Medical Instrument Technician (Echocardiography)

US-Department-of-Veterans-Affair; Anchorage (AK); On-site; USD 75,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

The US Department of Veterans Affairs invites applications for a Medical Instrument Technician specialized in Echocardiography (GS-6 to GS-8). Exams are conducted mainly in the cardiopulmonary clinic and inpatient units, employing multiple ultrasound modalities to evaluate cardiac function.

Strong emphasis on image quality, patient interaction, and adherence to clinical protocols. Competitive qualifications include knowledge of cardiac anatomy, physiology, and ultrasound physics, with desiraBle

Qualifications

• No specific educational requirements for this occupation.
• Licensure or certification is not required for this occupation; however, it is strongly desirable at GS-6 or above as evidence of essential knowledge.
• English language proficiency is required for the position.

Responsibilities

• Perform standard and complex echocardiographic examinations to assess cardiac function.
• Produce diagnostic-quality images and Doppler recordings (M-mode, two-dimensional, Doppler, colorflow).
• Calibrate and operate ultrasound equipment; maintain accurate test logs and records.
• Interact with patients, explain procedures, and position patients appropriately.

Skills

Heart anatomy & physiology

Cardiac arrhythmias

Cardiac ultrasound physics

Ultrasound equipment operation

Patient interaction

Job description

Medical Instrument Technician, Diagnostic Ultrasound (Echocardiography) is a member of the Joint Venture Team assigned to the Cardiopulmonary Clinic. The Medical Instrument Technician conducts exams using a variety of ultrasound modalities using clinical protocols to determine cardiac function. The exams will be conducted in the 673rd Medical Group, mainly in the cardiopulmonary clinic, and inpatient units. To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement.

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.
• 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".
• Echocardiography Technicians operate 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. Registration is offered 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).
• English Language Proficiency: Medical Instrument Technicians must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with chapter 2, section D, paragraph 5a, this part.

Grade Determinations

GS-6

Experience

1. Knowledge of the anatomy and physiology of the heart and great vessels.
2. Knowledge of cardiac arrhythmias and their relationship to hemodynamic conditions of the cardiac cycle.
3. Knowledge of basic cardiac ultrasound physics and the acoustic mechanisms by which high quality cardiac images are obtained.
4. Ability to set up and adjust the ultrasound equipment to meet the conditions of the examination and the patient and to operate the equipment for standardized, routine procedures.
5. Ability to interact with patients explaining procedures and positioning the patient for the procedure.

Certification

Basic Cardiac Life Support (BCLS) certification is desirable.

Assignment

Echocardiography technician assignments at this level involve performing routine, standardized cardiac ultrasound examinations under the supervision of a fully qualified cardiac sonographer. The work involves generating adequate gray scale images to define cardiac borders and learning to perform Doppler integration of cardiac valves for determination of flow velocities.

GS-7

Experience

1. Ability to scan transthoracic echocardiograms in all views with colorflow and some Doppler.
2. Ability to conduct cardiac testing to determine the severity and variety of cardiac problems, i.e., valvular dysfunction, myocardial wall kinesia, effusions, endocardial lesions, etc.
3. Knowledge of the set-up for transesophageal echocardiograms.
4. Ability to set up and adjust the ultrasound equipment to meet the conditions of the examination and the patient and to operate the equipment for more complex, but standardized procedures.

Certification

Basic Cardiac Life Support (BCLS) and Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) certifications are desirable.

Assignment

At this level, medical instrument technicians (echocardiography) perform a range of standard, but complex, echocardiographic examinations with responsibility for calibrating all instruments prior to the procedure. They are expected to keep an accurate record of tests, daily logs, and videotapes. They maintain cidex logs.

GS-8

Experience

1. Ability to produce diagnostic quality images and Doppler frequency shift recordings using M-mode, two-dimensional, pulsed and continuous wave Doppler spectral display, and colorflow Doppler imaging.
2. Knowledge of normal echocardiographic findings and deviations produced by a wide variety of cardiovascular diseases.
3. Ability to perform complex procedures such as cardiac studies of the four chambers of the heart and valves using sector scanning techniques to detect stenotic and incompetent valves, chamber enlargement, and pericardial effusion and cardiovascular studies deriving pressure gradients across obstructed valves, etc.
4. Ability to perform complementary ultrasonic examinations (including noninvasive) transthoracic, Bubble studies and contrast echocardiography, (invasive) stress echocardiography, and transesophageal echocardiography.
5. Ability to adapt transducer positioning, instrument controls, and examination techniques to the individual patient being studied and the problem being evaluated including recognizing pertinent abnormalities and documenting abnormal findings.

Certification

Basic Cardiac Life Support (BCLS) and Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) certifications are desirable.

Assignment

This represents the full performance level. Echocardiography technicians at this level identify and record anomalies indicative of disease, injury, or other medically significant condition from ultrasound imaging and simultaneous recordings of the Doppler. They incorporate the causes and results of a variety of symptoms and conditions into a plan of ultrasonic diagnostic examination. They 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. They produce diagnostic quality images and Doppler frequency recordings using M-mode, two-dimensional, and Doppler ultrasound.

Preferred Experience

2 years experience, graduate of an accredited cardiac ultrasound program, current BLS certification, RDCS or CCS certification.

Reference

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

Physical Requirements

There are no physical requirements for this occupation per OCHCO Communications email to VA Handbook 5019, updated on 4/17/2026.

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-8. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-6 to GS-8.