This position is located in the Audiology service at Ralph H. Johnson Veteran Affairs Medical Center, in Charleston SC or its CBOCs and is part of the Physical Integrated Medicine Service line. Incumbent is a section chief for a service-level department in a large, complex, or multi- division facility. Incumbent has broad and overall responsibility for a service-level department, or its organizational equivalent in large, complex, or multi-division facilities.
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. (1) The Under Secretary of Health, or designee, may appoint a candidate without a license who will be assigned to a research, academic, or administrative position with no patient care responsibilities. In such instances, HR office staff can only appoint these candidates in exceptional circumstances where their credentials demonstrate high professional attainment or expertise in the specialty area. (2) All audiologists who perform compensation and pension examinations perform direct patient care duties and must possess a full, current, and unrestricted license to practice audiology and must meet the experience requirements under Section 2. D. See 38 C.F.R. § 4.85.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). Grandfathering Provision: Employees in VHA in this occupation, under a permanent, appropriate, and legal placement on the effective date of the qualification standard, are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the grade and/or assignment held, including positive education and licensure, where applicable. For employees who do not meet all the basic or assignment specific requirements in this standard, but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed, the following provisions apply: (1) Employees may be reassigned, promoted up to and including the full performance (journey) level, or be changed to a lower grade within the occupation, but may not be promoted beyond the journey level or be newly placed in supervisory or managerial positions. (2) Employees who are appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of the qualification standard may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed on a temporary or permanent basis until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standard. (3) Employees retained in this occupation under this provision who subsequently leave the occupation lose protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of re-entry to the occupation. (4) Employees initially grandfathered into this occupation, who subsequently obtain additional licensure that meets all the basic or assignment specific qualification requirements of this standard must maintain the required credential as a condition of employment in the occupation. (5) NOTE: This grandfathering provision is not intended to regularize appointments/ placements. Grade Determinations: Supervisory Audiologist, GS-14 Experience: At least three years of experience as a professional audiologist, with at least one year comparable to the next lower grade level, must fully meet the KSAs at that level. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs) In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: Skill in promoting collaboration to accomplish goals. Skill in translating management goals and objectives into efficient service operations. Skill in balancing operational resources to ensure appropriate delivery of service operations. Ability to supervise a diverse staff. Ability to effectively interact and collaborate with local, VISN and/or national leadership. Ability to establish and monitor productivity standards, production and performance priorities to achieve management goals and objectives. Preferred Experience: Supervisory Experience in Audiology. Incumbent functions as an independent practitioner for clinical responsibilities and is fully responsible for all clinical decisions under general oversight of the chief of staff or other delegated authority. For administrative and managerial responsibilities, the incumbent functions under the general direction of a chief of staff or person of equivalent organizational rank. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. Physical Requirements: This position requires potentially extended periods of continued walking, standing, and sitting.
Duties include but not limited to: A Supervisory Audiologist serves as a section chief for a service-level department in a large, complex, or multi-division facility. Incumbent has broad and overall responsibility for a service level department, or its organizational equivalent in a large, complex, or multi division facilities. Incumbent manages substantive parts of medical centers that deliver specialized, complex, professional services, and significantly impact the care provided to veterans. Incumbent has potential/responsibility for general supervision of clinical and /or training programs, and overall technical and administrative oversight for operations within the service. Education: a. Provides orientation/training of medical staff. b. Assists in orientation and training of new staff. c. Assists in the training and supervision of students, trainees, and fellows, providing feedback on progress toward established educational goals. d. Keeps current with theory and practice through continuing education programs, journals, textbooks, and other literature, and in-service programs. e. Provides patient and family education including informed consent. Administration: In carrying out the administrative duties and responsibilities of the position, incumbent: a. Develops, organizes, directs, manages, supervises, controls, and implements policies and procedures for complex service-level departments. b. Has overall responsibility for planning, assessing, and evaluating programs to ensure proper coordination between care delivered by the service and the overall delivery of health care within the facility. c. Makes decisions that affect subordinate section or assistant chiefs (if applicable), clinical, and clerical staff, and other resources associated with the department and are made with great autonomy. d. Has full responsibility for developing and directing educational and training programs; negotiating affiliation agreements with academic partners; and setting training objectives. e. Delegates responsibilities to subordinate section or assistant chiefs (if applicable), planning, and scheduling work; assigning work to employees; accepting, amending or rejecting completed work; assuring that production and accuracy requirements are met; appraising performance and recommending performance standards and ratings; assigning delineated clinical privileges; approving leave; and effecting all levels of disciplinary measures. f. Exercises supervision, administrative management and direction of both professional areas in a unified audiology service or equivalent service-level department, or administrative management and program direction of other rehabilitation-related areas. g. Shows potential ability to supervise, motivate, and manage effectively a diverse clinical staff applicable to a service-level department in a large, complex, or multi-division facility. h. Shows potential skill in assessing qualifications and abilities of current and prospective employees. I. Establishes and monitors productivity standards and production and performance priorities. J. Organizes work, sets priorities, delegates tasks and responsibilities. k. Manages and directs the work of others to accomplish program goals and missions. l. Accommodates to new and changing work conditions and contingencies. m. Translates management goals and objectives into well- coordinated and controlled service operations. Scope of Practice: The practice of audiology may include the following, but is not exclusive of: a. Promotion of hearing wellness, as well as the prevention of hearing loss and protection of hearing function by designing, implementing, and coordinating occupational hearing conservation programs. b. Activities that identify dysfunction in hearing, balance, and other auditory-related systems. c. Identification of populations and individuals with or at risk for hearing loss and other auditory dysfunction, balance impairments, tinnitus, and associated communication impairments as well as of those with normal hearing. d. The conduct and interpretation of behavioral, electro acoustic, and/or electrophysiological methods to assess hearing, auditory function, balance, and related systems. e. Evaluation and management of adults with auditory-related processing disorders. f. Cerumen management to prevent obstruction of the external ear canal and of amplification devices. g. Preparation of a report including interpreting data, summarizing findings, generating recommendations, and developing or modification of an audiological treatment/management plan. h. Referrals to other professions, agencies, and/ or consumer organizations. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 7:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. (work schedule is subject to change based on agency needs) Telework: Not available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 59706FRelocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized