Medical Instrument Technician (Echocardiography)

OUR MISSION: To fulfill President Lincoln's promise "To care for those who have served in our nation's military and for their families, caregivers, and survivors" - by serving and honoring the men and women who are America's Veterans. How would you like to become a part of a team providing compassionate whole health care to Veterans?

Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

DUTIES:

• Performs diagnostic quality images and Doppler frequency shift recordings using M-mode, 2-D, pulsed and continuous wave Doppler spectral display and color flow Doppler imaging.
• Performs complex procedures such as cardiac studies of the 4 chambers of the heart and valves using sector scanning techniques to detect stenotic and incompetent valves, chamber enlargement, and pericardial effusion, thrombus and pressure gradients across obstructed valves.
• Performs Dobutamine and exercise stress.
• Adapts transducer positioning, instrument controls and examination techniques to the individual patient and to the problem to be evaluated.
• Monitors patient's condition during procedures and reports significant findings according to policies and procedures.
• Accurately documents information in the medical record and any other clinical or administrative applications.
• Is proficient in the operation, calibration and maintenance of the specialized equipment in the ECHO suite.
• Completes encounters on all ECHOs performed, using the correct CPT codes, diagnosis, service connection status and other fields as required and assists management in overall encounter practices in ECHO suite.
• Communicates effectively and professionally with employees at varying grade levels, patients and their families, and customers from outside facilities.
• Assists in the development of new policies and procedures that pertain to the echocardiography suite.
• Assists the scheduling MSA in determining appropriateness of consults, triage and priority when needed.
• Independently maintain competence with Peripheral IV insertion for contrast use in Echo studies
• Be sufficiently familiar with cardiac related symptoms, cardiac auscultation results, medical terminology, and other pertinent diagnostic tools in order to assess possible areas of cardiac abnormality or rule out or validate a suspected diagnosis.
• Analyze echo tomograms to obtain a diagnostic quality echo by adjusting the position of the patient's body, adjusting respiratory rate, and probe position as well as machine controls to obtain at least one diagnostic quality heart cycle in a given projection. Echo exams are operator (rather than equipment) oriented.
• Recognize serious problems diagnosed from echo tracings. Exercise professional judgement in order to determine when an emergency exists requiring immediate medical intervention.

Work Schedule: Intermittent - As needed on an Intermittent Basis. Intermittent staff must be able to work flexible hours according to the needs of the service.
Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not authorized
Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not authorized
Pay: Competitive salary
Paid Time Off: Not eligible
Child Care Subsidy: Not eligible
Retirement: Not eligible
Insurance: Eligible if expected to work over 130 hours per month for 90 days
Telework: Not available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 02040F
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement.

BASIC REQUIREMENTS:
English Language Proficiency: Medical Instrument Technicians must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 USC 7401(d), 7407(d).

GRADE REQUIREMENTS:
In addition to the basic requirements above the following is the amount of experience required to qualify for this position.

GS-8 Level: At least one full year of experience as a Medical Instrument Technician - (Echocardiography) comparable to the next lower level (GS-7) which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics related to the duties of the position. This would be experience which provided the overall knowledge, skills, and abilities to conduct diagnostic echocardiography examinations in complex and unusual cases.

The following KSAs must be demonstrated:

• 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;
• Knowledge of normal echocardiographic findings and deviations produced by a wide variety of cardiovascular diseases;
• 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.;
• Ability to perform complementary ultrasonic examinations (including noninvasive) trans-thoracic, Bubble studies and contrast echocardiography, (invasive) stress echocardiography, and trans-esophageal echocardiography;
• 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.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

CERTIFICATION/REGISTRATION: 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), Basic Cardiac Life Support (BCLS) and Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) certifications are not required, but highly desirable.

Preferred Experience: Experienced Echocardiogram Sonographer, Stress ECHO, TEE, TTE, Dobutamine Stress ECHO

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-08.

Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019.

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 identification 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 may/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.