Summary

The position is located at Miami VA Medical Center. The position is allied to the Neurology Service and functionally aligned to the Neurodiagnostic (ND) Lab. The incumbent will serve as the Medical Instrument Technician Neurodiagnostic (ND) of the Neurodiagnostic Lab - and has direct accountability to the lead technician - ND Lab Director and Director of the Epilepsy Center of Excellence (ECoE) and Chief of Neurology Service.

Qualifications

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
• 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 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".-Documentation submitted if applicable 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
• 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 Determination
• Grade GS-06: 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: Knowledge of basic medical terminology - neuroanatomy - neurophysiology - and EEG interpretation
• Ability to position patients for the examination or treatment including using standard alternate positions for patient with common physical disabilities
• Ability to operate the appropriate EEG equipment to administer routine - standardized diagnostic or treatment procedures
• Knowledge of normal and abnormal results to recognize and report obvious abnormalities during procedures
• Knowledge of universal precautions and basic sterilization methods to clean instruments to prevent the spread of infectious diseases
• Knowledge of EEG and peripheral equipment to conduct routine maintenance and adjustment checks Grade GS-07: 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 positions to be filled? This would be experience which provided the individual with the knowledge - skills - and abilities to independently conduct difficult but standardized electroencephalography examinations
• In addition - the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: Ability to perform more complex electroencephalography studies such as evoked potential (visual - auditory - somatosensory) and transcranial Doppler studies
• Knowledge of medication effects related to electroencephalography studies and clinical situations requiring medication
• Knowledge of life threatening or medically emergent testing or patient situations
• Ability to recognize artifacts (patient or environmental) and document - eliminate - or take proper measures to monitor the artifact
• Grade GS-8: 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 knowledge of the more complex procedures - the pharmacology related to this occupation - and knowledge of related acute disorders and diseases and their effects on organs and methods of treatment
• In addition - the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: Ability to interpret testing data to evaluate critical information for surgeons and other medical staff during testing procedures
• Knowledge of anatomy and physiology of the nervous system and the ability to understand the relationship of EEG and evoked potential testing in detecting states of disease and health
• Knowledge of behavior assessment during seizure attacks in order to insure adequacy of recordings during seizure discharges
• Knowledge of a variety of advanced EEG equipment and peripheral equipment such as equipment for brain mapping - video EEG telemetry systems with seizure detection computers - and spike analysis software
• Knowledge of anticonvulsant medications and their effects on the EEG as well as other frequently used pharmaceuticals
• Ability to adapt Neuro diagnostic devices - parameters - and procedures to complex - unusual - and often critical situations
• *Electroencephalograph (EEG) Technicians operate the electroencephalograph and other devices such as evoked potential equipment to record the electrical activity of the brain
• Registration is offered by the American Board of Registration of EEG - CNIM & EP Technologists (ABRET) or the American Association of Electrodiagnostic Techs (AAET)
• (See Appendix F) Reference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/
• The full performance level of this vacancy is
• The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-06 to GS-08
• Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019.

Duties

• Major duties but not are limited to: Testing: Prepares - operates and troubleshoots a variety of neurodiagnostic equipment for standard EEG procedures
• Performs complex procedures which may include Prolonged Inpatient and Outpatient EEGs and Long-Term Monitoring (L TM) procedures in the Epilepsy Monitoring Unit (EMU)
• Independently performs standard and prolonged EEG procedures in accordance with ACNS guidelines and JCAHO standards - and under the direction of the Lead tech - the Lab Director - the ECoE Director or their designee
• Identifies the patient by name - the last four of social security and date of birth
• Identifies the ordering provider - and type of procedure to be performed
• Communicates the monitoring plan to the patient/caregivers/family to help eliminate fears/concerns in language consistent with their ability to understand
• Interviews patients to obtain their medical history to ensure safety during procedure
• Uses the 10-20 and 10-10 method of electrode application
• Verifies I-Med consent is completed for permission to perform audio and video recording during L TM procedures
• Uses HL-7 implementation to check-in patients in Computerized Patient Record System (CPRS) to begin procedures
• Uses the recommended montages according to the American Clinical Neurophysiology Society (ACNS) Guidelines in Electroencephalography
• Annotates observed behavior or anomalies on recordings
• Independently performs routine and specialized activation procedures during the EEGs and recognizes the contraindications to performing these activations
• Prepares a technical description and completes administrative documentation for each procedure performed
• Reviews Prolonged EEG recordings and clips sections of patient's seizures or abnormal brain functioning for review by the interpreting Neurologist
• Marks and highlights sections noting time of day and patient status (awake - standing - sitting - sleeping - events - etc.)
• Recognizes significant findings or emergent situations and how to take proper action
• Equipment: Recognizes and troubleshoots equipment failures
• Communicates with manufacturer technical support to fix equipment problems and communicates with Bio-medical engineering to troubleshoot equipment problems
• Communicates with manufacturer representatives and will become familiar with new processes
• Patient Safety Understands electrical safety and recognizes unsafe recording equipment and environments
• Understands the typical patient reaction to the Neurodiagnostic procedure being performed and is knowledgeable of signs of patient distress
• Responsible for learning - practicing - and supporting all existing safety practices relevant to this position and will further contribute to and keep abreast of new safety practices as they are developed
• Uses proper hospital and laboratory infection control guidelines
• Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8:00AM-4:30PM Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Functional Statement #: 30245F Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Available