Medical Instrument Technician(Echocardiography)

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. 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. English Language Proficiency. Medical Instrument Technicians must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7402(d) and 7407(d). 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: In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates. GS-09: (a) Experience. At least 1 year of experience comparable to the next lower grade level GS-08, which identify and record anomalies indicative of disease, injury, or other medically significant condition from ultrasound imaging and simultaneous recordings of the Doppler; incorporate the causes and results of a variety of symptoms and conditions into a plan of ultrasonic diagnostic examination; change and develop sounding techniques to accommodate such variables as limited patient mobility, variation in physical condition or dimension of the patient, presence of prosthesis or foreign objects, and ultrasonic response of different body parts; produced diagnostic quality images and Doppler frequency recordings using M-mode, two-dimensional, and Doppler ultrasound, and must fully meet the Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs) at that level. (b) In addition to the experience, the candidate MUST demonstrate the following technical Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs) and the potential to acquire the assignment specific KSAs designated by an asterisk (*). KSAs 1, 2, and 3 are appropriate for all positions at this level. KSAs 4 and 5 are to be used in accordance with their appropriateness for the specific assignment. 1. Knowledge of the more complex examination and treatment procedures and techniques in order to provide training and supervision in these procedures, to evaluate and initiate performance improvement projects, and to write policies, procedures, and protocols, that pertain to Echocardiography. *2. Knowledge of JCAHO and other regulatory requirements. 3. Ability to communicate effectively and professionally with employees at varying grade levels. *4. Ability to manage and supervise employees. *5. Ability to provide, or provide for, staff development and training. (c) Certification. Registration by Cardiovascular Credentialing International (CCI) as a Registered Cardiac Sonographer (RCS) or by the American Registry of Diagnostic Medical Sonographers (ARDMS) as a Registered Diagnostic Cardiac Sonographer (RDCS) is highly desirable. Basic Cardiac Life Support (BCLS) and Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) certifications are also desirable. (d) Assignments. For all assignments above the full performance level, the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope, complexity (difficulty), and range of variety, and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time. Reference: VA Handbook 5005/54 Part II Appendix G27 Medical Instrument Technician dated June 7, 2012. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-08. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-09 Physical Requirements: The tasks of this position generally require sitting, standing, and occasional crouching or kneeling. Moderate lifting is required to move equipment throughout the department and facility. Considerable manual dexterity and hand-eye coordination are required. This includes continuous observation of a computer screen.
The incumbent works in the Cardiology Section of Medicine Service at the NMVAHCS. The Medical Instrument Technician-Echocardiography operates diagnostic equipment to graphically record the position and motion of the heart walls or the internal structure of the heart and neighboring tissue by the echo obtained from beams of ultrasonic waves directed through the chest wall.