Biomedical Equipment Support Specialist (Information Systems)

Veterans Health Administration; Fargo (ND); On-site; USD 75,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

The Fargo VA Healthcare System seeks a Biomedical Equipment Support Specialist (BESS) specialized in information systems within the Healthcare Technology Management department. You will support the medical equipment management program and maintain medical servers, networks, diagnostic software, virtual platforms, and clinical applications.

The role requires knowledge of HL7 and DICOM, plus advanced testing methods to troubleshoot networked medical equipment and clinical interfaces.

Qualifications

• Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs): HL7 and DICOM standards.
• Advanced testing methods to troubleshoot networked medical equipment and clinical system interfaces.
• Experience creditable in healthcare industry aligned to BESS duties.

Responsibilities

• Maintains medical servers, networks, diagnostic software, virtual platforms, and clinical applications.
• Supports the medical equipment management program within HTM.
• Specializes in information systems for biomedical equipment management.

Skills

HL7 knowledge

DICOM knowledge

Network troubleshooting

Clinical system interfaces

Education

Associates or higher in biomedical technology/biomedical engineering

Associates or higher in electronics/IT/engineering + 1 year experience

DOD BET training program

DOD IT/electronic systems repair program + 1 year experience

HTM certificate with internship

HTM certificate without internship + 1 year experience

CBET/CRES/CLES/CHTM certification

Job description

Serves as a Biomedical Equipment Support Specialist (BESS) specialized in information systems within a Healthcare Technology Management (HTM) department at the Fargo VA Healthcare System. Works in support of the medical equipment management program. In addition to duties at the full performance level, the BESS maintains medical servers and networks, diagnostic software, virtual platforms, and clinical applications software.

Creditable Experience. To be creditable, the experience must have required the use of knowledge, skills, and abilities associated with current health care industry and required using knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) directly applicable to the assignment and associated within the scope of the BESS profession. Experience is only creditable if it was acquired in the health care industry and is either directly related to the position to be filled or a related field (for example, Biomedical Equipment Support Specialist, Biomedical Equipment Technician, Field Service Engineer, Medical Equipment Repairer, or Information Technology (IT) Specialist). Experience satisfying this requirement may be paid or non-paid employment as a BESS.

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, Experience, or Certification.

• Associates or higher degree in the biomedical technology or biomedical engineering field;
• OR Associates or higher degree in electronics, a field of information technology, or engineering (other than biomedical engineering) AND 1 year of creditable experience;
• OR Completion of the Department of Defense (DOD) biomedical equipment technician training program;
• OR Completion of a DOD training program in repair and maintenance of electronic systems or information technology AND 1 year of creditable experience;
• OR Completion of a biomedical engineering technician or Healthcare Technology Management (HTM) certificate program that included an internship or apprenticeship;
• OR Completion of biomedical engineering technician or HTM certificate program that did not include an internship AND 1 year of creditable experience;
• OR Hold or having ever held certification as a Certified Biomedical Equipment Technician (CBET), Certified Radiology Equipment Specialist (CRES), Certified Laboratory Equipment Specialist (CLES), or Certified Healthcare Technology Manager (CHTM).

Continuous maintenance of certification is not required throughout VHA employment.

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).

Grandfathering Provision.

Employees in VHA in this occupation, under a permanent, appropriate, and legal placement on the effective date of the qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the grade and assignment held including positive education and certification. For employees who do not meet all the basic or assignment-specific requirements in this standard, but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed, the following provisions apply: Employees may be reassigned, promoted up to and including the full performance (journey) level, or be changed to a lower grade within the occupation, but they may not be promoted beyond the journey level or be newly placed in supervisory or managerial positions. Employees retained in this occupation under this provision who subsequently leave the occupation lose protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of re- entry to the occupation. NOTE: This provision is not intended to regularize appointments/placements.

Foreign Education.

To be creditable, education completed outside the U.S. must be deemed at least equivalent to that gained in a conventional U.S. program by a private organization specializing in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials.

English Language Proficiency.

Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).

Biomedical Equipment Support Specialist (Information Systems), GS-12.

Experience. One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities.

In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: Knowledge of Health Level 7 (HL7) and Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) standards. Knowledge of advanced testing methods to troubleshoot networked medical equipment and clinical system interface