* Position offers Relocation or Recruitment incentive for eligible candidates. The polysomnographic technologist is a VA full-time position located in the Joint Venture Sleep Lab of the Alaska VA/DOD Joint Venture (JV) on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson. This position provides support to both the VA Sleep Clinic, and the DOD Joint Venture Sleep Lab Service as directed by the VA Sleep Lab RPSGT Supervisor, Respiratory Therapy (RT) Supervisor, JV Sleep Lab Director, and/or JV Medical Director.

Duties

Will serve as a Medical Instrument Technician in the Joint Venture Sleep Center, and at the VA clinic as directed. Will perform a wide variety of polysomnographic studies in the sleep laboratory; routine polysomnogram, PAP titration studies including CPAP, Bi-level, ASV technologies, Home sleep testing. May also be assigned to work with the Tele-CPAP clinic for VA CBOC clinics, and may occasionally need to travel to provide education, training, and encounters at the CBOC's. Will have responsibility for education of veterans and family members as well as following all technical and hospital, federal and state regulations following recommendations of the MSM, JCAHO, BRPT, and the MST. Needs to have a high level understanding of high and low filters, sensitivities, gain, AC/ DC filters and inputs, bio-calibrations, machine calibrations, instrumentation and electrical safety. Must have the ability to multi-task, have the ability to work independently and work well with other staff members. Is expected to attend and participate in presentations at monthly staff meetings as well as maintaining CEC's as required by state and federal regulations. Is expected to be registered through the BRPT or equivalent. The duties as described above are to be carried out in accordance with the standard procedures for performing, scoring and reviewing Polysomnography and other sleep studies. Will attend monthly staff meetings and educational opportunities. Duties will vary based on grade. At the GS-8 level, duties will include, but are not limited to: Trouble shoot and repair as necessary EEG, EKG, EOG, EMG and respiratory monitoring equipment. Interpretation and report generation of home study raw data. Provide setup, instruction and troubleshooting of home studies. Available for follow up phone calls from patient for troubleshooting. Will recognize when situation is above his/her skill level and ask for assistance of the supervisor. Will be timely and accurate with patient hook up utilizing the international 10-20 system of measurement. Will involve the veteran and family in regards to decisions about sleep testing and therapy. Mask fitting & machine trouble-shooting. Titrates patients on CPAP, BiPAP, & Auto-Servo ventilation devices to the patient's needs. Recognizes when a change in device type is required to adequately treat the veteran. Demonstrates the ability to recognize and treat complex patients, and can readily adapt to changing situations. Conduct all phases of home sleep studies. Provide education and assistance to the VA telehealth sleep program.. Provides accurate, legible and complete documentation of patient care delivered and response to therapy. Recognition of the need for medical intervention if patient safety is at risk. Annual Equipment Competencies maintained per departmental and unit specific standards. Follows all Joint Commission, VA, 673 Medical Group, OSHA, safety policies and procedures. Accurately and timely records patient treatment, progress notes, into patient records. Provides all statistical data including encounter forms in a timely manner. Completes the required VA/673 Medical Group hours of training / education annually including mandatory training. Developing and assisting efforts to improve patient education and understanding of CPAP and its indications and functions as it relates to their disease process. Responsible for monitoring compliance within the PAP clinic area, monitoring outcomes, and assist in development of policies and procedures. Reports data trending to VA Quality program for VA patients. Assists with quality assurance programs to improve overall care of patients and communication with other service lines. Assisting with scheduling and staffing as needed. Serve as a liaison to providers for equipment, supplies and request for special services. Serving as a liaison to ambulatory as well as in-patient care providing in-service education for patient's and or respiratory care upon request. Reviewing the Outpatient Positive Airway Pressure Policy and Procedure Manual yearly and assisting with changes as needed. Work Schedule: Day Shift: Monday Thru Friday 8:00 AM- 4:30 PM (1 vacancy) Night Shift: Sunday Thru Tuesday 6:00PM -6:00 AM; Saturday 8:00 AM-12:00 PM (1 vacancy) Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 000000 Relocation Incentives: May be Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement. 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. Licensure or Certification: 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 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: 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. Certification: No certification or registration is required at this level. Basic Cardiac Life Support (BCLS) certification is desirable. Assignment: Polysomnography (PSG) Technicians at this level perform a full range of standard, routine examinations including overnight sleep studies, MSLT (Multiple Sleep Latency Test), MWT (Maintenance of Wakefulness Test), and PAP (Positive Airway Pressure Titration). 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. Certification: No certification or registration is required at this level. Basic Cardiac Life Support (BCLS) certification is desirable. Assignment: At this level the Polysomnography Technician performs a full range of standard, but complex, polysomnography examinations with responsibility for properly and accurately calibrating all instruments prior to the beginning of the PSG tracing and selection of appropriate electrode montages and sensitivity and filter settings to elicit the best possible tracings. They independently determine the need for CPAP during all night sleep studies for sleep apnea. They may administer nerve conduction velocity tests. 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. Certification: No certification or registration is required. Basic Cardiac Life Support (BCLS) and Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) certifications are also desirable for employees at this level. Assignment: This represents the full performance level. At this level Polysomnographic Technicians are able to interact fully with the patient and physician to diagnose sleep disorders including those that are uncommon or rare. They are able to conduct full sleep studies including overnight studies and evaluate the relationship of events, sleep stages, and possible medical conditions which influence or result from events occurring during sleep. They anticipate problems likely to occur during the sleep study and prepare for such situations, make changes in established procedures, or recommend alternative courses of action. They are able to mentor lower graded technicians. Preferred Experience: At least 1 Year work experience as a board Registered Polysomnograhic Technologist (BRPT) with the RPSGT desirable credential. Current Basic Life Support (BLS) certification. An Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) or Advanced Life Support (ALS) certification is highly desirable. References: VA Handbook 5005/15 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-6 to GS-8. Physical Requirements: This work requires light lifting, under 15 lb.; light carrying under 15 lb.; use of fingers; both hands required; walking; standing; see computer screen and hearing (aid permitted). Environmental Factors include excessive cold; dry atmospheric conditions; working closely with others and working alone.

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 Anchorage VA Medical Center 1201 North Muldoon Road Anchorage, AK 99504 US
• Name: Jovita Murphy
• Phone: 253-583-3850
• Email: [email protected]