Job Description

Audiology Health Technician - Minneapolis, MN VAMC 

If interested please email your resume, BLS, and License and/or (NBC-HIS) to Erin Gillespie, EGillespie@solvet.com

Places of Performance: One Veterans Drive, Minneapolis, MN 55417 OR Twin Ports CBOC, 3520 Tower Avenue, Superior WI 54880

Expected Schedules: Full-Time; 40 hrs per week

• Minneapolis Tours of Duty: Monday - Friday: 07:30 – 16:00 OR Tuesday - Saturday: 07:30 – 16:00 Note: The daily tour of duty includes a 30 minute unpaid lunch break. Tours will be subject to change based on coverage needs.
• Superior Tour of Duty: Monday - Friday: 07:30 – 16:00 Note: The daily tour of duty includes a 30 minute unpaid lunch break. Tours will be subject to change based on coverage needs.

Qualifications:

• License: State License from Any State OR
• National Board for Certification in Hearing Instrument Sciences (NBC-HIS) 
• Basic Life Support Certification (BLS) must be through American Heart Association
• Must be able to pass government background screening to include criminal and professional history

Job Duties:

Hearing aid education/maintenance:

1. Responsible for taking accurate ear mold impressions, preparing the mold for shipping, and mailing the ear mold together with the hearing aid order to the vendor. The technician is responsible for tracking hearing aid orders and communicating with vendors to ensure they are received. When is determined that a hearing aid will be delayed, s/he proactively makes appropriate phone contacts to resolve the issue.
2. When hearing aids are delivered (daily) to the clinic, the technician is responsible for certifying the hearing aids and checking the hearing aids to ensure that all ordered components are present and that the hearing aids and/or accessories are ready to be issued.
3. Instructs the client in the proper maintenance, cleaning, and use of hearing aids and/or assisted listening devices (amplified phones, TV devices, etc.). S/he is responsible for documenting the patient education in the medical record.

Hearing aid repairs:

1. Responsible for routine repairs of hearing aids. During the day-to-day routine s/he may meet with veterans on a one-to-one basis in an outpatient or in-patient setting in order to solve hearing aid problems. Provides primary level troubleshooting and repair for veterans who are experiencing hearing aid problems. Services commonly provided by the technician include the evaluation of a hearing aid’s function and physical fit, changing of batteries, removal of stuck batteries, cleaning of electrical contacts, changing of wax traps, replacing ear mold tubing, modifications of the physical hearing aid shape, and counseling the veteran in the proper usage and methods of care for the instrument. All interactions are properly documented in the form of clinical progress notes. Responsible for performing otoscopic examinations to determine if cerumen management is necessary.
2. When a hearing aid needs to be sent in for repair, the incumbent utilizes the Remote Order/Entry System (ROES) in order to prepare the proper paperwork, wraps the hearing aid, and ships it. Makes appropriate entries in the clinic’s record tracking system in order to ensure that the aid is properly tracked. S/he then either mails the hearing aid to the veteran when it returns; sometimes first re-programming the aid back to previous settings if the settings were lost during repair.
3. As part of the repair responsibility, evaluates the operation of Assistive Listening Devices (ALD’s). The technician determines if the ALD is working properly and performs routine repairs as can be done. When needed the ALD is sent in for repair. When the incumbent finds skill or knowledge deficits, s/he provides specific training or patient education and documents it in the patient record.
4. Data, equipment, environment and supply management:
5. Performs data management functions that are critical to the delivery of audiology services. In addition to those computerized tracking and ordering functions described below, these functions also include following up on the EARR reports to ensure that all encounters and workload are captured and appropriately documented. The management of all stock hearing aids, batteries, ALDs, ear mold orders, and accessories of both VA and NON-VA CARE devices, inventory and repairs are the responsibility of this staff member. All ROES entries, errors, certifications and issues are the responsibility of this employee, in partnership with coworkers.
6. The technician is responsible for monitoring supplies and maintaining an adequate supply of materials to meet clinic needs. To do so may require phone or computer correspondence with SPD, Vetmart, and multiple hearing aid vendors

Cerumen Management:

1. Responsible for cerumen management every evening and during Saturday clinics. Proper training is provided by the nurse, and the technician is aware of the proper techniques for minor cerumen management using suction. The technician will properly and independently refer patients to ENT if cerumen impaction cannot be easily removed and/or if medical issues contradict the removal of cerumen.
2. Responsible for cleaning and preparing the equipment for sterilization as noted in the protocol.
3. The incumbent is responsible for communicating with veterans in the education of proper ear hygiene. The technician properly documents all cerumen management encounters in reports and communicates as needed with the Audiologist.

Other Duties:

1. The incumbent may be required to do a variety of previously unforeseen tasks in order to assist with the smooth function of the Audiology clinic.
2. May need to assist Audiologists in getting heavy patients into the booth.
3. May be asked to call patients in order to move them into other clinics when sick calls occur. This may include use of the scheduling features in VISTA in order to properly reschedule patients.
4. Routinely required to go to the ward to see in-patients that cannot be transported down to the Audiology clinic. The incumbent’s expertise is required in order to quickly fix or repair the in-patients hearing aid so that they can understand family members and Physicians.
5. Assist as needed with tele-audiology delivery, including health technician level provision of care across the following modalities: telephone call, secure message, video-telehealth, and synchronous and asynchronous tele-health.
6. Documentation: All required documentation of patient care must be completed in CPRS as follows: clinic notes and encounters must be completed on clinic day.

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