Biomedical Equipment Support Specialist (BESS) Patient Care expected to be expert in the technical and administrative skills to provide clinical and administrative support to staff, patients, and administrators for all matters of concern relating to the facility wide lifecycle management of hospital patient care equipment.

Duties

The BESS maintains medical equipment using established local, regional and national policies and procedures designed to meet criteria and standards from multiple accrediting agencies and governing bodies. FUNCTIONS: Assists in lifecycle management of medical systems. Specific tasks include but are not limited to installation, preventive maintenance, troubleshooting, repair, calibrations and safety inspections. Utilizes common test equipment including, but not limited to, electrical safety analyzers, oscilloscopes, patient simulators, pulse generators, network analyzers, and multi-meters; Develops and maintains functional knowledge of relevant safety codes and standards of regulatory bodies including but not limited to The Joint Commission (TJC), National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI); Documents all work performed in the computerized maintenance management system (CMMS). This documentation is completed in accordance with regulatory body requirements, Healthcare Technology Management (HTM) Documentation of Services guidelines and other organizational requirements; Investigates, remediates and documents recalls and safety alerts within established timeframes. Identifies hazards during routine job performance and reports to supervisor so that action can be taken to remediate hazards; and Develops and maintains knowledge of the state of the art in hospital technology, including scientific advances, basic network protocols and network device security, and vendor changes. Focuses on professional development in all areas of hospital technology lifecycle management including technical skills. Knowledge and training is obtained from formal (conference, classes) or informal (magazines, articles, peer training) means. As this is a developmental position, the employee will spend a significant amount of time working with more experienced BESS and/or Biomedical Engineer to learn and develop technical and administrative skills. Additional duties are performed as directed by supervisor related to maintenance, remediation, and tracking of medical systems (action items, special projects, etc.) to meet mission critical requirements. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 0730 - 1600, Seattle Division Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 000000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

• This is a Bargaining Unit Position
• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• Designated and/or random drug testing may be required
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• You may be required to serve a probationary period
• Subject to a background/security investigation
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process

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. Experience and Education: Associates degree in Biomedical Electronics Technology, Biomedical Equipment Technology or Biomedical Engineering Technology or in a related technical field such as Electronic Technology or Information Technology AND two years of experience as a Biomedical Equipment Support Specialist, Biomedical Equipment Technician, Field Service Engineer, Medical Equipment Repairer, or Information Technology Specialist. ~OR~ Bachelor's degree in Biomedical Engineering Technology or in a related field such as Electronics Engineering Technology (EET) or Information Technology. ~OR~ Completion of a military training program in biomedical equipment AND two years of experience as a Biomedical Equipment Support Specialist or Biomedical Equipment Technician, Field Service Engineer, Medical Equipment Repairer or Information Technology Specialist. [Transcripts must be submitted at time of application. Conferral of degree(s) must be stated on transcript(s). Unofficial transcripts(s) are acceptable].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). PREFERRED EXPERIENCE: Preferred applicants are those applicants with experience in life cycle management of hospital systems performing installation, preventive maintenance, troubleshooting, repair, calibrations, and safety inspections; applicants who possess functional knowledge of relevant safety codes and standards of regulatory bodies including but not limited to The Joint Commission (T JC), National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (MMI). Grade Determinations: Biomedical Equipment Support Specialist, GS-5 (Entry Level) Experience or Education: None beyond basic requirements. BESS GS-7 (Developmental Level 1) Experience: At least one year of experience equivalent to the GS-5 grade level. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs): In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: (a) Ability to read, interpret, and apply a great variety of technical data such as schematic drawings, wiring diagrams, table charts, mathematical expressions and formulas. (b) Ability to learn equipment maintenance, operating procedures, and repair procedures from training materials and courses. (c) Fundamental knowledge of electronics to include analog, digital and microprocessor theory, pneumatics, hydraulics, optics, electro-mechanics, physics, basic networking, and chemistry. (d) Knowledge of the use of standard level test equipment to include, but not limited to, multi-meters, electrical safety analyzers, patient simulator, storage oscilloscopes, manometers, tachometers, etc. (e) Knowledge of anatomy, physiology, medical terminology, medical equipment, and technology. (f) Knowledge of basic networking, computer/server hardware/software and information technologies and computer virus protection software, available software patches and upgrades, and information security tools (i.e. Microsoft Office, Windows operating systems, McAfee, etc.). BESS GS-9 (Developmental Level 2) Experience: At least one year of experience equivalent to the GS-7 grade level. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs): In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: (a) Knowledge of electronics and electricity including analog and intermediate digital electronics to test, calibrate, maintain, and repair biomedical equipment and moderately complex biomedical instrumentation systems. (b) Skill in the setup and use of standard and advanced level test equipment to perform precise and detailed analysis of the operating and design characteristics of equipment and initiate repairs, reconfiguration, or redesign of moderately complex medical systems. (c) Skill in applying theory, concepts, techniques, design characteristics, operation, and functions to assist and support installation, operation, test, maintenance, repair, design, and modification for a comprehensive range of medical equipment connected to networks or other operating systems. (d) Ability to evaluate practical and technical information from manufacturers, contract specifications, manuals, and historical data in order to perform analysis required to make effective recommendations concerning operation, maintenance, and repair of medical equipment. (e) Ability to perform testing and troubleshooting of medical devices involving their interfaces and connections to other medical devices, clinical systems, or information systems either directly or through the hospitals hardwired and wireless networks. (f) Ability to use application software and hardware as it relates to the operation and diagnostics of medical equipment. (g) Knowledge of computer equipment with a wide variety of software to input and retrieve data as required, and to prepare a variety of specific working documents and forms such as spreadsheet, database, word processing, and other similar products. BESS GS-11 (Full Performance Level) Experience: At least one year of experience equivalent to the GS-9 grade level. Certification as a Certified Biomedical Equipment Technician (CBET), Certified Laboratory Equipment Specialist (CLES), Net+ and A+ are highly desirable at this level but not required. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs): In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: (a) Knowledge of a wide range of sciences including, but not limited to, electronics (analog and digital), computer science/networking, mechanical engineering design, pneumatics, hydraulics, chemistry, physiology, medical terminology, anatomy, optics, and biology to perform duties of a broad scope and nature on complex and sophisticated patient-related medical systems and sub-systems. (b) Ability to perform advanced testing and troubleshooting of medical devices involving their interfaces and connections to information systems either directly or through the hospitals hardwired and wireless networks. (c) Knowledge of codes and standards relevant to safe operation of medical instrumentation such as National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), the Joint Commission (TJC), and the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI). (d) Skill in the use of all types of test and calibration equipment such as digital multi-meters, electrical safety analyzers, defibrillator analyzers, patient simulators, digital oscilloscopes, pulse generators, and Local Area Network (LAN) analyzers in performing troubleshooting/repair and preventive maintenance activities. (e) Ability to configure and maintain medical servers and desktop computers. (f) Knowledge of contracting regulations, requirements, and specific contract specifications including performance-based contracts. References: VA Handbook 5005/95 Part II Appendix G49 Physical Requirements: Heavy Lifting (45 lbs and over); Heavy Carrying (45 lbs and over); Straight Pulling (up to 1 hour); Pushing (1 - 2 hours); Reaching above shoulder; Both legs required; Kneeling (up to 3 hours); Depth perception; Ability to distinguish shades of colors; Hearing (aid permitted); Emotional/Mental Stability.

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 Puget Sound Health Care System 1660 South Columbian Way Seattle, WA 98108 US
• Name: Hector Jebulan
• Phone: (253) 582-8440 X75538
• Email: [email protected]