Med Instr Tech (Polysomnography)

Duties Summary

This is a non-supervisory Office or Rural Health (ORH) Grant funded position that will provide support for the Fargo VA HCS to advance the strategic goals of the ORH TeleSleep Program and the Pulmonary Department.

Responsibilities

Duties consist of but not limited to:

• Assess patients, prepare and calibrate nocturnal home sleep testing equipment (HST) and ready them for provider interpretation. The sleep technician performs trouble shooting of equipment (if needed) and removal and cleaning of equipment after completion of the study.
• Completes the scoring portion of the HST once the device is downloaded and prior to sending to the provider for interpretation.
• Develops educational materials provides that education to the veteran via phone visits, in-person visits, TMED visits or Video Connect visits.
• Acts in the capacity of a resource for the veterans and answers questions related to the HST process.
• Familiarity and proficiency of sleep lab equipment used to perform sleep studies and the ability to respond to and correct any malfunction.
• Independently sets up, calibrates, operates and maintains polysomnography equipment, maintains an adequate level of supplies and ensures that all equipment is returned from cleaning prior to testing. Uses resources appropriately to minimize waste.
• Communicates any significant findings and observations with the sleep specialist through various modes including oral conversations and written reports.
• Recognizes sleep stages, events including EEG arousals, variations in respiratory effort and airflow, changes in cardiac rate/rhythm, periodic leg movements and other behavioral events.
• Recognizes obstructive sleep apnea, central sleep apnea and mixed apneas during both the acquisition and scoring phases.
• Independently determines the need for positive airway pressure and the application and titration of non-invasive bi-level or continuous positive pressure devices and/or supplemental oxygen during the sleep study.
• Assist in CPAP Clinic on an as needed basis.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 7:30 am - 4:00 pm and back-up for in-lab sleep studies to cover vacation and sick leave
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required
Telework: Ad Hoc

Travel Required

Not required

Supervisory status

No

Promotion Potential

8

Requirements Conditions of Employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• Designated and/or random drug testing may be required
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• You may be required to serve a probationary period
• Subject to a background/security investigation
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 03/15/2021.
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.
• Licensure or Certification. Licensure or Certification is not required for this occupation; Basic and Advanced Cardiac Life Support certifications are desirable.
• 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 REQUIREMENTS: GS-04

(a) 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. 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 medical instrument technician occupation.

(b) Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:
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.

GRADE REQUIREMENTS: GS-05

(a) 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 medical instrument technician functions.

(b) Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:
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.

GRADE REQUIREMENTS: GS-06

(a) 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:

(b) Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

1. Knowledge of standard, computerized polysomnographs for recording continuous all night physiological data including EEG, EOG, EKG, EMG and respiratory parameters
2. Knowledge of standard devices such as oximeters, respiratory effort devices, nasal pressure devices, thermistors, thermocouples, continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machines, and laboratory computers including the ability to calibrate and operate the equipment and recognize and eliminate recording artifacts.
3. Knowledge of medical terminology and medical record organization to review medical records, sleep study orders, consent forms, medical charts, etc.
4. Knowledge of polysmnographic procedural protocols (including overnight sleep studies, MSLT, MWT, PAP, etc.).
5. Knowledge of basic anatomy and physiology and the international 10-20 electrode placement system in order to conduct theo sleep studies.

(c) Certification: No certification or registration is required at this level. Basic Cardiac Life Support (BCLS) certification is desirable.

GRADE REQUIREMENTS: GS-07

(a) 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 the individual with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to independently conduct difficult but standardized polysomnography examinations. In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:

(b) Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

1. Knowledge of CPAP function and operation to select and fit appropriate PAP patient interface devices.
2. Ability to independently titrate and document PAP level to achieve therapeutic goals.
3. Knowledge of indications, complications, and contraindications of CPAP therapy.
4. Knowledge of Bi-Level pressure titrations.
5. Ability to recognize changes seen during the PSG tracing and identify all stages of sleep. This includes the ability to score and analyze sleep stages in clinical polysomnography recordings.

(c) Certifications: No certification or registration is required. Basic Cardiac Life Support (BCLS) certification is desirable.

GRADE REQUIREMENTS: GS-08

(a) 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 a knowledge of the more complex procedures as well as knowledge of the uncommon and/or rare sleep disorders. In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:
(b) Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
1. Advanced knowledge or the International Classification of Sleep Disorders and the ability to recognize uncommon and/or rare sleep disorders.
2. Ability to summarize and report polysomnographic data in narrative form.
3. Knowledge of event characteristics (e.g., respiratory, cardiac, sleep stage, seizures, etc.) and ability to take appropriate action.
4. Ability to provide briefings and orientation to hospital staff including physicians.

(c) Certification: No certification or registration is required. Basic Cardiac Life Support (BCLS) and Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) certifications are also desirable for employees at this level.

Preferred Experience: RPSGT Preferred

References: VA Handbook 5005/15 PART II APPENDIX G27

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-4 to GS-8.

Physical Requirements: Heavy lifting, 45 pounds and over. Heavy carrying, 45 pounds and over. Straight pulling, pushing, reaching above shoulder, use of fingers, both hands required. Walking and standing for 8 hours per shift. Repeated bending. Near vision correctable at 13" to 16" to Jaeger 1 to 4. Emotion stable.

Equal Employment Opportunity Policy

The United States Government does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service, or other non-merit factor.