Clarification from the agency

This announcement is limited to current permanent employees of the Minneapolis VA Health Care System, current permanent VA Nationwide employees, and current/upcoming VHA HPT Graduates. If you are not in any of these categories, you should apply under the external announcement number CBSY-12843063-26-HMP.

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**NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this occupational series. For more information, refer to Required Documents below.**

Principal Duties and Responsibilities:

• Diagnoses audiologic disorders, conducts audiologic or neuro-audiologic assessments, treats auditory disorders through various modalities and provide adjunctive interventions for the treatment of medical disorders.
• Consults with medical center staff on various patient care issues.
• May be involved in program evaluation, teaching, training, and research activities.
• Among the modalities provided are individual, family and group audiologic rehabilitation.

Assess the nature, type, and severity of hearing/communication/vestibular disorders:

• Identifies and evaluates individuals with hearing disorders in the reception and perception of speech, language, and other acoustic signals.
• Administers the full range of tests including auditory evoked potentials, videonystagmography, tinnitus, and balance assessment; evaluates the type and degree of hearing loss.
• Administers compensation and pension evaluations and provides an expert opinion regarding etiology of auditory dysfunctions as needed.

Recommends remedial measures to mitigate hearing loss:

• Responsible for direct services of a remedial and preventative nature. The services encompass the following: selection, evaluation and fitting of hearing aids, assistive listening devices, and accessories; and issuance of hearing protection.
• Plans, conducts, and coordinates auditory (aural) rehabilitation, tinnitus and/or vestibular rehabilitation programs for patients;
• Designs patient-centered treatment plans to assist patient and caregivers to maximize and restore to the greatest extent possible physical and social functioning.
• Designs, monitors, and conducts a comprehensive hearing conservation program for employees at risk for noise exposure.

Counsels patients and family members regarding management of hearing communication, and vestibular disorders:

• Counsels patients family and other health care providers on hearing loss, hearing loss management and provides patient educational resources.
• Serves as a consultant to other facility personnel involving the most difficult and complex cases.

Provides professional advice and consultation in areas related to professional audiology to other health care professionals:

• Serves as consultant 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.

Independently applies professional contemporary audiology treatments to the full range of patient populations:

• Applies clinical skills in such areas as hearing conservation, electrophysiological assessment and interpretation, central auditory function assessment and treatment, counseling for coping with tinnitus, and analysis and fitting of advanced amplification technology.
• Applies knowledge, theories, and techniques to a full range of complex adult patients.
• Applies knowledge of embryology; genetics; pharmacology; basic physiology/disease processes; the effects of high intensity noise on the auditory mechanism.

Work Schedule: Intermittent employment is defined as non-fulltime employment in which employees serve under an excepted or competitive service appointment without a regularly scheduled tour of duty. A position with an intermittent work schedule is sporadic and unpredictable so that a tour of duty cannot be regularly scheduled in advance.
Telework: Ad-Hoc only
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 000000
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 dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Must pass pre-employment physical examination.
• 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

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

a. United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.

b. 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). 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.
3. 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.

c. 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: 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. § 7405(c)(2).

d. English Language Proficiency: Audiologist candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f). 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:

GS-11 Audiologist
Education: None beyond the basic requirements.

AND

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs): In addition to the basic requirements, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:

1. Knowledge of principles and techniques in the assessment and treatment of auditory and balance disorders.
2. Ability to perform functions associated with contemporary audiology scope of practice as defined by the American Academy of Audiology or the ASHA.
3. Ability to interact with patients, families, and other health care professionals.

GS-12 Audiologist
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, GS-11. Comparable experience includes, but is not limited to: performing audiology assessments and treatment interventions, exercising clinical judgment, adapting clinical procedures and techniques, and documenting in the medical record appropriate information related to patient care.

AND

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

1. Skill in determining nature, type, and severity of hearing/communication/vestibular disorders.
2. Skill in counseling patients and family members regarding management of hearing/communication/vestibular disorders.
3. Ability to provide professional advice and consultation in areas related to professional audiology to other health care professionals.
4. 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: You will be asked to participate in a pre-employment examination or evaluation as part of the pre-employment process for this position. Questions about physical demands or environmental factors may be addressed at the time of evaluation or examination. Incumbent will be required to complete a driving physical.

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.