Audiologist

Audiologist

Department: Department of Veterans Affairs

Location(s): Augusta, Georgia

Salary Range: $73939 - $115213 Per Year

Job Summary: This position is located in the Audiology and Speech Pathology Service at VA Augusta Health Care System (VAAHCS) in Athens, Georgia. The incumbent of this position conducts audiological assessment to determine a patient's need for amplification, predict effectiveness of amplification, determine need for and type of aural rehabilitation and counseling of the hearing-impaired Veteran and their family.

Major Duties:

• Major duties include but not limited to: The duties and responsibilities are carried out throughout the medical center, including all clinical and other patient care areas involved with the service and CBOCs. Patient Care: Providing audiological services to patients who reside in a large geographical area. Conducting assessment of social efficiency examinations, the results of which will be utilized in the assessment of hearing impairment for adjudication and medico-legal purposes. Counseling the veteran, and in some cases his/her family or other people responsible for his/her care, about the nature, degree and ramification of his/her hearing impairment. Performing special audiological procedures to assist in the differential diagnosis of auditory disorders. Directing services of remedial and sometime preventive nature which encompasses accurate selection and fitting of Electro-acoustic hearing aids; taking an impression of the outer portion of the ear for an ear mold; determination of need for special ear molds (such as vented, soft plastic, skeleton, acrylic, etc.) made necessary in case of allergic reaction, severe hearing loss, or other reasons; recommendation for procurement of special instruments such as desk amplifiers, telephone amplifiers, etc.; routine hearing aid inspection and repair where possible; recommendations for change in employment in those cases where hearing loss is progressive due to on-the-job high level noise exposure. Providing a comprehensive program of aural rehabilitation to those hearing-impaired patients with this type of clinical management is indicated. Assisting the Chief of Audiology and Speech Pathology Services in the instruction and supervision of students in audiology. Occasionally providing instructions for residents and interns who seek information related to audiology. Participating in research activities pertinent to clinical audiology. Administrative Functions: Using knowledge in a focused area of contemporary audiology practices. Following applicable informed consent, HIPPA rules on privacy and protecting patient rights. Work Schedule: 8:00am - 4:30pm, Monday - Friday. Telework: Not Available. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 60057F, 60058F. Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized. Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized.

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: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy. 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. NOTE: Effective January 1, 2007, the CAA in Audiology and 3 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. Exception for Non-Licensed Audiologist. (a) 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). (b) Non-Licensed individuals shall only provide care under the supervision of a fully licensed audiologists at or above the full performance level. (c) Non-Licensed individuals may only be appointed at the entry level and may not be promoted/converted to the GS-12 grade level until licensure is obtained. (d) Temporary appointments of non-Licensed audiologists may not be extended beyond two years or be converted to a new temporary appointment. 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: In addition to the basic requirements for employment, candidates must meet the following grade-determining criteria for appointments at grade levels specified. GS-11 (1) Education. None beyond the basic requirements. (2) Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs). In addition to the basic requirements, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: (a) Knowledge of project-specific clinical and research literature to assess the current state of the research and identify areas that require additional research. (b) Ability to apply basic scientific methods, basic research design, and statistics to conduct research. (3) Assignment. Employees at this grade level serve in a research audiologist entry-level developmental position. Research audiologists serve as research assistants. They conduct research under the direct supervision of principal investigators or co-principal investigators of higher-grade levels.(3) Assignment. Employees at this grade level serve in audiologist entry-level developmental positions. Audiologists perform audiology assessment and treatment intervention, exercise clinical judgment, adapt clinical procedures and techniques, and document in the medical record appropriate information related to patient care. GS-12 (1) 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. (2) Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs). In addition to the KSAs required at the full performance level, the following KSAs are required: (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. (3) Assignment. This is the full performance level for staff audiologists. 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. Preferred Experience: None 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:

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 12/16/2025 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12839473. 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.

Application Deadline: 2025-12-16