Supervisory Biomedical Equipment Support Specialist

Description:

Serves as a Biomedical Equipment Support Specialist (BESS) specialized in information systems within a Healthcare Technology Management (HTM) department at the facility. Works in support of the medical equipment management program. In addition to duties at the full performance level, the BESS maintains medical servers and networks, diagnostic software, virtual platforms, and clinical applications software.

Requirements:

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.
• English Language Proficiency: Must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), and 7407(d).
• Education, Experience, or Certification:
  • Associates or higher degree in the biomedical technology or biomedical engineering field; OR
  • Associates or higher degree in electronics, a field of information technology, or engineering (other than biomedical engineering) AND 1 year of creditable experience; OR
  • Completion of the Department of Defense (DOD) biomedical equipment technician training program; OR
  • Completion of a DOD training program in repair and maintenance of electronic systems or information technology AND 1 year of creditable experience; OR
  • Completion of a biomedical engineering technician or Healthcare Technology Management (HTM) certificate program that included an internship or apprenticeship; OR
  • Completion of biomedical engineering technician or HTM certificate program that did not include an internship AND 1 year of creditable experience; OR
  • Hold or having ever held certification as a Certified Biomedical Equipment Technician (CBET), Certified Radiology Equipment Specialist (CRES), Certified Laboratory Equipment Specialist (CLES), or Certified Healthcare Technology Manager (CHTM). Continuous maintenance of certification is not required throughout VHA employment.

Foreign Education: To be creditable, education completed outside the U.S. must be deemed at least equivalent to that gained in a conventional U.S. program by a private organization specializing in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials.

IN ADDITION TO MEETING THE BASIC REQUIREMENTS LISTED ABOVE, YOU MUST MEET THE GRADE REQUIREMENTS IN ORDER TO QUALIFY FOR THIS POSITION.

GS-13 Experience: At least one year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level GS-12.
Examples of experience include: Managing multiple assignments, organizing, and independently prioritizing work with minimal supervision; managing medical equipment and clinical systems including installation, planned maintenance, troubleshooting, repair, calibrations, electrical safety inspections, patient safety, cybersecurity, and decommissioning; planning, implementing, and providing technical and project oversight for medical equipment and clinical systems; performing incoming inspections on medical equipment and systems to determine that all safety regulations, manufacturer's specifications, contract requirements, and needs of users are met, and they initiate corrective action when necessary; monitoring system backups and data integrity; ensuring network connectivity between systems, servers, databases, and the electronic medical record; maintain systems security and standards; reloading operating systems and clinical application software and interface with the Office of Information and Technology (OIT) to keep systems operational; investigating equipment incidents, cases of equipment damage and abuse, equipment failure reports that cannot be duplicated, and medical device security incidents; and ensuring proper disposal of medical equipment and clinical systems including removal of protected health information (PHI) and hazardous materials.

In addition, you must have experience which demonstrates the following knowledge, skills and abilities:

(a) Skill in managing workflow by directing the work of others to accomplish program goals and objectives.
(b) Skill in developing policies to oversee medical equipment and clinical systems.
(c) Skill in managing interpersonal relationships between employees, team leaders, and managers.
(d) Skill in applying standards for safe operation of medical equipment and clinical systems including National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), the Joint Commission (TJC), and the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI).
(e) Ability to supervise subordinate staff (for example, plan, organize, delegate, direct, control, and review activities and performance).
(f) Ability to provide guidance on multiple types of medical equipment and clinical systems.
(g) Ability to analyze data to optimize quality, efficiency, performance, and productivity.

Preferred Experience: Hands-on experience in managing and maintaining servers and networks, diagnostic software, virtual platforms, and clinical applications software.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/ .

Physical Requirements: The work may include electrical energy, working on ladders, working outdoors, and working alone. There may be occasional exposure to moderate risks or discomforts associated with hazardous materials. The work may involve occasional travel, driving, and/or traveling by motor vehicle.