The night-time polysomnography technician (PSGT) will perform sleep-related procedures within scope of practice by the board of registered polysomnographic technologists (BRPT). Expertise in durable medical equipment, including mask fitting, trouble-shooting equipment, programming, and accessing modem or SD card data is required. He/she maintains skills in new technology, standards, and procedures instituted in the field of Sleep Medicine. Assists in maintaining equipment to keep the Sleep Lab.

Duties

The polysomnography technologist will perform overnight attended sleep studies at the Sacramento VA Sleep Center. The polysomnography technologist must have the ability to work independently without direct supervision while recording physiologic data during nocturnal polysomnography or daytime testing. Must be able to properly prepare patients for all types of studies and accurately perform bio calibration and machine calibration. The technologist has the immediate responsibility for monitoring the safety of patients in the lab, some of which are vulnerable to life threatening cardiac and/or pulmonary emergencies. The technologist must be able to recognize these emergencies, provide competent care and call 911 in the event of a medical emergency. He/ She must be competent in basic life support and operation of the AED. Prior to performing each sleep study, the technologist must review patient's medical history and physician's notes and orders in the patient's chart. After the study, writes a brief note describing the procedure and outcome in the patient's chart. Major duties include, but are not limited to the following: Collect, analyze and integrate patient information in order to identify and meet the patient-specific needs(physical/mental limitations, current emotional/physiological status regarding the testing procedure, pertinent medical/social history). Determine final testing parameters/procedures in conjunction with the ordering physician or supervisor and clinical director and laboratory protocols. Review the patient's history and verify the medical order. Follow sleep center protocols related to the sleep study and HIPAA and privacy policies. When patient arrives, verify identification, collect documents and obtain consent for the study. Explain the procedure and orient the patient for either in center or home sleep apnea testing. Provide age appropriate patient education. Participate in the quality assurance program. Inspect and maintain sleep study related equipment and inventory. Assist the medical directors, supervisor and the lead technician in all aspects of sleep center operations. Other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Full-Time (80 hours/2-week pay period). Rotating shifts Mon-Sun, 8:30pm-7:00am.. Telework: Not available. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Title/Functional Statement #:Med Instr Tech (Polysomn)/PD000000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Qualifications

Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met. 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. See the grade requirements part of this standard for information regarding educational substitutions. 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. Registration is offered by the Board of Registered Polysomnographic Technologists (BRPT). For all specialties identified in this standard, Basic and Advanced Cardiac Life Support certifications are desirable. Training which does not result in official certification does not meet this definition. English Language Proficiency: Medical Instrument Technicians must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with chapter 2, section D, paragraph 5a, this part. Preferred Experience: RPSGT with 3-4 year experience Grade Determinations: GS-4 Medical Instrument Technician (Trainee) 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: Knowledge of basic medical terminology. Ability to learn the components, operating characteristics, and settings of the equipment to be used. Ability to learn typical patient reactions to the basic procedures involved and ability to recognize signs of distress. Ability to learn the standard positions for the procedure being conducted. Ability to communicate orally and in writing. GS-5 Medical Instrument Technician (Trainee) 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: Knowledge of standard medical terminology to interpret physician orders or instructions. Knowledge of common physical disabilities and ability to position patients for the examination or treatment. Ability to learn the normal and abnormal results for routine procedures to recognize and report obvious abnormalities. Ability to operate the equipment to administer routine/standard diagnostic treatment or procedures. Ability to perform standard operator maintenance on the equipment including the ability to disassemble, clean, reassemble, and calibrate the machine. GS-6: 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:(b) Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities 1. Knowledge of standard, computerized polysomnographs for recording continuous all night physiological data including EEG, EOG, EKG, EMG and respiratory parameters. 2. Knowledge of standard devices such as oximeters, respiratory effort devices, nasal pressure devices, thermistors, thermocouples, continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machines, and laboratory computers including the ability to calibrate and operate the equipment and recognize and eliminate recording artifacts. 3. Knowledge of medical terminology and medical record organization to review medical records, sleep study orders, consent forms, medical charts, etc. 4. Knowledge of polysmnographic procedural protocols (including overnight sleep studies, MSLT, MWT, PAP, etc.). 5. Knowledge of basic anatomy and physiology and the international 10-20 electrode placement system in order to conduct the sleep studies. GS-7 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. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities 1. Knowledge of CPAP function and operation to select and fit appropriate PAP patient interface devices. 2. Ability to independently titrate and document PAP level to achieve therapeutic goals. 3. Knowledge of indications, complications, and contraindications of CPAP therapy. 4. Knowledge of Bi-Level pressure titrations. 5. Ability to recognize changes seen during the PSG tracing and identify all stages of sleep. This includes the ability to score and analyze sleep stages in clinical polysomnography recordings. GS-8 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 a knowledge of the more complex procedures as well as knowledge of the uncommon and/or rare sleep disorders.In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities 1. Advanced knowledge or the International Classification of Sleep Disorders and the ability to recognize uncommon and/or rare sleep disorders. 2. Ability to summarize and report polysomnographic data in narrative form. 3. Knowledge of event characteristics (e.g., respiratory, cardiac, sleep stage, seizures, etc.) and ability to take appropriate action. 4. Ability to provide briefings and orientation to hospital staff including physicians. References: VA HANDBOOK 5005/15 PART II APPENDIX G27 The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-08. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-04 to GS-08 . Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019. This position requires to undergo a pre-employment medical examination/physical, TB test and other related other medical related requirements.

Education

IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

Contacts

• Address VA Northern California Health Care System 10535 Hospital Way Mather, CA 95655 US
• Name: Havel Respes
• Phone: 415-221-4810 X23728
• Email: [email protected]