This Medical Instrument Technician (Polysomnography) position is located within the Sleep Disorders Laboratory at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center, Houston, Texas.
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". 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: GS-8, Medical Instrument Technician: 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: 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. 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. (d) Assignment. This represents the full performance level. At this level Polysomnographic Technicians are able to interact fully with the patient and physician to diagnose sleep disorders including those that are uncommon or rare. They are able to conduct full sleep studies including overnight studies and evaluate the relationship of events, sleep stages, and possible medical conditions which influence or result from events occurring during sleep. They anticipate problems likely to occur during the sleep study and prepare for such situations, make changes in established procedures, or recommend alternative courses of action. They are able to mentor lower graded technicians. Preferred Experience: 3+ years of experience working in an accredited sleep lab running PSG's, Titrations, and Watchpat studies. Familiar with CPRS, VISTA, and other VA systems. 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. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-08 Physical Requirements: Physical aspects associated with work required of this assignment are typical for the occupation, see Duties section for essential job duties of the position. May require standing, lifting, carrying, sitting, stooping, bending, pulling, and pushing. May be required to wear personal protective equipment and undergo annual TB screening or testing as conditions of employment. Work Environment: Work is performed in an office/clinic setting with minimal risks that requires normal safety precautions; the area is adequately lighted, heated, and ventilated. However, the work environment requires someone with the ability to handle several tasks at once in sometimes stressful situations.
Current permanent VA employees and Federal employees from other federal agencies should apply under CBST-12746352-25-MJH. Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Duties include (but are not limited to): Explains procedures and protocols to patients to insure patient comfort for optimal sleep recording tests. Operates polysomnographic recording instruments to obtain an electroencephalographic record of the patient sleep, Recognizes and annotates normal sleep stages respiratory events, sleep movements, nocturnal seizure, parasomnias and REM behavior disorders. Conduct respiratory related treatment with nasal continuous positive pressure (PAP) in patients per sleep laboratory protocol or as instructed by the physician. Completes patient assessments through direct contact, charts reviews and other means as appropriate and share the information with health care team members. Responsible for selecting and adapting equipment and techniques to individual patients to comply with the physician's instructions. Collects, analyzes and integrates patient information to identify and meet the patient-specific needs. Prepares and calibrates Nocturnal and Home Sleep Testing equipment required for testing to determine proper functioning and adjust if necessary. Performs appropriate physiologic calibrations to ensure proper signals and makes adjustments if necessary. Follows procedural protocols for Multiple Sleep Latency Test (MSLT), Maintenance of Wakefulness Test (MWT), adaptive servo-ventilation (ASV), and parasomnia studies, PAP, oxygen titration and Inspire ® Device Activation, etc. Inspire device titration to ensure collection of appropriate data. Work Schedule: Week 1: Monday-Thursday, 8:00 pm - 6:00 am; Week 2: Wednesday-Sunday, 8:00 pm - 6:00 am 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 #: 580-02120-F