Health Technician (Telemetry Monitor Technician)
What you'd do
This position is located at the Edward Hines Jr. VA Hospital, Hines, IL (578) - a Level 1a Complexity VHA Facility - and is organizationally aligned under the Telemetry Unit in the Nursing & Patient Care Service. The primary purpose of this position is to serve as a non-licensed member of the nursing care team providing continuous observation of telemetry monitoring electrocardiographic (EKG) rhythms of critically ill patients.
Major duties
Continuously monitors EKGs of patients on telemetry at the Central Station site. Obtains EKG rhythm strips at the beginning of each shift, with new admission to telemetry, every eight hours, and with any rhythm change. Measures and records PR, QT, and QRS intervals, interpretation, and rhythm changes, and documents in the medical record, Verifies alarm settings every eight (8) hours and performs alarm parameter adjustments in collaboration with a registered nurse. Admits and discharges patients from central monitoring. Explain the procedure to patients. Provides telemetry monitoring, identifies proper lead placement, and attaches electrodes upon admission. Upon discharge, cleans telemetry monitor/lea1s and places in appropriate storage area. Maintains telemetry equipment supplies. Inspects equipment for malfunction, troubleshoots equipment failures, and notifies bio-med engineering when repairs are needed. Initiates CPR code when indicated, assists in CPR resuscitation, cardioversion, reprogramming of pacemakers, and other procedures and therapies by running EKG strips and documenting rhythm changes. Apply principles of infection control in all areas of responsibility. Correctly and safely uses equipment and supplies. Cleans and returns equipment to the appropriate location and reports equipment repair needs to the appropriate person. Maintains a safe, clean, and orderly work environment through routine maintenance activities such as ordering and stocking equipment and supplies; cleaning equipment and patient care areas; providing proper containment/ disposal of discarded materials; reporting maintenance and security problems to appropriate personnel. Completes patient care assignments within a reasonable period and keeps the Registered Nurse informed. Completes annual mandatory reviews, participates in continuing education at the unit/service level, and identifies personal learning needs/goals with supervision Work Schedule: 11:30 am - 12:00 am & 7:30 pm - 8:00 am Position Description Title/PD#: Health Technician (Telemetry Monitor Technician)/05001A Preferred Experience: Minimum of 1 year of telemetry monitoring experience. Able to identify EKG rhythms and interpret. Previous experience preferred. BLS (Required for assignment) ACLS Certification (Required within 30 days of hire) Physical Requirements: The work requires the ability to focus on continuous observation of numerous screens representing patients' EKG activity. The employee must be alert at all times and quick to respond to alarms or signs of EKG changes. This involves good visual acuity necessary to see EKG rhythms, the ability to hear alarms, and rapid changes in position and movement. In addition, sitting, standing, walking, and carrying light instruments and supplies are involved.
What you need to qualify
To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement. . Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-6 position, you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-5. The grade may have been in any occupation but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate that you possess one year of time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade. Basic Requirements: Specialized Experience: Positions in this series range widely in type and include support duties to medical or health personnel such as audiologists, speech pathologists, medical officers, and optometrists. Therefore, technician experience is experience that required application of the knowledge, methods, and techniques of the position to be filled. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: GS-6 Grade Requirements: One year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-5 grade level in the federal service); experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities (KSA's) and other characteristics to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled, in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience includes: but are not limited to: Applying basic knowledge of basic anatomy/physiology and medical techniques to support direct patient care; effectively communicating and providing support to patients and healthcare professionals; utilizing and maintaining medical equipment and instruments; performing safety/emergency procedures related to patient transport, infection control, environmental safety; observing and reporting changes in patients physical and emotional behavior; performing medical tests and duties including phlebotomy, EKG, and CPR; and entering patient information and vital signs in computerized medical record systems using appropriate terminology. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional, philanthropic, religious, spiritual; community; student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills, and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Physical Requirements: Physical requirements include extensive periods of standing and walking. Patient care activities require regular and recurring bending, lifting, stooping, stretching, pushing, and similar activities using appropriate body mechanics and other assistive devices for patient and/or equipment movement and transfer. The employee protects themselves and others from injury. Work Environment: Responsibilities are performed in a healthcare environment. The Health Technician practices principles of aseptic technique, infection control, and environmental safety. Precautions are required when working with movable equipment, wet floors, and potential exposure to diagnosed/undiagnosed contagious diseases. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional, philanthropic, religious, spiritual, community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.
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