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Summary These positions are located within the Patient Care Services at the West Palm Beach Medical Center in West Palm Beach, FL. The Health Technician is to improve the quality and timelines by which basic services are delivered to patients by proving administrative and clinical support in a wide variety of ancillary activities. Responsibilities ***THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION, YOU MUST LIVE WITHIN OR BE WILLING TO RELOCATE WITHIN A COMMUTABLE DISTANCE OF THE DUTY LOCATION*** The major duties include but are not limited to: Maintains ongoing, high-level surveillance of patients' cardiac rhythms and notifies nursing/clinicians of any rate/rhythm changes according to clinical/provider orders; Performs clerical duties related to admission, discharge, and documentation of patient information from Heartbeat Central station; Answers telephone and communicates clearly when receiving information from units or providers; Serves as a resource for training and troubleshooting to both Heartbeat Central station and clinical areas; Troubleshoots monitors with nursing staff and contacts Biomedical Engineering as appropriate; Provides hand-off to oncoming shift detailing rhythms, patient events, and admission status; Prioritizes and organizes work assignment and adjusts priorities based on changing situations; Maintains and stocks all designated equipment, including telemetry, and transport monitors; Selects and sets equipment's technical factors for a variety of difficult tests or procedures; Schedules procedures, coordinating with other services; Notifies physician of test results and ensures original results are included in the permanent record; Operates and monitors electrocardiogram (EKG) equipment for both 12 and 15 leads; Assists medical staff with or performs diagnostic used to diagnose medical conditions; Explains procedures, positions patients for desired results, and cushions and shields patients as appropriate; Responds to emergency situations such as cardiopulmonary failure, hemorrhaging, and shock by assisting in the performance of resuscitation measures; Performs a range of diagnostic support duties such as taking, recording, and reporting to supervisor deviations in vital signs, taking specimens, labeling specimens for the laboratory; Arranges and passes medical instruments and materials to medical/health professional for a variety of diagnostic tests and procedures; Uses hot and cold packs, changes sterile dressings, cares for patients, and sets up and give treatments that require auxiliary equipment; Monitors patients for adverse reactions and takes corrective action based on established policy and past experience; Performs direct patient support work to include collecting information from patients, providing personal patient care, and educating patients on pre-testing and post procedure activities; Provides education material and direct patients to appropriate resources available with the Medical Center; and, Performs all other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: 6:00 p.m.-6:30 a.m. (six days per pay period) and one 8-hour rotating shift per pay period (2:00 p.m.-10:30 p.m. or 10:00 p.m.-6:30 a.m.). Designated Drug-Testing Position: Applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA. Applicants will not be appointed to the position if a verified positive drug test result is received. Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 You may be required to serve a probationary period Subject to background/security investigation Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP) Qualifications English Language Proficiency Requirement: In accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), No person shall serve in direct patient care positions unless they are proficient in basic written and spoken English. You must be proficient in basic written and spoken English in order to perform the duties of this position. ~AND~ In addition to the English Language Proficiency, to qualify for this position at the GS-6 level, you must meet one of the following requirements: Experience: You must have at least one (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-5) in the Federal Service that has given you the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities required to successfully perform the duties of a Health Technician, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled and technician experience is experience that required application of the knowledge, methods, and techniques of the position to be filled. Specialized experience includes performing both clerical and clinical duties in a medical/healthcare environment; answering and directing phone calls; scheduling appointments; documenting medical records; taking and recording vital signs; and collecting and labeling specimens. NOTE: Experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates, AND hours worked per week. ~OR~ Education: Successfully completed one half (1/2) year of graduate education (9 semester hours or equivalent) or an internship in course matter that must include courses directly related to the work of the Health Technician position. This education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university. NOTE: Transcripts (unofficial or official) must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation. ~OR~ Combination: Equivalent combination of successfully completed graduate-level education and specialized experience, as described above, which meet the total qualification requirements for this grade level. The education portion must include courses directly related to the work of the Health Technician position. This education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university. NOTE: Transcripts (unofficial or official) must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation. You will be rated on the following Competencies as part of the assessment questionnaire for this position: INFECTION CONTROL TECHNICAL COMPETENCE COMPUTER SKILLS COMMUNICATION IMPORTANT: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. All experience listed on your resume must include the month and year start/end dates. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Physical Requirements: The variety of duties reflects a variety of potential extended periods of sitting, walking, standing, carrying items, typing, writing, as well as lifting heavy, sometimes immobile patients. The person in the position is expected to utilize good body mechanics and have stamina to withstand a stressful environment. The work of the position is nominally performed within the existing physical structure, which is environmentally controlled. Occasional work may be required outside the building; examples include but not limited to, assisting patients out or into their vehicles, declared emergencies outside the building, disaster situations, including drills. Most functions require normal safety precautions, though situations may occur that require special protective equipment. Additionally, there are risks of exposure to undiagnosed and infectious diseases, contact with patients intoxicated, and risks of verbal or physical assault. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/. Education IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. NOTE: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: Recognition of Foreign Qualifications | International Affairs Office (ed.gov). Additional Information This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement. Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.