This position is assigned to the Healthcare Technology Management Service section of the Durham VA Health Care System. Biomedical Equipment Support Specialists provide clinical and administrative support to staff, patients, and administrators for all matters of concern relating to the facility wide lifecycle management of medical equipment.
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, 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. 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). One year of experience at the lower grade level (GS-9): Troubleshoot and perform planned maintenance on medical equipment Assist with incoming inspections and documentation Receive increasingly less frequent supervision, direction, or guidance from more experienced staff members GS-11 KSAs: Knowledge of standards including National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Joint Commission (TJC), and the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI) for safe operation of medical equipment and clinical systems Skill in using test and calibration equipment including digital multi-meters, electrical safety analyzers, defibrillator analyzers, patient simulators, manometers, tachometers, and Local Area Network (LAN) analyzers Skill in interpreting a variety of technical data including schematic drawings and wiring diagrams Skill in applying networking principles, such as Access Control List (ACL), Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), and Virtual Local Area Networks (VLAN) Ability to perform advanced testing to troubleshoot medical equipment and clinical system interfaces Ability to maintain medical computers and software Ability to manage projects involving medical equipment and clinical systems Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. VA Handbook 5005 Part II Appendix G49, effective date Nov 26, 2024. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-11. Physical Requirements: The work required does not inherently include any physical requirements essential for successful job performance that could not otherwise be performed with accommodation or workplace adjustment. Environmental Factors: 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 travel by motor vehicle. Creditable Experience: To be creditable, the experience must have required the use of knowledge, skills, and abilities associated with current health care industry and required using knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) directly applicable to the assignment and associated within the scope of the BESS profession. Experience is only creditable if it was acquired in the health care industry and is either directly related to the position to be filled or a related field (for example, Biomedical Equipment Support Specialist, Biomedical Equipment Technician, Field Service Engineer, Medical Equipment Repairer, or Information Technology (IT) Specialist). Experience satisfying this requirement may be paid or non-paid employment as a BESS. Part-Time Experience: Part-time experience is creditable according to its relationship to the full-time work week. For example, a BESS employed 20 hours per week, or on a half-time basis, would receive 1 full-time work week of credit for each 2 weeks of service. Quality of Experience: Qualifying experience must be at a level comparable to BESS experience at the next lower level and have been in the health care industry. For all assignments above the full performance level (FPL), the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope, administrative independence, complexity, and range of variety as described in this standard at the specified grade level and performed be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time
Employees in this assignment serve as full performance level (FPL) Biomedical Equipment Support Specialists and are responsible for managing multiple assignments, organizing, and independently prioritizing their work with minimal supervision. At this level, BESS duties include, but are not limited to: Manages the lifecycle of medical equipment and clinical systems Troubleshoots medical equipment and clinical systems using a variety of technical data and completes corrective action Performs incoming inspections and planned maintenance on medical equipment and clinical systems Documents all work in the Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS) Responds to and remediates hazard alerts, recall notifications, and incidents concerning medical equipment and clinical systems. Documents all actions in the appropriate system. Monitors system backups, ensures network connectivity, mitigates cybersecurity vulnerabilities, and maintains clinical systems Utilizes test equipment in accordance with manufacturer instructions Manages projects involving medical equipment and clinical systems Provides customer support to staff, evaluates issues and needs, responds with solutions, and keeps customers abreast of status Educates the staff on the safe operation and user-level maintenance of medical equipment and clinical systems Serves as a Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) and/or purchase card holder Develops documentation to purchase commodities and/or vendor services. Manages, monitors, and evaluates contractor performance and addresses issues or deficiencies Complies with applicable standards, policies, procedures, and regulatory requirements Provides guidance and mentorship to expand professional knowledge and enhance technical skillsets Maintains and enhances knowledge in technological advancements through professional development and technical training Work Schedule: 7:30 am - 4:00 pm, Monday - Friday Compressed/Flexible: Not Available Telework: Not available Functional Statement #: 00000