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
• 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)
• HR office staff and management officials may verify a program's accreditation from ACAE at acaeaccred.org and CAA at caa.asha.org
• 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
• 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
• Failure to Obtain Licensure
• In all cases, the graduate audiologists must actively pursue obtaining the required licensure from the date of their appointment
• HR office staff will provide unlicensed audiologists with written requirements to obtain licensure, the date by which the license must be acquired and the consequences for not becoming licensed by the deadline
• Written notices must be provided prior to the entrance on duty date
• Failure to obtain the required credentials by the prescribed date will result in termination of employment
• Loss of Credential
• Management officials, in collaboration with HR Office staff must immediately relieve employees who fail to maintain the required licensure of the duties and responsibilities associated with this occupation which may also result in separation from employment
• Grandfathering Provision
• All individuals employed in VHA in this occupational series or in another occupational series performing the duties described in the qualification standard on the effective date of the qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the grade held, including positive education and licensure
• For employees who do not meet all the basic requirements of this standard but previously met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it, the following provisions apply: (1) Audiologists may be reassigned, promoted up to and including the full performance (journeyman) level or changed to a lower grade within the occupation, but may not be promoted beyond the journeyman level or placed in supervisory or managerial positions
• (2) Audiologists who are converted to title 38 hybrid status under this provision and 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
• (3) Audiologists who are appointed temporarily 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 meet the basic requirements of the standard
• (4) Audiologists initially grandfathered into this occupation, who subsequently obtain additional education and/or licensure/certification/registration that meet all the basic requirements of this qualification standard, must maintain the required credentials as a condition of employment in the occupation
• 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
• 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 Education/Experience
• None beyond the basic requirements
• GS-11 Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs)
• In addition to the basic requirements, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:(a) Knowledge of principles and techniques in the assessment and treatment of auditory and balance disorders.(b) Ability to perform functions associated with contemporary audiology scope of practice as defined by the American Academy of Audiology or the ASHA.(c) Ability to interact with patients, families, and other health care professionals
• 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 Education/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-12 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
• 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
• 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: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019.