Biomedical Equipment Support Specialist (Information Systems)

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Hines (IL); On-site; USD 85,000 - 115,000; Full time

Job summary

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is seeking a Biomedical Equipment Support Specialist (BESS) specialized in information systems within an HTM department.

You will support the medical equipment management program, maintaining medical servers, networks, diagnostic software, virtual platforms, and clinical applications software. At full performance, responsibilities include lifecycle management, cybersecurity considerations, and coordination with clinical staff.

Qualifications

• Experience managing the lifecycle of medical equipment and clinical systems.
• Ability to troubleshoot networked medical devices and clinical interfaces.
• Experience documenting work in CMMS and HTM guidelines.
• Knowledge of HL7 and DICOM standards.

Responsibilities

• Life cycle management of network equipment for medical devices and systems (imaging, life support, dialysis, monitoring).
• Troubleshoot and maintain computerized networks, databases and servers storing patient information.
• Implement and plan for new technologies including diagnostic modalities, network management and virtual data centers.
• Document all work in CMMS and comply with HTM guidelines.

Skills

Biomedical equipment lifecycle

Network troubleshooting

COR duties

Project management

Documentation in CMMS

Education

Associate or higher in biomedical technology/biomedical engineering

Associate in electronics/IT/engineering + 1 year experience

DoD BME training or HTM certificate with internship

CBET / CRES / CLES / CHTM certification

Tools

CMMS

HL7

DICOM

Network protocols

Job description

Summary

The Biomedical Equipment Support Specialist (BESS) specialized in information systems within a Healthcare Technology Management (HTM) department at a VA facility. 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.

Summary

The Biomedical Equipment Support Specialist (BESS) specialized in information systems within a Healthcare Technology Management (HTM) department at a VA facility. 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.

Qualifications

• United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy
• English Language Proficiency: Must be proficient in spoken and written English
• Education - Experience - or Certification: (1) Associates or higher degree in the biomedical technology or biomedical engineering field
• OR (2) Associates or higher degree in electronics - a field of information technology - or engineering (other than biomedical engineering) AND 1 year of creditable experience
• OR (3) Completion of the Department of Defense (DOD) biomedical equipment technician training program
• OR (4) Completion of a DOD training program in repair and maintenance of electronic systems or information technology AND 1 year of creditable experience
• OR (5) Completion of a biomedical engineering technician or Healthcare Technology Management (HTM) certificate program that included an internship or apprenticeship
• OR (6) Completion of biomedical engineering technician or HTM certificate program that did not include an internship AND 1 year of creditable experience
• OR (7) 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
• Grade Determinations:Biomedical Equipment Support Specialist - (Biomedical Information Systems) GS-12 Experience
• One year of experience equivalent to the GS-11 grade level
• Specialized Experience GS 12: Do you possess at least one (1) year of specialized experience that equipped you with the knowledge - skills and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the Biomedical Equipment Support Specialist position? To be credible - specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the GS-11 level in the Federal service
• Examples of specialized experience would typically include - but are not limited to: Manages the lifecycle of medical equipment and clinical systems
• Troubleshoots medical equipment and clinical systems using a variety of technical data and completes corrective action
• Performs incoming inspections and planned maintenance on medical equipment and clinical systems
• Documents all work in the Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS)
• Responds to and remediates hazard alerts - recall notifications - and incidents concerning medical equipment and clinical systems
• Documents all actions in the appropriate system
• Monitors system backups - ensures network connectivity - mitigates cybersecurity vulnerabilities - and maintains clinical systems
• Utilizes test equipment in accordance with manufacturer instructions
• Manages projects involving medical equipment and clinical systems
• Serves as a Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) and keeps appropriate certification levels
• Uses knowledge of government contract procedures and documentation requirements to develop statements of work - sole source justifications - other applicable documentation (VA Form 6550 - Independent Government Cost Estimate (IGCE) - etc.) and to oversee vendor work
• Develops documentation to purchase commodities and/or vendor services
• Manages - monitors - and evaluates contractor performance and addresses issues or deficiencies
• Loads operating system (OS) and clinical application software as needed
• In addition to the experience above - the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: (a) Knowledge of Health Level 7 (HL7) and Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) standards
• (b) Knowledge of advanced testing methods to troubleshoot networked medical equipment and clinical system interfaces
• (c) Skill in maintaining computer and server based medical equipment - databases - and software
• (d) Skill in managing medical equipment and clinical system projects that interface with an electronic health record or other information systems
• (e) Skill in applying cybersecurity standards to medical devices and clinical systems such as Food and Drug Administration (FDA) - Federal Information Security Modernization Act (FISMA) - and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) guidelines
• (f) Ability to apply information security tools including virus protection - software updates - and operating system patches
• (g) Ability to establish a medical network including VLAN configuration - Internet Protocol addressing - and network security
• The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12
• Reference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/
• Physical Requirements: Technical - academic and mental demands are high
• The work performed is of a precise nature requiring long periods of concentration
• The incumbent often works under conditions of extreme stress due to the nature of the mission of the Biomedical Section
• This mission often involves critical healthcare situations and the well-being of patients and is under the pressure of strict deadlines
• Incumbent works closely with patients - physicians and nurses and regularly in critical patient areas
• It is imperative that he/she exhibits a professional manner at all times.

Duties

• Major Duties: Life cycle management of network equipment including but not limited to network switches - servers - routers and related infrastructure for any and all networked complex medical devices and systems such as imaging - life support - dialysis - and monitoring
• Manages - troubleshoots and maintains complete systems of computerized networks - databases and servers including but not limited to biomedical information systems that store or facilitate patient information
• Implements and plans for new and emerging technologies including but not limited to diagnostic modalities - network management and storage - and virtual data centers
• Designs - implements and manages network incident response due to infection - loss of service or regional and local policy changes according to VA guidelines
• As assigned - employee is responsible for lifecycle management of any and all medical devices and systems such as imaging - life support - dialysis - and monitoring to include physical and network support
• Documents all work performed in the computerized maintenance management system (CMMS)
• This documentation is completed in accordance with regulatory body requirements - Healthcare Technology Management (HTM) Documentation of Services guidelines and other organizational requirements
• As assigned - functions as a Contracting Officer Representative (COR) and keeps appropriate certification levels.-Investigates - remediates and documents recalls and safety alerts within established timeframes
• Maintains knowledge of the state of the art in medical technology - including scientific advances - network protocols - and vendor changes
• Provides training and education as appropriate to medical technology end users and clinical staff
• Additional duties are performed as assigned by supervisor related to maintenance - remediation - and tracking of medical systems (action items - special projects - etc.) to meet mission critical requirements
• Work Schedule: Monday through Friday - 7:30am - 4:00pm - 7:30am - 4:00pm and 8:30pm - 5:00pm - (Tours of Duty could include weekends)
• Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Functional Statement #: 06326F Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Available Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized