Medical Instrument Technician (Polysomnography)

Description:

The incumbent will function as a Registered Respiratory Therapist/Registered Polysomnography Technician in the Sleep Disorders Center Testing Unit. The incumbent will know how to perform and score a wide variety of polysomnographic studies in the Sleep Center: routine polysomnogram, PAP titration studies including CPAP, Bi-level, and complex studies, including but not limited to ASV, AVAPS/iVAPS, MSLT, PAP naps, home sleep testing (HST), and Inspire.

Requirements:

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: Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).

Grade Determinations :

Minimum Requirements for GS-4 Level:

Experience or Education -You must have one of the following:

1. At least one 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. Experience gained in the operation of equipment for animal diagnosis or treatment may be credited at this level; OR
2. 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.

Candidates must also demonstrate all of the knowledge, skills, and abilities below:

• Knowledge of basic medical terminology.
• Ability to learn the components, operating characteristics, and settings of the equipment to be used.
• Ability to learn typical patient reactions to the basic procedures involved and ability to recognize signs of distress.
• Ability to learn the standard positions for the procedure being conducted.
• Ability to communicate orally and in writing.

Minimum Requirements for GS-5 Level:

Experience or Education -You must have one of the following:

1. At least one year of experience comparable to the GS-4 grade level which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics related to the duties of the position to be filled. This would be experience in operating equipment related to the particular specialization for which application is made or in related functional areas. Experience gained in the operation of equipment for animal diagnosis or treatment may be credited through this grade level; OR
2. Successful completion of four 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.

Candidates must also demonstrate all of the knowledge, skills, and abilities below:

• Knowledge of standard medical terminology to interpret physician orders or instructions.
• Knowledge of common physical disabilities and ability to position patients for the examination or treatment.
• Ability to learn the normal and abnormal results for routine procedures to recognize and report obvious abnormalities.
• Ability to operate the equipment to administer routine/standard diagnostic treatment or procedures.
• Ability to perform standard operator maintenance on the equipment including the ability to disassemble, clean, reassemble, and calibrate the machine.

Minimum Requirements for GS-6 Level:

Experience -You must have at least one year of experience comparable to the GS-5 grade level which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics related to the duties of the positions to be filled. Candidates must also demonstrate all of the knowledge, skills, and abilities below:

• Knowledge of standard, computerized polysomnographs for recording continuous all night physiological data including EEG, EOG, EKG, EMG and respiratory parameters.
• 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.
• Knowledge of medical terminology and medical record organization to review medical records, sleep study orders, consent forms, medical charts, etc.
• Knowledge of polysomnographic procedural protocols (including overnight sleep studies, MSLT, MWT, PAP, etc.).
• Knowledge of basic anatomy and physiology and the international 10-20 electrode placement system in order to conduct the sleep studies.

Minimum Requirements for GS-7 Level:

Experience -You must have at least one year of experience comparable to the GS-6 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. Candidates must also demonstrate all of the knowledge, skills, and abilities below:

• Knowledge of CPAP function and operation to select and fit appropriate PAP patient interface devices.
• Ability to independently titrate and document PAP level to achieve therapeutic goals.
• Knowledge of indications, complications, and contraindications of CPAP therapy.
• Knowledge of Bi-Level pressure titrations.
• 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.

Minimum Requirements for GS-8 Level:

Experience -You must have at least one year of experience comparable to the GS-7 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. Candidates must also demonstrate all of the knowledge, skills, and abilities below:

• Advanced knowledge or the International Classification of Sleep Disorders and the ability to recognize uncommon and/or rare sleep disorders.
• Ability to summarize and report polysomnographic data in narrative form.
• Knowledge of event characteristics (e.g., respiratory, cardiac, sleep stage, seizures, etc.) and ability to take appropriate action.
• Ability to provide briefings and orientation to hospital staff including physicians.

Preferred Experience:

• The incumbent will know how to perform and score a wide variety of polysomnographic studies in the Sleep Center: routine polysomnogram, PAP titration studies including CPAP, Bi-level, and complex studies, including but not limited to ASV, AVAPS/iVAPS, MSLT, PAP naps, home sleep testing (HST), and Inspire.
• This position is also capable of setting up positive airway pressure devices including but not limited to APAP, CPAP, Bi-level, ASV, and AVAPS. The incumbent will maintain current CPR certification per hospital policy.
• The incumbent needs to have a high level of understanding of high and low filters, sensitivities, gain, AC/DC filters and inputs, bio-calibrations, and machine calibrations.
• The incumbent also needs high level understanding of instrumentation and electrical safety. Well as maintain continuing education units as required by state and federal regulations.
• The incumbent is expected to be registered through the BRPT or its credentialing equivalent.

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-08. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-4 to GS-8.