The CPAP Clinic Technician is responsible for providing excellent care to patients with sleep disordered breathing who require the use of positive airway pressure. The CPAP Clinic Technician will educate patients on the use of positive airway pressure, evaluate patients in the CPAP Clinic to ensure adequate delivery of therapy with positive airway pressure equipment and supplies and monitor the effectiveness of therapy with positive airway pressure.
Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met. 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. 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. 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. 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). GS-8 Medical Instrument Technician (Polysomnography) Experience: At least 1 year of experience comparable to the next lower grade level, GS-7, 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. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: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: Basic Cardiac Life Support (BCLS) is required at this level. Preferred Experience: Polysomnography Experience, Sleep Medicine. Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) certifications is desirable for employees at this level. Certification by the Board of Registered Polysomnographic Technologists as a Registered Polysomnographic Technologist (RPSGT) is highly desired but not required at this level. 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 8. Physical Requirements: The physical demands described are the representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable the individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to stand; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms; climb or balance; and talk or hear. The employee is occasionally required to walk; sit; stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. The employee must regularly lift and or move up to 10 pounds, frequently lift and or move up to 25 pounds, and occasionally lift and or move up to 50 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color, vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus.
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. The incumbent is responsible for evaluating veterans with sleep disordered breathing in the CPAP Clinic and occasionally in the acute or long-term care facilities at Alvin C. York. The functions include performing patient assessments, based on established policies and protocols, to provide proper patient education, function, fitting, and treatment (desensitization) of positive airway pressure equipment. The incumbent is responsible for receiving data from positive airway pressure devices in order to monitor patient compliance and response to therapy and notifying the appropriate sleep specialist for patients with a suboptimal therapeutic response. All clinical encounters must be appropriately documented in the electronic medical record in accordance with VHA guidelines. Staffing the CPAP Clinic also requires handling phone calls related to the proper use of positive airway pressure devices. As such, all phone calls and other standard mechanisms of communication at TVHS, including CPRS alerts, email and Microsoft Teams, must be answered promptly. All phone calls must be answered or returned, and a note must be entered into the electronic medical record in accordance with VHA guidelines. For high-risk patients seen in the CPAP clinic, the incumbent is responsible for collaborating with the Denver logistics Center to expedite the provision of positive airway pressure equipment. For patients with newly diagnosed sleep disordered breathing and enrolled in the CPAP Education Clinic, the incumbent will order and set up positive airway pressure equipment as prescribed and in accordance to established policies and protocols. All clinical encounters and CPAP Supply consult notes must be appropriately documented in the electronic medical record in accordance with VHA guidelines and established policies and protocols. The incumbent will provide patient instruction/education to include such things as equipment use, fitting, and maintenance. The incumbent acts as first line liaison for questions from patients and their representatives, nurses, vendors, Prosthetics staff, and primary and specialty care services. As such, all phone calls and other standard mechanisms of communication at TVHS, including CPRS alerts, email and Microsoft, must be answered promptly. The CPAP Clinic Technician works in coordination with patients, providers, staff and Prosthetics/vendors in matters related to the diagnosis and treatment of sleep disorders. The CPAP Clinic Technician works in coordination with the Supervisor, Lead Technician and other sleep laboratory staff to ensure timeliness of patient education, delivery of services and effectiveness of the program. The CPAP Clinic Technician works in coordination with providers to ensure that adequate therapy for patients with sleep disordered breathing is delivered and to identify and address significant clinical problems that require immediate attention. Other duties as assigned by the Lead Technician, Supervisor and the Neurology Service Chief or designee. Work Schedule: M-F 8-4:30 pm Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized 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 #: 71163-F Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized