Summary

The VA Central Iowa Health Care System is recruiting for 1 full-time Medical Instrument Technician (Echocardiography).

Qualifications

Basic Requirements:

• United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy
• Education
• There are no specific educational requirements for this occupation
• Education may be substituted for experience only at the GS-4 and GS-5 levels
• Licensure or Certification
• Licensure or Certification is not required for this occupation
• however - it is strongly desirable at GS-6 or above as evidence of possession of the essential knowledge - skills - and abilities
• English Language Proficiency
• Medical Instrument Technicians must be proficient in spoken and written English
• May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria)
• Grade Determinations: GS-4 Medical Instrument Technician Experience
• At least 1 year of experience comparable to the next lower grade level which demonstrates the knowledge - skills - abilities - and other characteristics related to the duties of the position to be filled
• Six months of this experience may have been in medically related fields such as nursing assistant - practical nursing - or similar fields
• The remaining six months must have been in operating diagnostic and therapeutic equipment covered by this occupation
• Experience gained in the operation of equipment for animal diagnosis or treatment may be credited at this level
• In addition - the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: OR - Education
• Successful completion of two years of education above high school or an associate's degree with a major field of study directly related to the medical instrument technician occupation
• Demonstrated Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities 1
• Knowledge of basic medical terminology
• 2
• Ability to learn the components - operating characteristics - and settings of the equipment to be used
• 3
• Ability to learn typical patient reactions to the basic procedures involved and ability to recognize signs of distress
• 4
• Ability to learn the standard positions for the procedure being conducted
• 5
• Ability to communicate orally and in writing
• GS-5 Medical Instrument Technician Experience
• At least 1 year of experience comparable to the next lower grade level which demonstrates the knowledge - skills - abilities - and other characteristics related to the duties of the position to be filled
• This would be experience in operating equipment related to the particular specialization for which application is made or in related functional areas
• Experience gained in the operation of equipment for animal diagnosis or treatment may be credited through this grade level
• In addition - the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: OR - Education
• Successful completion of 4 academic years above high school leading to a bachelor's degree with courses related to the occupation - or a bachelor's degree in a major field of study appropriate to medical instrument technician functions
• Demonstrated Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities 1
• Knowledge of standard medical terminology to interpret physician orders or instructions
• 2
• Knowledge of common physical disabilities and ability to position patients for the examination or treatment
• 3
• Ability to learn the normal and abnormal results for routine procedures to recognize and report obvious abnormalities
• 4
• Ability to operate the equipment to administer routine/standard diagnostic treatment or procedures
• 5
• Ability to perform standard operator maintenance on the equipment including the ability to disassemble - clean - reassemble - and calibrate the machine
• GS-6 Medical Instrument Technician (Echocardiography) Experience
• At least 1 year of experience comparable to the next lower grade level which demonstrates the knowledge - skills - abilities - and other characteristics related to the duties of the positions to be filled
• In addition - the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: Demonstrated Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities 1
• Knowledge of the anatomy and physiology of the heart and great vessels
• 2
• Knowledge of cardiac arrhythmias and their relationship to hemodynamic conditions of the cardiac cycle
• 3
• Knowledge of basic cardiac ultrasound physics and the acoustic mechanisms by which high quality cardiac images are obtained
• 4
• Ability to set up and adjust the ultrasound equipment to meet the conditions of the examination and the patient and to operate the equipment for standardized - routine procedures
• 5
• Ability to interact with patients explaining procedures and positioning the patient for the procedure
• GS-7 Medical Instrument Technician (Echocardiography) Experience
• At least 1 year of experience comparable to the next lower grade level which demonstrates the knowledge - skills - abilities - and other characteristics related to the duties of the positions to be filled
• This would be experience which provided the individual with the knowledge - skills - and abilities to independently conduct difficult but standardized echocardiographic examinations
• In addition - the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: Demonstrated Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities 1
• Ability to scan transthoracic echocardiograms in all views with colorflow and some Doppler
• 2
• Ability to conduct cardiac testing to determine the severity and variety of cardiac problems - i.e. - valvular dysfunction - myocardial wall kinesia - effusions - endocardial lesions - etc
• 3
• Knowledge of the set-up for transesophageal echocardiograms
• 4
• Ability to set up and adjust the ultrasound equipment to meet the conditions of the examination and the patient and to operate the equipment for more complex - but standardized procedures
• GS-8 Medical Instrument Technician (Echocardiography) Experience
• At least 1 year of experience comparable to the next lower grade level which demonstrates the knowledge - skills - abilities - and other characteristics related to the duties of the positions to be filled
• This would be experience which provided the overall knowledge - skills - and abilities to conduct diagnostic echocardiography examinations in complex and unusual cases
• In addition - the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: Demonstrated Knowledge - Skills and Abilities 1
• Ability to produce diagnostic quality images and Doppler frequency shift recordings using M-mode - two-dimensional - pulsed and continuous wave Doppler spectral display - and colorflow Doppler imaging
• 2
• Knowledge of normal echocardiographic findings and deviations produced by a wide variety of cardiovascular diseases
• 3
• Ability to perform complex procedures such as cardiac studies of the four chambers of the heart and valves using sector scanning techniques to detect stenotic and incompetent valves - chamber enlargement - and pericardial effusion and cardiovascular studies deriving pressure gradients across obstructed valves - etc
• 4
• Ability to perform complementary ultrasonic examinations (including noninvasive) transthoracic - Bubble studies and contrast echocardiography - (invasive) stress echocardiography - and transesophageal echocardiography
• 5
• Ability to adapt transducer positioning - instrument controls - and examination techniques to the individual patient being studied and the problem being evaluated including recognizing pertinent abnormalities and documenting abnormal findings
• Reference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/
• The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-8. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-4 to GS-8. Physical Requirements
• You will be asked to participate in a pre-employment examination or evaluation as part of the pre-employment process for this position
• Questions about physical demands or environmental factors may be addressed at the time of evaluation or examination.

Duties

• Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional The VA Midwest Health Care Network advocates for a Whole Health System of care in each of the Medical Centers
• This is an approach to healthcare that empowers and equips people to take charge of their health and well-being and live their lives to the fullest
• As an employee operating in a Whole Health System of care - you will operate in a model with three core elements - seeking to create a personalized health plan for each Veteran
• This is done in the context of healing relationships and healing environments and a connection back to the Veteran's community
• This aligns with the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Mission Statement to Honor America's Veterans by providing exceptional health care that improves their health and well-being
• Echocardiography technicians identify and record anomalies indicative of disease - injury or other medically significant condition from ultrasound imaging and simultaneous recordings of the Doppler
• They incorporate the causes and results of a variety of symptoms and conditions into a plan of ultrasonic diagnostic examination
• They change and develop sounding techniques to accommodate such variables as limited patient mobility - variation in physical condition or dimension of the patient - presence of prosthesis or foreign objects and ultrasonic response of different body parts
• They produce diagnostic quality images and Doppler frequency recordings using M-Mode - 2- dimensional and Doppler ultrasound
• The incumbent works in the Cardiology Section of the Primary/Specialty service of the VAMC
• The sonographer has the intimate knowledge of thoracic anatomy and physiology as related to cardiovascular function
• The technique is extremely operator dependent and the examination process is complex
• The cardiac sonographer must use independent judgement in applying knowledge of clinical cardiology and ultrasound and Doppler principles
• The sonographer must use problem solving skills to optimize the evaluation and adjust the exam to ensure that it is comprehensive and accurate
• The sonographer records and interprets the results of the exam and presents information and/or possible diagnosis to interpreting physician
• Failure to integrate such data may lead to inaccurate exam and erroneous clinical interpretation
• The incumbent performs 2-D - 3-D - heart model - M-Mode - continuous wave and pulse wave Doppler and color flow exams
• Performs Transthoracic (TTE) examinations
• Operates echo equipment for Transesophageal Echo (TEE) - as well as set up tray - including for contrast injections - for TEE - as well as operate equipment during procedure
• Starts IVs and injects imaging agent and agitated saline for bubble studies
• Performs stress echocardiograms with and without pharmaceuticals
• Assists physician in the interpretation and/or results of the exam
• Receives patients - explains procedures and performs exam
• Independently setting - calibrating and operating machinery
• Has full understanding of the acquisition - storing and retrieval of all studies through the PACS cardiology system
• Performs routine clerical procedures for the purpose of maintaining accurate records - so that easy recall of patient exams may be achieved
• This requires patient notification - procedure logs - editing studies and operation of the PACS digital system
• Per hospital policy - incumbent will have BCLS certification
• Per National Directive - incumbent will be ACLS certified
• This position does require coverage to the CBOCs weekly
• If incumbent is dual trained (echo/vascular) - cross coverage may be requested
• Basic Cardiac Life Support (BCLS) and Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) certifications are desirable
• Work Schedule: Monday-Friday - 7:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m
• Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not authorized 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) 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) Telework: Not available Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized