Audiologist - Clinical Specialist

Clarification from the agency

This position is ONLY open to current, permanent VA Sheridan Health Care System Employees. NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position.

• Applies advanced theories and techniques to special patient populations, provide professional advice and counseling, and provide consultation in aural rehabilitation and tele-health.
• Coordinates with the Audiology clinicians and Telehealth Clinical Technicians (TCT).
• Trains TCTs to include but not limited to hearing aids, programming software, ROES data system including creation of handouts for training purposes.
• Coordinates installations and updates to software with Office of Information and Technology (OIT), Biomedical Engineering, and outside contractors/vendors as well as consults with these departments on their implementation.
• Demonstrates advanced knowledge of contemporary audiology practices.
• Manages the facilities audiology telehealth programs with an in-depth understanding of telehealth principles and practices and application of telehealth to audiology practice.
• Manages, directs, and oversees the Sheridan VA Healthcare System Tele Audiology program.
• Exercises independent clinical judgment and adapts clinical procedures and techniques to accommodate age­ specific and unique patient conditions, needs, and expectations.
• Evaluates patients to determine nature, type, and severity of hearing and balance disorders using a full range of diagnostic tests and techniques, past, family, and social history, record review, and consultation with family and other health care practitioners.
• Provides hearing aid evaluations, assessments, selection, fitting, orientation, training, and follow-up services. Evaluates functional status before and after intervention and verifies acoustic performance of hearing aids using electroacoustic, real-ear, and functional measurements.
• Plans, coordinates, and implements a full range of patient-focused treatment services designed to optimize function.
• Consults with physicians and other health care practitioners related to diagnostic evaluation and treatment.
• Documents in the medical record on evaluation, diagnosis and clinical opinion, treatment plans, outcomes of treatment, changes in functional status, and patient/family education.
• Articulates and communicates goals, objectives, and focused initiatives for specialized clinical programs, as well as guiding the team members on work methods, practices, and procedures.
• Monitors and evaluates the work of Sheridan VA Healthcare System Tele-Audiology program and adjusts procedures or practices to accomplish the program goals.
• Serves as coach and facilitator in coordinating programs or team initiatives and consensus building activities among clinical team members with widely divergent backgrounds, interests, and points of view.
• Updates and maintains policies, procedures, and conditions of participation for the Sheridan VA Healthcare System Tele Audiology clinical program.
• Maintains annual competency assessments for the Sheridan VA Healthcare System Tele Audiology clinical program team and coordinates continuing education for Tele Audiology program team both at local and distant VA locations.
• Communicates regularly with facility, network, national telehealth coordinators.
• Serves an educational and supportive role for other facilities that are beginning their own Tele Audiology programs and that may request further information or guidance.
• Overseas reporting and initiating work order request for telehealth equipment function and connectivity failures to national telehealth helpdesk, local IT, patient site IT, and patient site biomedical engineering department.
• Updates and advises administrative staff of telehealth clinic appointment access issues, such as clinic delays, cancellations, and reschedules.
• Monitors and tracks the efficiency and quality of the Sheridan VA Healthcare System Tele Audiology program.
• Coordinates with and maintains professional relationships with primary care and specialty clinics to facilitate smooth transition for Veterans when additional medical evaluation or treatment is recommended.
• Provides supervisor and/or service chief with periodic reports on telehealth program including but not limited to productivity, encounters, wait times general review and suggestions for continuous quality improvement.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 7:30am - 4:00pm
Compressed/Flexible:May be available at the supervisor's discretion.
Telework: Not available.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 61466-0
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized.
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized.

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; 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.

OR

• 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.

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.

Grade Determinations. In addition to the basic requirements for employment, candidates must meet the following grade-determining criteria for appointments at grade levels specified.

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 (GS-12).

Assignments at the GS-12 level. At this level, audiologists are licensed to practice independently in the provision of audiologic services, consulting with peers and supervisors as appropriate. Audiologists serve as consultants to other health care professionals and are recognized subject matter experts (SME) on matters related to hearing, tinnitus, and balance disorders. The supervisor may assign staff audiologists to any VHA program and setting, such as inpatient or outpatient medicine, primary care, surgery, hearing health, neurology, rehabilitation medicine, geriatrics, compensation, and pension. Audiologists diagnose audiologic disorders, conduct audiologic, or neuro-audiologic assessments; treat auditory disorders through various modalities; and provide adjunctive interventions for the treatment of medical disorders. Audiologists consult with medical center staff on various patient care issues. Staff audiologists may be involved in program evaluation, teaching, training, and research activities. Among the modalities provided are individual, family, and group audiologic rehabilitation.

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs). In addition to the KSAs required at the full performance level (GS-12), the following KSAs are required:

Audiologist, GS-12 KSAs:

• (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.

AND

Audiologist (Clinical Specialist), GS-13 KSAs:

• (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.

Preferred Experience:

• 3 years of tele-audiology experience (50% of time was dedicated to tele-audiology services)
• Set up and monitoring of new telehealth services including employee training, equipment ordering, supply ordering, and schedule management.
• VA TeleAudiology (CVT) experience delivering synchronous evaluations and hearing aid fittings.
• Completion of VA TCT training for Audiology and demonstrated experience training others to perform full Tele Audiology appointments (including cerumen management and ear-impressions).
• Demonstrates experience in Leading implementation of TeleAudiology workflows, including clinic coverage coordination, equipment/software installs and calibrations with OIT/contractors, and staff training across multiple sites.
• Demonstrates experience in providing comprehensive diagnostic audiology; hearing aid evaluation/dispensing/services; tinnitus assessment/management; cerumen management; and conducting tele-encounters.

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 Audiologist position requires standing, walking, bending, light to moderate lifting and positioning patients. The incumbent may need to assist in the maneuvering of patients in wheelchairs and transferring of patients in a chair. This position requires lifting/carrying 20 lbs (infrequent); sitting (6 hours per day); standing (2 hours per day); walking (1 hour per day); bending/stooping (half an hour per day); simple grasping (four hours per day); and fine manipulation including keyboarding (6 hours per day). A fair amount of walking is also required to interact with patients and other services throughout the hospital. This position requires the incumbent to have the ability to physically examine the Outer and Middle ear visually as well as taking ear impressions for hearing aids. Applicants must be physically and mentally able to efficiently perform the essential functions of the position without hazard to themselves or others.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Your application, resume, C.V., and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:

• License
• Long-form resume/Curriculum vitae (CV)
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
• Transcript

The following documents are accepted, and may be required if applicable to your eligibility and/or qualifications for this position. Please ensure you have included all documents required for your application, such as a copy of your transcript (if using education to qualify), SF-50's (current/former Federal employees), etc.

• Cover Letter
• License
• Long-form resume/Curriculum vitae (CV)
• Other (1)
• Professional Certification
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
• Transcript

Veterans' preference does not apply for internal or other current permanent Federal agency employees.

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