Medical Instrument Technician (EKG)

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Birmingham (AL); In loco; USD 48.000 - 60.000; Tempo pieno

Descrizione del lavoro

The Birmingham VA Medical Center is seeking a Medical Instrument Technician (EKG) to support telemetry and diagnostic testing in the Patient Care Service Line. The role involves patient preparation, performing electrocardiographic procedures, and monitoring for adverse reactions in a busy hospital setting.

Work includes rotating shifts, weekends, and holidays to maintain unit operations, with potential for progression at higher GS levels and emphasis on safety and patient care.

Competenze

• There are no specific educational requirements for this occupation
• Licensure or Certification is not required for this occupation, however BCLS is desirable
• ACLS certifications are desirable at higher levels

Mansioni

• The MIT (EKG) position is located in the Telemetry Unit within the Patient Care Service Line at the Birmingham VA Health Care System.
• The MIT works rotating shifts, weekends, and holidays to meet unit needs.
• Performs standardized diagnostic procedures and monitors patients during testing; operates and calibrates equipment; interprets physician requests.

Descrizione del lavoro

Summary

The Birmingham VA Medical Center operates a 139-bed tertiary care teaching hospital and is dedicated to providing the highest quality of patient care to Veterans in Alabama. The Medical Center provides comprehensive health care through primary care and tertiary care in areas of medicine - surgery - psychiatry - physical medicine and rehabilitation - neurology - oncology - dentistry - geriatrics - blind rehabilitation and is a recognized leader in palliative care and multiple sclerosis.

Qualifications

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

• Citizenship
• Citizenship of the United States
• (Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with chapter 3 - section A - paragraph 3g - this part.) 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"
• For all specialties identified in this standard - Basic and Advanced Cardiac Life Support certifications are desirable
• Training which does not result in official certification does not meet this definition
• 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: In addition to the basic requirements for employment - candidates must meet the following grade-determining criteria for placement at grade levels specified
• 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: Demonstrated Knowledge - Skills and Abilities 1
• 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
• 2
• Knowledge of the specialized equipment and accessories appropriate to Holter monitoring and ability to perform such tests
• 3
• Knowledge of universal precautions and sterilization techniques and ability to follow CDC guidelines in cleaning equipment
• 4
• Ability to monitor the patient for adverse reactions and take appropriate action
• 5
• 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
• Assignment
• Medical instrument technicians (EKG) at this level receive and interpret physician's requests for diagnostic procedures and/or treatments
• explain the procedure to the patient to secure the patient's confidence and cooperation
• document the patient's record
• independently perform standardized testing monitoring the patient for adverse reactions
• and operate - calibrate - and clean and/or sterilize commonly used equipment
• Assignments at this level require knowledge of standard medical terminology as well as common diseases and their specific affects
• Electrocardiograph Technician (EKG) GS-7 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
• 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: Demonstrated Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities 1
• Knowledge of typical patient reactions and signs of distress including the ability to recognize - report and treat potentially lethal arrhythmias
• 2
• Knowledge of common equipment settings and standardized procedures plus knowledge of common errors and corrective measures
• 3
• 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
• 4
• Ability to act as a mentor or preceptor to lower graded technicians
• 5
• 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
• Assignment
• This represents the full performance level
• Medical instrument technicians (EKG) at this level operate and monitor electrocardiographic equipment to perform specialized examinations and studies involving exercise stress testing - ambulatory monitoring of arrhythmias - and indirect carotid pulse tracings on chronic patients
• They monitor tracings to identify arrhythmias and when gross abnormalities appear - when to repeat certain procedures - when to stop test procedures - and when to get the immediate attention of a physician
• They evaluate test results to determine appropriate machine adjustments and use alternative techniques and procedures when established procedures do not accomplish acceptable results
• This includes adapting equipment and accessories to yield the best results during the examination
• They edit and select an appropriate sample portion of the tracing for further interpretation by the physician
• Preferred Experience: Two years telemetry experience 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 GS-8. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-06 to GS-07
• Physical Requirements: There is a combination of potentially extended periods of standing - walking - and lifting of items weighing up to 20 pounds such as portable grids - x-ray cassettes - computer paper boxes - etc.

Duties

• Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Duties include - however - not limited to: The Medical Instrument Technician (MIT) position is located in the Telemetry Unit within the Patient Care Service Line at the Birmingham VA Health Care System
• This position requires the MIT to work rotating shifts - weekends - and holidays to meet the operational needs of the unit
• Continu