Health Technician

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 03/24/2023. Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-06 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-05. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade. Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-05 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: received written and verbal requests for a variety of difficult exams, entering consults, scheduling exams, entering clinical reminders, entering requests for labs and x-rays; has updated patient demographic information; has set controls, calibrated and operated equipment such as EKG machines, CBG monitors, ABI doppler, bladder scan, spirometer, and vital sign monitors; has performed a variety of routine and difficult diagnostic tests and procedures including CBG, venipuncture, orthostatic blood pressure, oxygen saturation, visual acuity, 12-lead EKG, ABI, PFT, foot exams, and the like. Administrative experience such as documenting patent information relating to pre-testing or post-procedure activities, appointment scheduling, entering lab requests in the system. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have six months of graduate level education that is directly related to the work of the position to be filled. This education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university. One year of full-time graduate education is considered to be the number of credit hours that the school attended has determined to represent (1) year of full-time study. If that information cannot be obtained from the school, 18 semester hours should be considered as satisfying the (1) year of full-time study requirement. Part-time graduate education is creditable in accordance with its relationship to a year of full-time study at the school attended. Transcripts are required to substitute education for experience. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond six months of graduate level education. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Computer Skills Diagnostic Medical Testing Specimen Collection Technical Competence Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. Physical Requirements: Good vision and hearing are required to collect patient data. The work requires above average agility and dexterity. The work requires long periods of regular and recurring walking, standing, stooping, heavy lifting, bending, stretching, pushing, turning, and at times lifting heavy equipment or patients. The work requires the use of good body mechanics and stamina to withstand stress. Transporting patients to procedures is necessary. Must be able to effectively wear personal protective equipment. Exposure to chemicals including cleaning and decontamination solutions and powders. Work Environment: Work is performed in the emergency department where patients seek emergency services and care is provided 24 hours a day. The work environment involves risks typically associated with performance of nursing care. Works closely with patients and is therefore exposed to communicable diseases and altered environments. The incumbent will be subject to working with critically ill patients, patients who are victims of violence and assault, and situations involving death. A degree of risk is present when working with violent, emotionally disturbed patients or substance abusers. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management’s website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.
The New Mexico VA Healthcare Network is recruiting for a Health Technician (HT) serving as a member of the Emergency Department team that is composed of physicians, nurses, social workers, medical clerks, and HTs. upholding the standards of care outlined by Medical Center and Nursing Service policies and procedures. The HT provides assistance of a technical, specialized, and support nature to health and medical personnel in the diagnosis and treatment of a patients illness or medical condition