Medical Instrument Technician

US-Department-of-Veterans-Affair; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 52,000 - 74,000; Full time

Job summary

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center in Houston, TX seeks an Electrocardiograph Technician (EKG).

The role supports Nursing, Acute Care with emphasis on operating diagnostic equipment and monitoring patient responses. Applicants may be referred before all requirements are met, with final hires pending full compliance. Preferred qualifications include BCLS/ACLS, Holter monitoring, and telemetry experience in acute care.

Qualifications

• Knowledge of standard medical terminology to interpret physician orders or instructions.
• Ability to learn the components, operating characteristics, and settings of the equipment to be used.
• Ability to learn typical patient reactions to the basic procedures involved and ability to recognize signs of distress.
• Ability to communicate orally and in writing.

Skills

Medical terminology

Equipment operation

Patient positioning

Communication

Mentoring/teaching

Education

Two years of education above high school or associate's degree related to MET function

Bachelor's degree in a related field (GS-5 path)

Job description

This Medical Instrument Technician Electrocardiograph Technician (EKG) position is located within the Nursing, Acute Care at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center, Houston, Texas. 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 certain functional areas at the higher levels or supervisory assignments, specific certifications appropriate to the specialty are indicated in this standard under "Titles and Certification/Registrations".

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

Medical Instrument Technician (Trainee), GS-4 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.

OR Education.

Successful completion of two years of education above high school or an associate's degree with a major field of study directly related to the medical instrument technician occupation.

In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:

• Knowledge of basic medical terminology.
• Ability to learn the components, operating characteristics, and settings of the equipment to be used.
• Ability to learn typical patient reactions to the basic procedures involved and ability to recognize signs of distress.
• Ability to learn the standard positions for the procedure being conducted.
• Ability to communicate orally and in writing.

Medical Instrument Technician (Trainee), GS-5

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.

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 function.

In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:

• Knowledge of standard medical terminology to interpret physician orders or instructions.
• Knowledge of common physical disabilities and ability to position patients for the examination or treatment.
• Ability to learn the normal and abnormal results for routine procedures to recognize and report obvious abnormalities.
• Ability to operate the equipment to administer routine/standard diagnostic treatment or procedures.
• Ability to perform standard operator maintenance on the equipment including the ability to disassemble, clean, reassemble, and calibrate the machine.

Electrocardiograph Technician (EKG), GS-6 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 positions to be filled. In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:

• Ability to recognize special patient needs such as disabilities, impaired mobility, and complicating medical conditions in order to prepare and position the patient for the prescribed procedure.
• Knowledge of the specialized equipment and accessories appropriate to Holter monitoring and ability to perform such tests.
• Knowledge of universal precautions and sterilization techniques and ability to follow CDC guidelines in cleaning equipment.
• Ability to monitor the patient for adverse reactions and take appropriate action.
• Ability to operate the equipment to perform standard and routine highly specialized procedures including exercise stress testing.

Certification

No certification is required; however, it is desirable that employees at this level have BCLS (Basic Cardiac Life Support) certification.

Electrocardiograph Technician (EKG), GS-7

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 positions to be filled. This would be experience which provided knowledge of the equipment, standard tests and procedures, and typical readings including arrhythmias and abnormalities. In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:

• Knowledge of typical patient reactions and signs of distress including the ability to recognize, report and treat potentially lethal arrhythmias.
• Knowledge of common equipment settings and standardized procedures plus knowledge of common errors and corrective measures.
• Ability to modify procedures/positions to obtain the correct results with patients with complicating conditions such as amputations, Parkinson's disease, structural defects, and scar tissue.
• Ability to act as a mentor or preceptor to lower graded technicians.
• Ability to conduct in-service training on the EKG equipment and related instrumentation.

Certification

No certification is required; however, it is desirable that employees at this level have BCLS (Basic Cardiac Life Support) and ACLS (Advanced Cardiac Life Support) certifications.

Preferred Experience:

Telemetry monitoring experience in acute care setting within the last 2 years, Telemetry Interpretation certification (or equivalent) preferred.

Reference

For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS7. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS3 to GS7.

Physical Requirements

Physical aspects associated with work required of this assignment are typical for the occupation, see Duties section for essential job duties of the position. May require standing, lifting, carrying, sitting, stooping, bending, pulling, and pushing. May be required to wear personal protective equipment and undergo annual TB screening or testing as conditions of employment.

Work Environment

Work is performed in an office/clinic setting with minimal risks that requires normal safety precautions; the area is adequately lighted, heated, and ventilated. However, the work environment requires someone with the ability to handle several tasks at once in sometimes stressful situations.