Audiologist

Published: 6/14/2022

Healthcare

Job Description

Position Overview: The Clinical Audiologist at Ear, Nose, & Throat Associates (ENTA) is a medical professional who works with people who have hearing, balance, and related ear problems. Audiologists provide services to prevent, diagnose, evaluate, and treat communication disorders. The services performed by the Clinical Audiologist in ENTA’s Audiology Department include, but are not limited to, providing diagnostic testing and evaluation services.

Reports to: Clinical Audiologists report directly to the ENTA’s Practice Administrator.

Flexibility: While this Job Description is meant to provide an overview of general and specific responsibilities of a Clinical Audiologist, ENTA Management reserves the right to make changes, adjustments and revisions, as needed, to this document and will coordinate such modifications with the Lead Audiologist, the Practice Administrator, and/or the Physician Liaison to Audiology.

Periodic training and administration workshops and meetings specific to Audiology are regularly scheduled. When scheduled, employees are expected to attend and participate.

Summary of General Duties: Clinical Audiologists at ENTA are primarily tasked with diagnosing and treating a patient’s hearing and balance problems using advanced technology and standardized medical procedures. This requires the Audiologist to utilize the training they acquired while earning a Doctor of Audiology or Masters of Audiology degree to interact with patients and other professionals in various and often dynamic clinical environments in a manner that benefits our patients. The Clinical Audiologist at ENTA generally spends a majority of their workday performing and interpreting diagnostic procedure. In addition to their University-based training, the Audiologist in an effort to best develop proper and professional plans of action for each individual patient, must acquire and regularly utilize throughout their work day their clinical judgments developed from previous experiences, their knowledge of test procedures, their interpersonal skills, and their ability to apply and/or modify test and standardized procedures as necessary.

Summary of Specific Duties: Clinical Audiologists at ENTA are highly trained professionals and are therefore expected to maintain a higher professional standard than other employees. We expect our Audiologists to be able to work independently, be prepared to work outside of traditional work hours as necessary for clinical demands, and to take “ownership” in whatever office they are providing services. Clinical Audiologists must be prepared to perform various clinical & professional services and have acquired talents that allow them to:

· Perform reliable diagnostic evaluations, including hearing testing, tympanometry, acoustic-stapedial reflex testing, oto-acoustic evaluations, and any special test procedures that are clinically appropriate to both adult and pediatric populations.

· Analyze the hearing, balance or other ear-related problems that are reported by a patient.

· Select and administer the appropriate diagnostic procedures for each patient based on age and performance ability. For difficult-to-test patients, the Audiologist might be required to use their clinical judgments to modify and individually apply appropriate assessment tools.

· After helping to obtain an accurate diagnosis, assist in determining any appropriate referral or follow-up for their patients.

· Document every diagnostic procedure performed in NOAH (ENTA’s Audiology-based software) and in ENTA’s EMR system.

· Write thorough and timely reports for every Medicare patient that they evaluate, with appropriate testing rationales and a complete explanation of results and a plan for each patient.

· Provide our Central Business Office with information to allow for the proper billing of diagnostic procedures

· Utilize their communication skills, professional awareness, and interpersonal skills to discuss effectively their interpretation of the test results with patients and their families and be able to explain to the patient and their families the various rehabilitative options available including hearing aids and assistive listening devices.

· Inform patients and their families on various communicative strategies when speaking with an individual with hearing impairment.

· Effectively communicate results and plan of action with the referring physician and other professionals who are also working with a patient.

· Develop clinical competence in BAHA/Osia/Ponto and Cochlear Implant discussions

· Maintain patient records by timely recording and updating the patient’s evaluations.

· Take “ownership” of the office that they are working in, by regularly communicating with each physician and the other staff members, insuring a positive experience for our patients.

· Independently obtain CEU credits sufficient to maintain their Florida state Audiology license.

· Remain up-to-date in their professional knowledge by tracking trends in new techniques and approaches; participating in educational opportunities; reading professional publications; maintaining personal networks; and participating in professional organizations.

· Continually remain informed about and make concerted efforts to stay in compliance with professional standards and adhere to federal, state, and local regulations.

· Attend annual OSHA training.

· Proactively help to achieve organizational goals by accepting ownership for accomplishing new and different requests and exploring opportunities that add value to ENTA as a whole.

· Attend regularly scheduled after-hours meetings and training sessions.

· Provide proper care for departmental equipment including annual calibration.

· Share with the Lead Audiologist or Practice Administrator any problems or concerns and any areas of possible improvement.

· Always represent ENTA in a professional, courteous, and respectful manner.