The Medical Instrument Technician-Gastro Health Technician or GI Lab Health Technician at the VA Caribbean Healthcare System is responsible for the technical assistance to physicians for patients undergoing procedures taking place in the Endoscopy Laboratory, intensive care units, Operating room, Radiology suites and in the Emergency department.

Duties

Major duties include but are not limited to: Incumbent is responsible for set up of endoscopy equipment according with hospital established SOP's regarding reusable medical equipment (RME) and manufacturer's guidelines, ensuring endoscopes and ancillary equipment functions properly. In case of mal function notifies the supervisor or alternate. Incumbent ensures that all scopes/reusable medical equipment, supplies and accessories are available and prepare prior to all procedure according to hospital established SOP's and manufacturer's guidelines. Incumbent is proficient in endoscopic equipment/accessories used in basic and complex endoscopic procedures such as ERCP and EUS. Incumbent has knowledge of anatomy and physiology related to the GI system, with ability to recognize and report obvious abnormalities during procedures. Incumbent assists physician with routine endoscopic procedures such diagnostic and therapeutic upper endoscopies and colonoscopies as well as and specialized, complex endoscopic procedures such as ERCP and EUS. Incumbent attends gastroenterology section ambulatory clinics to assists physician with vital signs documentation, patient examination and pre procedure orientation to patients and relatives. Participates in the section's telephone triage program for pre/post procedure calls. Incumbent interacts with patients explaining procedures and positioning the patient for the procedure, recognizing disabilities or impaired mobility, and assisting the patient as necessary. Incumbent coordinates endoscopic procedure scheduling for those to be done at other hospital areas such as Radiology, Intensive care units, Emergency department, Operating room. Incumbent transport pre and post procedure patients from and to inpatient area as well as to other areas of the medical center. Incumbent transport post procedure patients to hospital entrance to be picked up by relative. Incumbent is responsible for the pre-cleaning of endoscopic equipment and reprocessing gastroenterology specialty critical reusable medical equipment (RME), following approved Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and universal precautions. Incumbent uses basic computer systems and programs to record patient and endoscopic data, adhering to patient privacy and information security policies. Incumbent is responsible for assuring that all biopsies and /or fluids taken from the patient are properly identified, charted in the section's electronic logbook, and delivered in a timely manner to the Pathology Department or Laboratory. Keeps other section's quality logbooks as assigned by supervisor. Incumbent is responsible to pre clean and disinfect non-critical reusable equipment and surfaces, dispose of one-time-use equipment and trash per facility policy, and restock supplies such as linens, suction equipment, and cleaning products. Prepares for high level disinfection/sterilization all reusable medical equipment and makes the necessary arrangements to have them reprocessed by SPS. Regularly cleans scopes storage cabinets. Incumbent collaborates, communicates, and demonstrates customer service skills and interpersonal skills with all healthcare professionals to ensure quality and continuity of care. Incumbent is able to deliver patient care, including vital sign measurements and placement of intravenous line to patient to be done endoscopic procedures. Ability to assist physician with specialized, complex procedures such as ERCP ,EUS among others.. Work Schedule: Rotating shifts Monday-Saturday (May start 6:00am on Saturdays) working hours of 8 or 10 hours may be to compressed time. The incumbent would participate in the on call roster for emergency during evenings, holidays and weekends. Compressed/Flexible:Not Available Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #:60074F Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Available Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Available

