Health Technician (Audiology)

Summary

This Health Technician (Audiology) position is located in the Audiology and Speech Pathology Services at the VA Bedford Healthcare System, in Bedford, MA. This position is full time at 40 hours per week.

Duties

• The duties and responsibilities are to be carried out in all clinical and otherpatient care areas involved with the Audiology service. The health technician supports thefunction of the clinical programs in Audiology. The incumbent is under the supervision of the Chief of Audiology & Speech Pathology. Program goals and objectives are provided. The employee is responsible for planning and carrying out the assignment, resolving most of the conflicts that arise, coordinating the work with others as necessary and interpreting policy on own initiative in terms of established objectives. The employee is responsible for carrying out the assignment under the direct supervision of the supervising audiologist. Completed work is reviewed by the supervising audiologist. Primary responsibility is for patient care, supporting diagnostic and treatment procedures, patient charting and patient education, which do not require a full professional audiology education or knowledge and skills represented by audiology licensure. Support functions include both direct patient care and administrative duties. Direct patient care duties may include, but not limited to the following: Greeting and escorting patients; Patient instruction and counseling on hearing loss or hearing aids either on an individual basis or in a group setting; Conducting hearing pass/fail screenings without interpretation; Non-diagnostic otoscopy; Cerumen management; Taking earmold impressions; Hearing aid troubleshooting and repair; Providing basic hearing aid information for patients and caregivers; Performing listening checks on hearing aids; Electroacoustic analysis of devices; Pairing hearing aids and accessories via Bluetooth technology; Programming previously stored settings into hearing aids; Activating remote controls. The incumbent is responsible for ensuring timely and accurate documentation of all interactions, in the medical records and that all encounters are correctly documented using electronic medical record and computerized tracking and ordering functions via ROES. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 7:30am-4:00pm Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: F05927, F05928, F0579 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Notifications: Current federal employees must submit copies of their most recent non-award SF50 (notice of personnel action). The SF-50 must identify the position, title, series, grade, step, tenure and type of service (competitive or excepted). In some cases, more than one SF50 may be required to show a higher grade previously held. Narrative responses to the knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) may be required from the selectee in order to proceed with the appointment. This position is covered by locality-based comparability pay. Veterans' preference does not apply for internal or other current permanent Federal agency employees.

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: Be a citizen of the United States (U.S.). Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7407(a) 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 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. Loss of Credential. An employee in this occupation who fails to maintain the required certification identified for the HTA, GS-08 position must be removed from the assignment, which may also result in termination of employment. 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. 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. § 7402 (d). Grandfathering Provision: All individuals employed in VHA in this occupational series or in another occupational series performing the duties as described in the qualification standard on the effective date of the qualification standard (05/31/2021) are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the grade held including positive education and licensure/trademark/registration/certification. (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria). Grade Determinations: HTA, GS-04: Experience. None beyond the basic requirements. HTA, GS-05: Experience. One year of experience comparable to the next lower level (GS-04) which demonstrates the knowledge, skills and abilities related to the duties of the position to be filled. OR Education. Successful completion of four academic years above high school leading to a bachelor's degree with at least 24 semester hours in courses related to the position or a bachelor's degree in a major field of study appropriate to the functions of the occupation. AND Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, Abilities. In addition to meeting the experience or educational requirements for this grade level, the candidate must fully demonstrate the following KSAs: Knowledge of anatomy of the head and neck. Ability to communicate clearly orally and in writing. Knowledge of basic hearing assistive technologies. Knowledge of basic infection control procedures and guidelines. Ability to maintain stock and supply level inventories. Skill in using basic computer software such as email, spreadsheet and word processing. HTA, GS-06: Experience. Completion of one year of progressive experience and/or experience equivalent to the next lower grade level GS-05 directly related to the position being filled. AND Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: Knowledge of normal and abnormal ear anatomy. Knowledge of hearing physiology and function to educate patients and families. Knowledge of hearing aids, hearing assistive technology, hearing aid manufacturers and manufacturer software. Ability to solve problems or make decisions regarding hearing aid, hearing assistive technology and patient care, consistent with the documented and co-signed plan of care under the supervision of an audiologist. Ability to prepare patients for testing procedures. Ability to document and code patient procedures. 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-06. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-04 to GS-06.

Requirements

You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job. All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA. 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.

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/.

How to apply

All applicants are encouraged to apply online. To apply for this position, you must complete the full questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 09/24/2026 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13056360. To begin, click Apply Online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USA JOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire. Click Submit My Answers to submit your application package. NOTE: It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date.