As part of the Health Care Team, the Medical Instrument Technician (Polysomnography) provides diagnostic and therapeutic Cardiopulmonary Care to the Veterans. Responsible in assisting the Supervisor, Cardiopulmonary Services to assure timely ordering, delivery and stocking of all parts and supplies required by Sleep Medicine Clinic. The position also recommends changes in the Sleep Medicine Clinic to improve services and patient care.

Duties

Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 8:00am to 4:30pm Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 40718A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required The Medical Instrument Technician will be responsible in assisting the Supervisor, Cardiopulmonary Services for updating manuals and procedures and recommending policies, which will keep Sleep Medicine Clinic up to date. The Medical Instrument Technician will report progress and resolution of problems in achieving goals and objectives to the Supervisor, Cardiopulmonary Services. The position will assist the Supervisor, Cardiopulmonary Services in planning and implementing effective educational programs for in services, orientation, continuing education, and other personnel training in the Sleep Medicine Clinic. The position participates in the training of Sleep Medicine Staff, Medical Students, House Staff, Nursing Staff, other Medical Center personnel, and patients. Duties of the position include, but are not limited to: Provides care based on physical, psychosocial, educational, safety, and related criteria, appropriate to the age of the patients served in his/her assigned area (i.e. adult and geriatric patient populations). Knowledge of human growth and development. Ability to assess and interpret age specific data and provide age specific care; communication skills necessary to interpret age specific response to treatment. Ability to involve family/significant others in decision making related to plan of care. Responsible in performing diagnostic Polysomnographic studies, split night studies, CPAP/Bi-Level ventilation/oxygen titration studies, Multiple Sleep Latency Tests (MSLT), and the Maintenance of Wakefulness Test (MWT). This includes patient hookup, Polysomnography, equipment/computer setup and interface, troubleshooting, analysis, the application of therapeutic modalities, and scoring of Polysomnographic studies. Responsible in assisting the Supervisor, Cardiopulmonary Services to assure Quality Improvement in Sleep Lab. Communication and interpersonal relations, including the ability to appropriately and courteously relate to internal and external customers. Maintenance of confidentiality of patients/employee information, electronic and printed. The Medical Center performance improvement program. Age-specific care, as identified in the Age-Specific Competencies (See Age Specific Competencies Checklist), including knowledge of changes associated with aging and principles of growth and development relevant to the adult and Generic age groups; ability to assess and interpret data about the patient's status; and ability to identify age-specific needs and provide the appropriate care based upon the age-related factors noted. Knowledge of proper lead placement for a Polysomnogram which includes EEG, EOG, EMG, ECG, air flow, respiratory effort, pulse oximetry, tibialis, snoring, and position channels which also includes patient preparation. Knowledge of patient assessment and education methods. Knowledge of operation of Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) and Bi-Level ventilation equipment, which includes titration. This includes the operation of the device, interfacing the mask to the patients, titration, and patient instruction. Knowledge and application of Oxygen Therapy which includes patient interface, hazards, and titration. Must be proficient in scoring Polysomnograms. Works and functions in the Medical Center in a safe manner including infection control and the correct operation of equipment and must be certified in Basic Life Support (BLS). Must be proficient in the operation of computer sleep software, and Windows 2000XP. Other duties as assigned by management.

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. For certain functional areas at the higher levels or supervisory assignments, specific certifications appropriate to the specialty are indicated in this standard under "Titles and Certification/Registrations". 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. 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: Medical Instrument Technician, GS-4 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. OR 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: 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. Medical Instrument Technician, GS-5 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. OR 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: 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. Medical Instrument Technician (Polysomnography), 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: Knowledge of standard, computerized polysomnographs for recording continuous all night physiological data including EEG, EOG, EKG, EMG and respiratory parameters. 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. Knowledge of medical terminology and medical record organization to review medical records, sleep study orders, consent forms, medical charts, etc. Knowledge of polysmnographic procedural protocols (including overnight sleep studies, MSLT, MWT, PAP, etc.). Knowledge of basic anatomy and physiology and the international 10-20 electrode placement system in order to conduct the sleep studies. Medical Instrument Technician (Polysomnography), 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. This would be experience which provided the individual with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to independently conduct difficult but standardized polysomnography examinations. In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: Knowledge of CPAP function and operation to select and fit appropriate PAP patient interface devices. Ability to independently titrate and document PAP level to achieve therapeutic goals. Knowledge of indications, complications, and contraindications of CPAP therapy. Knowledge of Bi-Level pressure titrations. 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. Medical Instrument Technician (Polysomnography), 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: Advanced knowledge or the International Classification of Sleep Disorders and the ability to recognize uncommon and/or rare sleep disorders. Ability to summarize and report polysomnographic data in narrative form. Knowledge of event characteristics (e.g., respiratory, cardiac, sleep stage, seizures, etc.) and ability to take appropriate action. Ability to provide briefings and orientation to hospital staff including physicians. References: VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Appendix G27 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: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019.

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 Sierra Nevada Health Care System 975 Kirman Avenue Reno, NV 89502 US
• Name: Mari Hartman
• Phone: 925-356-4087
• Email: [email protected]