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: 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 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. Gastroenterology (GI) Technicians assist the practitioner in endoscopic procedures, such as esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD), colonoscopy, endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), and endoscopic ultrasound. The technicians ensure proper performance of equipment, set up equipment, and reprocess endoscopic reusable medical equipment (RME). Certification is offered by the Society of Gastroenterology Nurses and Associates (SGNA) for level one and level two training. GI endoscope reprocessing certification is offered through the Certification Board of Sterile Processing and Distribution (CBSPD). 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-04 Medical Instrument Technicians (Gastroenterology (GI) Technician): 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 position to be filled. Six months of this experience may have been in medically related fields such as nursing assistant, practical nursing, or similar fields. The remaining six months must have been in operating diagnostic and therapeutic equipment covered by this occupation. Experience gained in the operation of equipment for animal diagnosis or treatment may be credited at this level. In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: OR, 1. Education. Successful completion of two years of education above high school or an 7 associate's degree with a major field of study directly related to the medical instrument technician occupation. (b) Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities 1. Knowledge of basic medical terminology. 2. Ability to learn the components, operating characteristics, and settings of the equipment to be used. 3. Ability to learn typical patient reactions to the basic procedures involved and ability to recognize signs of distress. 4. Ability to learn the standard positions for the procedure being conducted. 5. Ability to communicate orally and in writing GS-05 Medical Instrument Technicians (Gastroenterology (GI) Technician): Experience: 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 position to be filled. This would be experience in operating equipment related to the particular specialization for which application is made or in related functional areas. Experience gained in the operation of equipment for animal diagnosis or treatment may be credited through this grade level. In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: OR, Education. Successful completion of [4 academic years above high school leading to a bachelor's degree with courses related to the occupation, or a bachelor's degree in a major field of study appropriate to medical instrument technician functions. (c) Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities 1. Knowledge of standard medical terminology to interpret physician orders or instructions. 2. Knowledge of common physical disabilities and ability to position patients for the examination or treatment. 3. Ability to learn the normal and abnormal results for routine procedures to recognize and report obvious abnormalities. 4. Ability to operate the equipment to administer routine/standard diagnostic treatment or 8 procedures. 5. Ability to perform standard operator maintenance on the equipment including the ability to disassemble, clean, reassemble, and calibrate the machine. GS-6 Medical Instrument Technicians (Gastroenterology (GI) Technician): Experience. At least 1 year of experience comparable to the next lower grade level which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities related to the duties of the position to be filled. In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: 1. Ability to set up endoscopy equipment, ensuring endoscopes and ancillary equipment functions properly.2. Ability to aid the physician with standard and routine procedures such as colonoscopy and esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD). 3. Knowledge of medical terminology and human anatomy in order to assist practitioner with routine standardized gastroenterology procedures.4. Ability to interact with patients explaining procedures and positioning the patient for the procedure, recognizing disabilities or impaired mobility and assisting the patient as necessary. 5. Ability to reprocess and maintain specialty critical reusable medical equipment (RME), following approved Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and universal precautions. 6. Ability to use basic computer systems and programs to record patient and endoscopic data, adhering to patient privacy and information security policies.7. Ability to manually clean and disinfect non-critical reusable equipment and surfaces, dispose of onetime-use equipment and trash per facility policy, and restock supplies such as linens, suction equipment, and cleaning products. GS-7 Medical Instrument Technicians (Gastroenterology (GI) Technician): Experience. At least 1 year of experience comparable to the next lower grade level which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities related to the duties of the position to be filled. This would be experience which provided knowledge of proper performance of endoscopic equipment and procedures. In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:1 Knowledge of endoscopic equipment and use in basic and complex endoscopic procedures.2. Knowledge of anatomy and physiology related to the GI system, with ability to recognize and report obvious abnormalities during procedures.3. Ability to assist physician with specialized, complex procedures.4. Knowledge of universal precautions and disinfection techniques and ability to follow SOP's to clean reusable medical equipment (RME). 5. Ability to collaborate, communicate, and demonstrate customer service skills and interpersonal skills with all healthcare professionals to ensure quality and continuity of care. 6. Ability to use basic computer systems and programs to record patient and endoscopic data, adhering to patient privacy and information security policies.

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 San Juan VA Medical Center 10 Calle Casia San Juan, PR 00921 US
• Name: Mireya Rodriguez-Perez
• Phone: 787-641-7582
• Email: [email protected]