Hearing Instrument Specialist

Health Technician (Hearing Instrument Specialist)

This is an OPEN CONTINUOUS ANNOUNCEMENT and will remain open until May 25, 2026. Eligible applications received will be referred at regular intervals, every 2 weeks until position is filled.

The Health Technician (Hearing Instrument Specialist) (HIS) FLOAT position is located in the Audiology and Speech Pathology Service at the Viera VA Clinic. The incumbent is assigned to a primary duty station but will routinely cover at other sites in accordance with facility policy. The health technician supports the function of clinical programs in Audiology. The incumbent is a staff health technician (Audiology float) under the supervision of a GS-12 audiologist or above. Support functions of the Health Technician (HIS) include both direct patient care and administrative duties.

Direct patient care duties may include, but are not limited to the following:

• Greeting and escorting patients;
• Patient instruction and counseling on hearing loss or hearing aids either on an individual basis or in a group setting;
• Conducting hearing pass/fail screenings without interpretation;
• Immittance screening without interpretation;
• Non-diagnostic otoscopy;
• Taking earmold impressions;
• Hearing aid troubleshooting and repair;
• Providing basic hearing aid information for patients and caregivers consistent with the audiologist's treatment plan, including but not limited to, realistic expectations, communication strategies, and/or aural rehabilitation;
• Assisting in set up and delivery of face-to-face and telehealth visits by preparing the equipment for patient evaluation and other audiology procedures including, but not limited to daily biologic listening calibration of audiometric equipment and calibration of real-ear equipment;
• Performing listening checks on hearing aids;
• Electroacoustic analysis of devices;
• Pairing hearing aids and accessories via Bluetooth technology;
• Programming previously stored settings into hearing aids;
• Activating remote controls.
• Assisting patients through triaging phone calls and audiology requests with regards to priority and urgency, following the audiologist's plan of care.

Administrative duties may include, but are not limited to the following:

• Managing office supplies;
• Tracking loaner stock hearing aid inventory;
• Electronic ordering, verifying orders upon arrival to ensure components are present and working correctly;
• Scheduling appointments;
• Packaging and mailing hearing aids and accessories;
• Processing ROES transactions (e.g. certifying and issuing hearing aids, entering orders and repairs);
• Responding to routine inquiries from patients, including determining nature of hearing aid inquiry and responding to administrative questions;
• Assisting patients, visitors, and others requesting information;
• Management of infection control, patient safety, and clinical supplies for the audiology clinic;
• Maintenance of clean, disinfected instrumentation, equipment, and work surfaces in the audiology clinic, reprocessing reusable medical equipment based on facility policy according to Medical Center infection control procedures and reusable medical equipment policies.
• The incumbent is responsible for functional checks for audiometric test equipment daily.
• The technician maintains all non-patient care clinic records in accordance with service, medical center, and VA requirements, including, but not limited to calibration logs and work orders.
• The technician ensures that clinic records are current, and that reports/information are filed in a timely manner.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday; 8:00am - 4:30pm. Travel: You will be required to travel up to 25% of the time Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases. Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year) Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment, up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child. Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment, full time employees with a total family income below $144,000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66. Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement)

Requirements

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
• To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job.
• All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.
• 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. Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification 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.

Qualifications

Basic Requirements

• Citizenship. Be a citizen of the United States (U.S.). Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7407(a).
• English Language Proficiency. Health Technician (HIS) candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7403(f).
• Experience and Education.
  • Experience. Completion of the Department of Labor Apprenticeship Program for Hearing Aid Specialists; OR,
  • Education. Successful completion of two academic years above high school that includes coursework related to the field: hearing science, human anatomy and physiology, hearing instrument science, gerontology, psychology or other general healthcare areas.
• Licensure or Registration. Individuals must hold a full, current and unrestricted license or registration to practice as a HIS in a state, territory, commonwealth or the District of Columbia
• Board Certification. Individuals must hold active board certification from the National Board for Certification in Hearing Instrument Sciences (NBC-HIS).
• Exception for Non-Board Certified Health Technician (HIS). Non-board certified applicants who otherwise meet the eligibility requirements for appointment, may be given a temporary appointment as a graduate Health Technician (HIS) under the authority of 38 U.S.C. 7405(c)(2)(B).