upon arrival to ensure components are present and working correctly </li><li>Scheduling appointments </li><li>Packaging and mailing hearing aids and accessories </li><li>Processing ROES transactions (e.g </li><li>certifying and issuing hearing aids - entering orders and repairs) </li><li>Responding to routine inquiries from patients - including determining nature of hearing aid inquiry and responding to administrative questions </li><li>Assisting patients - visitors - and others requesting information </li><li>Management of infection control - patient safety - and clinical supplies for the audiology clinic </li><li>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 </li><li>The incumbent is responsible for functional checks for audiometric test equipment daily </li><li>The technician maintains all non-patient care clinic records in accordance with service - medical center - and VA requirements - including - but not limited to calibration logs and work orders </li><li>The technician ensures that clinic records are current - and that reports/information are filed in a timely manner </li><li>Work Schedule: Monday - Friday </li><li>8:00am - 4:30pm </li><li>Travel: You will be required to travel up to 25% of the time - Driver's License Required Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases </li><li>Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave - 13 days of sick leave - 11 paid Federal holidays per year) Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual - based on prior [work experience] or military service experience </li><li>Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment - up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth - adoption - or foster care placement of a child </li><li>Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment - full time employees with a total family income below $144 -000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66 </li><li>Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement) Virtual: This is not a virtual position </li><li>Functional Statement #: 81673F - 81209F </li></ul>