Medical Instrument Technician; EKG

Summary

This position in the ICU provides expert clinical and administrative support in a wide variety of patient care and related activities in the assigned unit at the Martinsburg VA Medical Center. The purpose of this position is to be a productive team member carrying out and ensuring quality and timely delivery of care. Must possess personal qualities - desire and attitude necessary to adapt to rapidly changing demands on time and workload and have skills to perform specific tasks/tests/procedures.

• United States Citizenship:
  Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy
• 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
• 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 the GS-6 or above as evidence of possession of the essential knowledge - skills - and abilities
• For all specialties identified in this standard - Basic and Advanced Cardiac Life Support certifications are desirable
• Training which does not result in official certification does not meet this definition
• Grade Determinations: GS-7 Medical Instrument Technician (EKG)
  
  Experience:
  
  At least 1 year of experience comparable to the next lower grade level (GS-6) 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 knowledge of the equipment - standard tests and procedures - and typical reading including arrhythmias and abnormalities
• Demonstrated Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities
• In addition - the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:
  Knowledge of typical patient reactions and signs of distress including the ability to recognize - report and treat potentially lethal arrhythmias
• Knowledge of common equipment settings and standardized procedures plus knowledge of common errors and corrective measures
• Ability to modify procedures/positions to obtain the correct results with patients with complicating conditions such as amputations - Parkinson's disease - structural defects - and scar tissue
• Ability to act as a mentor or preceptor to lower graded technicians
• Ability to conduct in training on the EKG equipment and related instrumentation
• Certification:
  No certification is required
• however - it is desirable that employees at this level have BCLS (Basic Cardiac Life Support) and ACLS (Advanced Cardiac Life Support) certifications
• Assignment:
  This represents the full performance level
• Medical Instrument Technicians (EKG) at this level operate and monitor electrocardiographic equipment to perform specialized examinations and studies involving exercise stress testing - ambulatory monitoring of arrhythmias - and indirect carotid pulse tracings on chronic patients
• They monitor tracings to identify arrhythmias and when gross abnormalities appear - when to repeat certain procedures - when to stop test procedures - and when to get the immediate attention of a physician
• They evaluate test results to determine appropriate machine adjustments and use alternative techniques and procedures when established procedures do not accomplish acceptable results
• This includes adapting equipment and accessories to yield the best results during the examination
• They edit and select an appropriate sample portion of the tracing for further interpretation by the physician
• Reference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit https://(Use the "Apply for this Job" box below). Standards/
• The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-7. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-7.
  
  Physical Requirements:
  
  This position requires visual acuity - keen hearing - clear…