The Health Technician (Telehealth Clinical) position serves within Primary Care Service Line at the Ely VA Clinic in Ely, MN. The incumbent performs a full range of duties and is responsible for day-to-day operation of telehealth services at the assigned location and between the assigned location and remote sites of care.

Duties

Assignments associated with this position include, but are not limited to: Preparing the clinical environment, which may include preparing medical and telecommunications equipment to be used for clinical examination and treatment Serving as a telepresenter within scope of practice during clinical video telehealth (CVT) and VA Video Connect (VVC) encounters including tasks such as establishing and maintaining video conferencing connections, making introductions between patient site and provider site, following instructions of a clinician to facilitate an effective clinical encounter Serving as an imager and clinical data manager for store and forward telehealth (SFT) clinical encounters including tasks such as capturing images, collecting data and transmitting them electronically for clinical review in accordance with VHA national guidelines Taking measures to ensure patient care is delivered safely by following appropriate procedures for inventory management, cleaning of clinical equipment and the care environment while following all patient safety guidelines, protocols, and procedures Completing standardized clinical questionnaires and templates within scope of training and applicable guidelines Ensuring that patient privacy is protected by complying with all information security and patient privacy regulations Receiving and scheduling requests for simple and complex intra-facility, and inter-facility telehealth appointments using an electronic resource-based scheduling system Screening patients for Telehealth modality and referring patients that do not meet established criteria to appropriate care Monitoring and maintaining schedules of rooms, patients, technologies, clinical providers and presenters as needed to ensure efficient telehealth operations Providing patient education via approved materials Supporting the Veteran in completing patient satisfaction surveys Communicating effectively with clinical and administrative staff at the assigned local site and those located at remote sites of care Configuring, installing, troubleshooting, cleaning, and performing minor routine maintenance of assigned telehealth technology Ensuring assigned telehealth technologies are managed appropriately to include inventory, secure, ready for use, and accounted for by preparing and tracking maintenance work orders, information systems, inventory records, and communicating with the National Telehealth Technology Help Desk to facilitate troubleshooting, repair, and coordination of replacement equipment as necessary. Providing established education and training to Veterans, staff and providers on the use of telehealth technologies and serving as a point of contact to answer questions and address concerns related to these technologies Maintaining knowledge of and skill in applying an extensive body of rules, procedures, and operations in telehealth-related technologies and a variety of computer hardware and software used for telecommunications, data entry and retrieval, record maintenance, document and report generation Maintaining regular contact with other staff members and the Facility Telehealth Coordinator to work out process issues, equipment needs, problems, data collection and any other logistical issues Arranging and completing test video calls with Veterans to prepare the Veterans for clinical encounters using telehealth technologies Ensuring information and resources are maintained for local and remote telehealth providers so they can effectively execute contingency and emergency plan Lab training to include venipuncture, POC testing Completing other duties as assigned by clinic manager within scope of training Work Schedule: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday; days. Tour TBD. Telework: Not eligible Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: Health Technician (Telehealth Clinical) 00000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Qualifications

Basic Requirements: a. Citizenship. Citizen of the United States. b. Experience and Education. Experience. One year of experience in a health care field that demonstrates the applicant's ability to perform the work or provides an understanding of the work such as but not limited to a medical or clinical assistant (or technician) or health technician, OR Education. Four academic years above high school leading to a bachelor's degree with courses related to the occupation, OR Experience/Education Combination. Equivalent combination of experience and education are qualifying for entry level for which both education and experience are acceptable. Examples are listed below: (a) Six months of experience in the health care field and two years of education above high school that included at least six semester hours in health care related courses such as, biological science, surgical technician courses, nursing assistant or other courses related to the position; or an associate's degree in a health care related field; or (b) Six months of experience in the health care field and successful completion of a course for health care technicians, hospital corpsmen, or medical service specialists given by the U.S. Armed Forces. c. Certification. None d. Grandfathering Provision. All Health Technicians (Telehealth Clinical) 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. For employees who do not meet all the basic requirements required in this standard, but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it, the following provisions apply: Such employees may be reassigned, promoted up to and including the full performance (journeyman) level, or changed to lower grade within the occupation, but may not be promoted beyond the journeyman level or placed in supervisory or managerial positions. Employees who are appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of the qualification standard may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed, on a temporary or permanent basis, until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standard. If an employee who was retained (grandfathered) under this provision leaves that occupation, the employee loses protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of re-entry to the occupation. e. Physical Requirements. See VA Directive and Handbook 5019. f. English Language Proficiency. A candidate will not be appointed under authority of 38 U.S.C. chapters 73 or 74, to serve in a direct patient-care capacity in VHA who is not proficient in written and spoken English. See chapter 2, section D, paragraph 5a, this part GRADE DETERMINATIONS. In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates. Health Technician (Telehealth Clinical), GS-5 (Entry Level) Experience or Education. None beyond the basic requirements. Health Technician (Telehealth Clinical), GS-6 (Full Performance Level) Experience. One year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level. Examples of GS-5 experience include, scheduling telehealth appointments using an electronic scheduling system; obtaining and documenting patient history and pertinent clinical information in electronic medical records; preparing the telehealth room where the Health Technician (Telehealth Clinical) readies the equipment for examination, establishing video conferencing connection, and making introductions between patient site and provider site. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSA). In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs. Comprehensive knowledge of computer systems and programs to perform a variety of tasks. Ability to communicate, consult, and interact with other members of the healthcare team, external relations, customer service and patient education. Ability to provide and receive guidance and technical direction. Ability to plan, organize, set priorities, work as a team member, and effectively complete assignments. Ability to read, interpret, and apply complex written instructions. Knowledge of general clinical policies and procedures in a healthcare environment. Skilled in the use of telehealth technologies for the facilitation of telehealth clinical encounters. All qualifying experience you possess must be clearly described in your application package. We will not make assumptions when reviewing applications. Failure to demonstrate your experience and knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) in your application may result in disqualification. It is strongly recommended that you write to each KSA to demonstrate how you have gained each one in your application package or on a supplemental document. References: VA HANDBOOK 5005/96 PART 11 APPENDIX G50The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-6. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-5 to GS-6. Physical Requirements: light lifting under 15 pounds, light carrying under 15 pounds, use of fingers, use of both hands required, standing, hearing without aid

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: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

Contacts

• Address Minneapolis VA Medical Center One Veterans Drive Minneapolis, MN 55417 US
• Name: Timothy Michael
• Phone: 612-467-5503
• Email: [email protected]