Med Instrument Tech (GI)

Description:

This announcement is for a Medical Instrument Technologist (Gastroenterology). The position is located in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Veterans Health Administration (VHA), Veterans Integrated Service Network 6 (VISN 6), at the Durham VA Medical Center (VAMC), located in Durham, North Carolina, within the Specialty Care Service Line.

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.
• Education: There are no specific educational requirements for this occupation.
• Licensure or Certification. No certification is required; however, it is desirable that employees at this level have BLS certification.
• English Language Proficiency . Medical Instrument Technicians must be proficient in spoken and written English. No person will be appointed under authority of 38 U.S.C. chapter 73 or 74, to serve in a direct patient-care capacity in VHA who is not proficient in written and spoken English.
• BLS Certification.

Grade Determinations : Medical Instrument Technician (Gastroenterology), 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 knowledge of advanced specialized gastroenterology procedures.

In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

1. Knowledge of complex gastroenterology procedures, such as ERCP with spy glass, ablation procedures, mucosal resection procedures, fine needle aspiration procedures and capsule studies.
2. Ability to provide briefings and orientations to hospital staff including physicians.
3. Knowledge of regulatory and advisory agencies such as Joint Commission, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Society of Gastroenterology Nurses and Associates (SGNA), American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE), and applicable laws such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA).
4. Knowledge of medical terminology related to GI and biliary systems used to identify pathology or for specimen identification and procedure documentation and knowledge of advanced anatomy and physiology to recognize obvious abnormalities during procedures.
5. Ability to provide staff development and training.

Certification. No certification or registration is required. SGNA core level one, Basic Cardiac Life Support (BCLS) and Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) certifications are also desirable for employees at this level.

Assignment. Technicians at this level are fully functioning with higher level duties consisting of significant scope, complexity (difficulty), and range of variety, to be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time. They are proficient with GI endoscopic equipment and ensure proper performance of endoscopic equipment; select alternate equipment or adjust equipment settings to accommodate patient needs and produce high quality technique. They collect, process, and label all specimens; train other technicians in basic endoscopic procedures; work in and outside the GI unit offering technician support during emergent and on-call endoscopic cases; and assist the Nurse in patient care duties such as obtaining vital signs, dressing and documenting all pertinent information in the patients' record.

The incumbent is directly responsible to the Nurse Managers, Gastroenterology Section.

References: VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Appendix G27

Physical Requirements: The MIT (Gastroenterology) must meet the physical requirements.

• This position requires visual acuity, keen hearing, clear distinctive speech, and manual dexterity.
• This position requires potentially long periods of continued walking, standing, stooping, sitting, bending, pulling, and pushing. Transferring patients and objects may be required.
• The incumbent may be exposed to infected patients and contaminated materials and may be required to don protective clothing in isolation situations or operative/invasive procedures. For safety from radiation exposure the incumbent is expected to wear lead protective aprons when dealing with exposure.
• The incumbent may occasionally be exposed to patients who are combative secondary to delirium, dementia, or psychiatric disorders. The incumbent must be a mature, flexible, sensible individual capable of working effectively in stressful situations, able to shift priorities based on patient needs.

The MIT must complete annual Employee Health requirements, such as annual TB screening or testing, as a condition of employment.