Health Technician (Hearing Instrument Specialist)

Quick Facts

• Role: Health Technician (Hearing Instrument Specialist)

• Work setting: Audiology clinic; floats between multiple patient-care sites as needed

• Supervision: Works under the supervision of a GS-12+ staff audiologist

Description

The Health Technician (Hearing Instrument Specialist) provides hands-on audiology support for veteran patients by assisting with hearing aid and assisted listening/speech device cleaning, repair, troubleshooting, and modification. The role includes patient greeting/escorting, counseling on hearing loss and hearing-aid use, non-diagnostic otoscopy, earmold impressions, listening checks, electroacoustic analysis, and device programming/activation. The technician also supports audiologists with equipment setup for evaluations and helps triage patient calls based on priority and urgency.

Responsibilities

• Clean, repair, troubleshoot, and physically modify hearing aids and other assisted listening/speech devices

• Perform non-diagnostic otoscopy and assist with cerumen management/referrals for abnormalities

• Conduct hearing pass/fail screenings (without interpretation)

• Take earmold impressions

• Perform listening checks and electroacoustic analysis of devices

• Pair hearing aids and accessories via Bluetooth; program stored settings and activate remote controls

• Provide patient education on hearing loss, realistic expectations, communication strategies, and/or aural rehabilitation

• Assist with setup and delivery of face-to-face and telehealth visits; prepare equipment for audiology procedures

• Perform daily biologic listening calibration and functional checks for audiometric equipment; calibrate real-ear equipment (at GS-06)

• Triaging phone calls and audiology requests per the audiologist’s plan of care

• Perform clinic administrative duties: supplies, loaner stock inventory, electronic ordering, scheduling, shipping/packaging, infection control, and reprocessing reusable medical equipment

• Maintain documentation per policy and complete/cosign-ready procedure coding in the patient record

Requirements

• U.S. citizenship

• Proficiency in written and spoken English

• Completion of the Department of Labor Apprenticeship Program for Hearing Aid Specialists OR two years of post–high school education with related coursework

• Full, current, unrestricted HIS licensure/registration in a U.S. state/territory/commonwealth/DC

• Active board certification from NBC-HIS

• Subject to background/security investigation and VA onboarding requirements

• Pass pre-employment physical examination

• Participate in the seasonal influenza vaccination program

Benefits

A career with the U.S. government includes a comprehensive benefits package. Eligibility depends on the position and appointment schedule.