Medical Instrument Technician (Polysomnography)
What you'd do
The John D. Dingell VA Medical Center in Detroit, MI is recruiting for a Medical Instrument Technician (Polysomnography). Polysomnography Technicians operate the electroencephalograph and other devices to record the electrical activity of the brain during sleep. Registration is offered by the Board of Registered Polysomnographic Technologists (BRPT). Registration is not required but is highly desired.
Major duties
Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional The Medical Instrument Technician (MIT), also known as the Polysomnography Technician, functions within the section of the Sleep Medicine, in Medicine Service, and is responsible for diagnostic testing, scoring, initiation & titration of patients with known or suspected sleep disorders. Identifies information that must be obtained prior to performing any diagnostic testing and/or therapeutic intervention, including, but not limited to: patient identification, history and review of any previous sleep study or other pertinent information. Performs comprehensive patient assessments, including, but not limited to: assessment of heart rate and respiratory rate & effort, oxygen saturation, transcutaneous carbon dioxide measurements and electroencephalogram (EEG). Appropriately prepares patient for procedure using standardized aseptic technique. Identifies the indications, contraindications and hazards of frequently performed procedures, including: in-lab overnight polysomnography testing & scoring, in-home overnight testing & scoring, MSLT testing, application and titration of Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) and Bi-level Positive Airway Pressure (BiPAP) therapies, pulse oximetry & transcutaneous carbon dioxide monitoring, Inspire therapy, and Actigraphy. Identifies critical information that must be communicated during testing and procedures, including the provision of directions/coaching/education at a level that is appropriate to patient understanding. Adapts care to patient situation, including desensitization of mask or interface, reassurance, coaching and/or early termination of study, if warranted. Identifies and takes proper action when faced with patient situations that require urgent or emergent management, including, but not limited to: falls, fainting, acute mental status change, shortness of breath, hypoxia, chest pain & cardiopulmonary arrest. Ensures that all completed studies are scored accurately, uploaded to the appropriate storage site and, if needed, printed and placed in the interpreting MD mailbox. Provides patient education related to the purpose of study, the time required and instructions for use (if providing an in-home study device), ensuring adequate teach-back and understanding. Ensures a safe patient environment at all times. This includes but is not limited to: keeping patient care areas clean, organized and free from trip hazards, completing disinfection of equipment in-between patients, encouraging the use of walkers or other mobility aids when needed, and making recommendations for urgent care follow up, when indicated. Uses a practical knowledge of location and function of major body organs and structures in order to position the patient and/or connect monitoring equipment to take optimum advantage of equipment capabilities. Prepares, calibrates, interfaces, and operates all equipment used in polysomnographic procedures. This position is also open at the GS-8 grade level only to U.S. Citizens with announcement CBSR-13033600-26-CB. Please ensure you apply to the correct announcement based on your eligibility. Work Schedule: Monday - Thursday, 9:00pm-7:00am; tour of duty could be subject to change based on the needs of the Agency Recruitment/Relocation Incentives (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 94408-8 (Full performance level of GS-8) Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
What you need to qualify
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. 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. English Language Proficiency. Medical Instrument Technicians must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with chapter 2, section D, paragraph 5a, this part. Basic and Advanced Cardiac Life Support certifications are desirable. Training which does not result in official certification does not meet this definition. 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-4: 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 position to be filled. Six months of this experience may have been in medically related fields such as nursing assistant, practical nursing, or similar fields. The remaining six months must have been in operating diagnostic and therapeutic equipment covered by this occupation. In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: OR, Education. Successful completion of two years of education above high school or an associate's degree with a major field of study directly related to the medical instrument technician occupation. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (a) Knowledge of basic medical terminology (b) Ability to learn the components, operating characteristics, and settings of the equipment to be used (c) Ability to learn typical patient reactions to the basic procedures involved and ability to recognize signs of distress (d) Ability to learn the standard positions for the procedure being conducted (e) Ability to communicate orally and in writing GS-5: 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 position to be filled. In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: OR, Education. Successful completion of 4 academic years above high school leading to a bachelor's degree with courses related to the occupation, or a bachelor's degree in a major field of study appropriate to medical instrument technician functions. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (a) Knowledge of standard medical terminology to interpret physician orders or instructions (b) Knowledge of common physical disabilities and ability to position patients for the examination or treatment (c) Ability to learn the normal and abnormal results for routine procedures to recognize and report obvious abnormalities (d) Ability to operate the equipment to administer routine/standard diagnostic treatment or procedures (e) Ability to perform standard operator maintenance on the equipment including the ability to disassemble, clean, reassemble, and calibrate the machine GS-6: 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. In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (a) Knowledge of standard, computerized polysomnographs for recording continuous all night physiological data including EEG, EOG, EKG, EMG and respiratory parameters. (b) Knowledge of standard devices such as oximeters, respiratory effort devices, nasal pressure devices, thermistors, thermocouples, continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machines, and laboratory computers including the ability to calibrate and operate the equipment and recognize and eliminate recording artifacts. (c) Knowledge of medical terminology and medical record organization to review medical records, sleep study orders, consent forms, medical charts, etc. (d) Knowledge of polysmnographic procedural protocols (including overnight sleep studies, MSLT, MWT, PAP, etc.). (e) Knowledge of basic anatomy and physiology and the international 10-20 electrode placement system in order to conduct the sleep studies. Certification. Basic Cardiac Life Support (BCLS) certification is desirable. GS-7: 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 the individual with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to independently conduct difficult but standardized polysomnography examinations. In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (a)Knowledge of CPAP function and operation to select and fit appropriate PAP patient interface devices. (b) Ability to independently titrate and document PAP level to achieve therapeutic goals. (c) Knowledge of indications, complications, and contraindications of CPAP therapy. (d) Knowledge of Bi-Level pressure titrations. (e) Ability to recognize changes seen during the PSG tracing and identify all stages of sleep. This includes the ability to score and analyze sleep stages in clinical polysomnography recordings. Certification. Basic Cardiac Life Support (BCLS) certification is desirable. GS-8: 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 (a) Advanced knowledge or the International Classification of Sleep Disorders and the ability to recognize uncommon and/or rare sleep disorders. (b) Ability to summarize and report polysomnographic data in narrative form. (c) Knowledge of event characteristics (e.g., respiratory, cardiac, sleep stage, seizures, etc.) and ability to take appropriate action. (d) Ability to provide briefings and orientation to hospital staff including physicians. Certification. Basic Cardiac Life Support (BCLS) and Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) certifications are desirable. Preferred Experience: Registered Polysomnographic Technologist by the Board of Registered Polysomnographic Technologists (BRPT); five years as a registered sleep tech/polysomnographer. 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. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-4 to GS-8.
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