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
• 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
• Certification
• Certification by the Council for Accreditation in Occupational Hearing Conservation (CAOHC) as a Certified Occupational Hearing Conservationist (COHC) is required for the HTA, GS-08 assignment only
• 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 by38 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: HTA, GS-07 Experience
• Completion of one year of progressive experience and/or experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-6) directly related to the position being filled
• This is demonstrated by having working knowledge of normal and abnormal ear anatomy
• Working knowledge of hearing physiology and function to educate patients and families
• Working knowledge of hearing aids, hearing assistive technology, hearing aid manufacturers and manufacturer software
• Solving problems or making 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
• Preparing patients for testing procedures
• Documenting and coding patient procedures
• Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs)
• In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: (a)Ability to mentor and train new HTAs
• (b)Ability to prepare patients for advanced testing procedures performed by the audiologist, such as evoked potentials
• (c)Ability to develop and implement the technician role for a program in a focused area of audiology
• Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/
• 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.