Position Overview: The Lead Clinical Audiologist at ENTA is a highly trained professional and is 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. The Lead Clinical Audiologist maintains our audiology department equipment and offices, manages scheduling, works closely with the ENTA physicians and non-physician providers to stay up to date on latest audiology advancements, and sees patients for comprehensive diagnostic hearing evaluations.
Audiologists at ENTA must obtain and maintain a license to practice as an Audiologist in the state of Florida. To obtain this license, the Audiologist must have earned a Doctor of Audiology degree (AuD) from an accredited University or have been grandfathered into the Audiology profession after having previously earned a Master’s degree from an accredited University. Audiologists at ENTA are expected to have proficiency in working with and providing services to both our adult and pediatric populations. They often work in a team with other healthcare professionals including Otolaryngologists.
Supervision: The Lead Clinical Audiologist reports directly to ENTA’s Practice Administrator.
Flexibility: While this Job Description is meant to provide an overview of general and specific responsibilities of a Lead 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 Practice Administrator, and/or the Physician Liaison to Audiology.
Summary of General Duties: Clinical Audiologists at ENTA are primarily tasked with diagnosing and treating a patient’s hearing challenges using advanced technology and standardized medical procedures. This requires the Audiologist to utilize the training they acquired while earning a Doctor 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 procedures
- 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 have to be prepared to perform various clinical & professional Treatment services and have acquired talents that allow them to:
- Perform reliable diagnostic evaluations, including hearing testing, tympanometry, acoustic-stapedial reflex testing, oto-acoustic evaluations, reflex decay, and any special test procedures that are clinically appropriate.
- 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. This is especially true when a physician asks for a repeat hearing evaluation.
- Analyze the hearing, balance or other ear-related problems that are reported by a patient.
- Utilize their communication skills, professional awareness, and interpersonal skills to effectively discuss 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.
- Maintain patient records by timely recording and updating the patient’s evaluations, changes, progress, and treatments.
- 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 patient that they evaluate, with appropriate testing rationales and a complete explanation of results and a plan for each patient.
- Perform PQRS documentation, as necessary.
- Provide our Central Business Office with information to allow for the proper billing of diagnostic procedures
Lead Clinical Audiologist Leadership and Supervisory duties:
- Manages audiology staff including Cochlear Implant Audiologist and Baha/Cochlear Implant Coordinator which includes work allocation, training, and being available for staff needs; motivates employees to achieve peak productivity and performance
- Maintain and ensure clinical competence of all clinical audiologists on diagnostic audiology testing procedures
- Maintain and ensure scheduling for all clinical audiologists
- Direct communication to physicians on updated Clinical Audiology changes in the industry: updated research-based protocols, hearing solutions (surgical and non-surgical)
- Attendance of leadership meetings to provide Audiology-Specific Clinical departmental needs/suggestions/progress to ensure best practices within the clinics.
- Supply ordering
- 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.
- Attend regularly scheduled after-hours meetings and training sessions.
Lead Clinical Audiologist Professional duties:
- 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.
- Share with Practice Administrator any problems or concerns and any areas of possible improvement.
- Always represent ENTA in a professional, courteous, and respectful manner.
Physical Demands: Coordination, manual, and physical dexterity sufficient to properly and adequately use various items of medical test equipment and office equipment as required of the position. The job is not physically demanding but does require attention to detail and intense concentration. The emotional needs of patients and their families may be demanding. Audiologists ideally possess personality traits and attributes that contribute to an effective and efficient use of their College-acquired skills including: an excellent bedside manner; the ability to communicate well with their patients despite potential hearing issues; compassion and patience to make a patient feel comfortable; critical-thinking and problem-solving skills; and a detail-orientated personality with excellent record keeping skills.
- Our Audiologists usually work at a desk or table in clean, comfortable surroundings, but also must be prepared to provide services to patients with communicable disease processes. Responsibilities may also require the employee to travel between ENTA offices for support purposes. The employee must be capable of lifting up to 25 pounds while performing normal daily activities but should be aware that on occasion they might be asked to assist patients in and out of test booths.
Working Conditions: Clinical Audiologists at ENTA, utilizing their extensive training, ENTA-supplied test equipment and computers, and various technological devices currently available in the marketplace, are tasked with providing essential diagnostic and hearing aid services to a large single-specialty medical group practice. These services are provided in a normal medical office environment with regular interactions with Otolaryngologists. ENTA’s daily clinical environments though often require the Audiologist to deal with a high traffic volume of patients and stressful situations. This environment therefore requires the Clinical Audiologist to be able to think clearly; respond quickly; react in a professional manner; and to be able to perform multiple tasks simultaneously. Periodic training and administration workshops and meetings specific to Audiology are regularly scheduled. When scheduled, employees are expected to attend and participate.