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:

• 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
• c
• Licensure or Certification
• ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY: Medical Instrument Technicians must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), and 7407(d)
• 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
• Grade Determinations: 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, & 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: For Chattanooga, TN location - experience in initiating a new program or new clinic preferred, but not required
• Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/
• Physical Requirements: The tasks of this position generally require sitting, standing, occasional crouching or kneeling
• Moderate lifting may be required to move equipment throughout the Medical Center locations
• Considerable manual dexterity and hand-eye coordination are continuously required while performing respiratory therapy procedures
• This includes observation of a computer screen
• Cardiopulmonary resuscitation demands coordination and stamina.