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 duties of this position include, but are not limited to: Receives and stages patients for overnight Sleep Study appointment and titration study. Assists patients getting settled into the sleep lab for an overnight stay. Receives requests and/or instructions for procedures, DME and/or RME. Interprets requests or instructions from physician/providers. Receives assignments that require application of standard and non-standard procedures and seeks advice or the assistance of the Supervisory MIT and/or Respiratory Care Manager when questions or uncertainty about a procedure arises. Employee understands and carries out the requests made by physicians/ provider and when an uncommon, unique or new procedure is required consults with a physician/provider for guidance. Receives assignments for a variety of difficult examinations on compromised patients for planned, urgent and emergent procedures. Communicates with personnel on inpatient wards and outpatient areas to obtain pertinent information in the planning of care during the procedure. Performs sleep studies, including Diagnostic Daytime Study, Split Study, PAP Titration, Maintenance of Wakefulness Test (MWT), or a Multiple Sleep Latency Test (MSLT) test. Prepares, calibrates, interfaces, and operates all equipment used in polysomnographic procedures. Applies electroencephalogram (EEG)electrodes based on the International 10-20 electrode placement system. Applies electro-oculogram (EOG),electromyogram (EMG) and electrocardiogram (ECG) using The American Academy of Sleep Medicine(AASM) Manual for the Scoring of Sleep and Associated Events: Rules, Terminology and Technical Specifications (AASM Scoring Manual). Applies pulse oximeter ear or finger probe; thoracic and abdominal effort belts; nasal/oral thermistor and thermocouple sensors to produce flow signals, and other diagnostic electrodes and equipment. Ensures patient comfort and proper function of applied electrodes and transducers. Monitors patient, diagnostic equipment, recording and video equipment throughout the study obtains artifact-free data and tracings; record significant observations such as sleep stage, heart rate respiration rate, oxygen saturation level, body position; presence and/or absence of sleep apnea, snoring myoclonus, bruxism, cardiac arrhythmias and/or sleep terrors. Annotates seizures, abnormal sleep behavior and significant respiratory events on the electroencephalographic records in real time. Maintains proper equipment function and data collection. Responds appropriately to all situations involving patient care and maintains proper oxygen and PAP settings. Assures that the required equipment is carefully selected and properly presented as determined by the procedure being performed. Performs quality checks to ensure readiness for use during the procedure. Establishes and monitors quality control/record keeping systems and measures to assure the accuracy and validity of results. The incumbent ensures that all equipment is kept clean and safe for use in the diagnostic examinations. Requests preventative maintenance as required. The incumbent can perform routine maintenance, recognizes and reports malfunctioning equipment to Biomedical Engineering for repair or replacement. Makes minor adjustments to equipment which enhances diagnostic results. Maintains and monitors all necessary supplies stocked and available. Ensures proper cleaning and performs minor adjustments and maintenance. Performs the full range of complex procedures using specialized equipment that requires precise adjustments to respond to individual patient conditions or test sequences. Uses a practical knowledge of location and function of major body organs and structures to position the patient and/or connect monitoring equipment to take optimum advantage of equipment capabilities. Sets up all necessary accessories or supplies and advises other medical personnel of new equipment, accessories or supplies. Work Schedule: Monday to Sunday, 7:00pm to 6:30am, Variable Shifts available Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 000000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: May be authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

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. 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. 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 (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. Certification. No certification or registration is required at this level. Basic Cardiac Life Support (BCLS) certification is desirable. 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:(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. Certification. No certification or registration is required. Basic Cardiac Life Support (BCLS) certification is desirable. 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. 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. Preferred Experience: Minimum one year of work experience in a sleep lab environment, Nihon Kohden experience preferred References: VA HANDBOOK 5005/54 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: 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 Portland Health Care System 3710 Southwest US Veterans Hospital Road Portland, OR 97239 US
• Name: Laurie Johnson
• Phone: (503) 220-8262 X51488
• Email: [email protected]