Medical Instrument Technician (Electrocardiograph) - EKG

Medical Instrument Technicians (EKG) perform a variety of cardiovascular diagnostic procedures. The scope of duties involves a blend of direct patient care, technical expertise, and administrative responsibilities. This role demands high attention to detail, excellent communication skills, and the ability to work independently and as part of a multidisciplinary team.

This is an open continuous announcement. Applicants in USA Staffing will be qualified based on the resume submitted and qualified candidates will be referred to the hiring manager every 1-2 weeks until the announcement is closed, cancelled, or filled.

Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

All qualifying experience you possess must be clearly described in your application package. We will not make assumptions when reviewing applications. Failure to clearly demonstrate your experience in your application package may result in disqualification. All applicants are encouraged to submit responses to each Knowledge, Skill, and Ability (KSA) on a separate document.

Major Duties Include, but are not limited to the following:

• Perform standard 12-lead electrocardiogram (EKGs) on patients as requested by healthcare providers.
• Ensure proper patient position and placement of electrodes to obtain accurate readings.
• Interpret basic EKG results and escalate findings that require further analysis by a physician or cardiologist.
• Prepares patients for EKG procedure by explaining the process and answering any questions.
• Maintain a compassionate and professional demeanor to ensure patient comfort and cooperation.
• Operate EKG machines and related equipment proficiently.
• Perform routine maintenance and troubleshooting on EKG and other cardiac monitoring equipment to ensure functionality.
• Ensure accurate and timely input of EKG data into the patient's electronic medical record (EMR) from MUSE.
• Review and verify the quality and accuracy of EKG recordings before submission into MUSE and to the healthcare provider.
• Completes Encounters for EKGs in CPRS.
• Place ZIO monitors, Event monitors, and Mobile Cardiac Outpatient Telemetry (MCOT) monitors on patients.
• Provide patients with instructions for the use of these monitors and ensure proper placement and functioning.
• Document procedures and accurately enter the patient's data into the appropriate monitoring registry.
• Ensure timely retrieval and processing of data from these monitors for clinicians to view.
• Assist in conducting treadmill and exercise stress tests under the supervision of a physician or qualified healthcare provider.
• Monitor patients during stress tests and record data accurately, ensuring patient safety throughout the procedure.
• Adhere to all hospital policies, procedures, and regulatory requirements related to patient care and data management.
• Participate in continuous quality improvement activities to enhance patient care and operational efficiency.
• Maintain patient confidentiality and adhere to HIPPA regulations at all times.

Work Schedule: Days
Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized
Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases. When setting pay, a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of higher or unique qualifications or special needs of the VA (Above Minimum Rate of the Grade).
Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year)
Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior [work experience] or military service experience.
Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment, up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child.
Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment, full time employees with a total family income below $144,000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66.
Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA
Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement)
Telework: Not Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 000000
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
Student Loan Repayment Program (SLRP): This occupational series is eligible for the Student Loan Repayment Program (SLRP). Repayment is limited to $40,000 annually, up to $100,000 in lifetime awards. Participants must sign a three-year service agreement and maintain an acceptable level of performance to remain eligible for this program. Contact VHAV23SLRP@va.gov for more information.

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". 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.
• 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.

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

Basic Developmental Levels:

GS-4 (Trainee)

• 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 MIT occupation.
• In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs
  1. Knowledge of basic medical terminology.
  2. Ability to learn the components, operating characteristics, and settings of the equipment to be used.
  3. Ability to learn typical patient reactions to the basic procedures involved and ability to recognize signs of distress.
  4. Ability to learn the standard positions for the procedure being conducted.
  5. Ability to communicate orally and in writing.

GS-5 (Trainee)

• 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. 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 MIT functions.
• In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs
  1. Knowledge of standard medical terminology to interpret physician orders or instructions.
  2. Knowledge of common physical disabilities and ability to position patients for the examination or treatment.
  3. Ability to learn the normal and abnormal results for routine procedures to recognize and report obvious abnormalities.
  4. Ability to operate the equipment to administer routine/standard diagnostic treatment or procedures.
  5. Ability to perform standard operator maintenance on the equipment including the ability to disassemble, clean, reassemble, and calibrate the machine.

Medical Instrument Technician (Electrocardiograph)

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
  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.

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
  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.

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-7. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this is GS-4 to GS-7.

Physical Requirements: You will be asked to participate in a pre-employment examination or evaluation as part of the pre-employment process for this position. Questions about physical demands or environmental factors may be addressed at the time of evaluation or examination.

IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
• All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
• Subject to background/security investigation.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.