This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific individual eligibility requirements in accordance with VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) and eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after complete review of the EDRP application.

Duties

The Medical Instrument Technician (MIT) - EKG performs the full range of Electrocardiograms diagnostic procedures and related examinations, monitors tracings to identify arrhythmias. Responsibilities include cardiac monitoring and direct and indirect patient care for an adult and or geriatric male and female patient population. The incumbent will be responsible for the development and demonstration of increasing skills in the performance of a variety of tasks. Duties and responsibilities of the Medical Instrument Technician (EKG) include, but are not limited to: Provides assistance of a technical, specialized, or support nature to health and medical personnel in the diagnosis or treatment of patients with cardiac conditions Understands patient's conditions and medical treatment sufficiently enough to observe, report and record changes in the condition or patient's cardiac rhythm status Provides continuous monitoring of cardiac rate, rhythm, and patterns of conduction at a central monitoring station for patients on the CarAdmits and discharges patients to/from the central telemetry monitoring system per provider ordersdiac Progressive Care Unit and provides continuous remote monitoring for patients in other acute care areas of the facility Continuously observes patient cardiac rhythms at a central monitoring station and responds to alarms based on telemetry protocols Interprets and documents cardiac rhythm strips in the patient record for the patients on 4A/CPCU and remote telemetry areas every eight hours and PRN Recognizes abnormal rhythms and contacts appropriate healthcare personnel Performs 12-lead EKG in the event of rhythm change dentifies emergency situations and notifies appropriate personnel Troubleshoots telemetry monitoring system and equipment Provides hand-off report to maintain continuity of care and safety Responsible for the completion of timely, accurate and thorough documentation related to cardiac rhythm interpretation as well as computer data input (CPRS) of all information gathered to formulate a permanent record of rhythm tracing Completes analysis of rhythm samples at regular intervals; labels and measures rhythms, notifies appropriate personnel, and records the information into the medical record with appropriate comments in the patient documentation Completes documentation on admission, discharge, dysrhythmia event, change in rhythm, and routine shift progression Monitors for and detects for abnormal changes of rate, rhythm or patterns of conduction, directly from the oscilloscopic rhythm display, from computer triggered alarms or computer memory Performs appropriate communication to maintain identification and location of patients and telemetry transmitters on admission, discharge, patient moves, and procedures Informs staff of routine rhythm analysis, routine technical difficulties, as weII as dysrhythmia events and emergencies. Follows-up with staff to determine clinical status of patients after dysrhythmia notifications Answers telephone calls and provider inquiries in reference to telemetry issues and replies or refers appropriately Communicates in a tactful and courteous manner with a wide variety of individuals with varying levels of understanding Recognizes any potentially emergent dysrhythmia situation and responds appropriately by seeking assistance and providing assistance as necessary Maintains the communication log that documents all communications with the monitored areas Upon delayed response to notification of high level dysrhythmia events the technician initiates the telemetry alert process for house wide notification Maintains cleanliness of the station equipment and maintains adequate levels of supplies for performance of duties Completes routine rounds on the shift to replace leads and batteries as needed. Evaluates that the equipment is intact, clean, functional and safe for use Ensures the utilization of the current end-user RME process for cleaning transmitters between patient uses and prepares the transmitter and necessary equipment for next patient use Work Schedule: 12 Hr. Night-shift with weekend rotation Compressed/Flexible:Not Available Telework: Not Available Functional Statement #: 04072F Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized EDRP Authorized: Contact Adam Blas-Rodriguez, the Education Debt Repayment Program Coordinator for questions/assistance. Email: [email protected] - Tel: 939-227-2093 Learn more 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 MIT - Electrocardiograph Technician (EKG) Citizenship. Citizenship of the United States. Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Handbook 5005, chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3g. English Language Proficiency. Medical Instrument Technicians must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005, chapter 2, section D, paragraph 5a. 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. In addition, Basic and Advanced Cardiac Life Support certifications are desirable. Physical Requirements. See VA Directive and Handbook 5019 Grandfathering Provision. 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). All persons employed in VHA in this occupation on the effective date of this qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title, series and grade held, including positive education and licensure/certification/registration that are part of the basic requirements of the occupation. GRADE DETERMINATION Electrocardiograph Technician (EKG) - GS-7 Experience. At least 1 year of experience comparable to the next lower grade level (GS-6) which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics related to the duties of the positions to be filled such as: Experience which provided knowledge of the equipment, standard tests and procedures, and typical readings including arrhythmias and abnormalities Ability to recognize special patient needs such as disabilities, impaired mobility, and complicating medical conditions in order to prepare and position the patient for the prescribed procedure Knowledge of the specialized equipment and accessories appropriate to Holter monitoring and ability to perform such tests Knowledge of universal precautions and sterilization techniques and ability to follow CDC guidelines in cleaning equipment Ability to monitor the patient for adverse reactions and take appropriate action Ability to operate the equipment to perform standard and routine highly specialized procedures including exercise stress testing Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs). In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: 1. Knowledge of typical patient reactions and signs of distress including the ability to recognize, report and treat potentially lethal arrhythmias. 2. Knowledge of common equipment settings and standardized procedures plus knowledge of common errors and corrective measures. 3. Ability to modify procedures/positions to obtain the correct results with patients with complicating conditions such as amputations, Parkinson's disease, structural defects, and scar tissue. 4. Ability to act as a mentor or preceptor to lower graded technicians. 5. Ability to conduct in-service training on the EKG equipment and related instrumentation. Certification. No certification is required; however, it is desirable that employees at this level have BCLS (Basic Cardiac Life Support) and ACLS (Advanced Cardiac Life Support) certifications. Physical Requirements. The hysical demands of the work requires, occasional moderate lifting, ( 15- 44 pou ds moderate straight pulling/pushing, reaching above shoulder to retrieve prin ed rhythm strip, use of fingers, both hands, sitting/walking/standing approximately 4 hours, kneeling 1 hour, bending approximately 4 hours, patient re-positioning, occasional climbing related to stairs, use of both legs, near vision correctable at 13' to 16" to jaeger 1 to 4, far vision correctable in one eye to 20/20 and to 20/40 in the other, hearing aid (permitted), Environmental factors include working closely with others, electrical energy, intermittent excessive noise, and occasional dust. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-7. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-7. References: VA Handbook 5005/15 Part II, Appendix G-27

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 CW Bill Young Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center 10000 Bay Pines Boulevard Bay Pines, FL 33744 US
• Name: Edit Sedgwick
• Phone: 407-242-7396
• Email: [email protected]