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Summary The incumbent will work in Patient Care Services at the Cheyenne VA Medical Center (CVAMC). The Medical Instrument Technician (MIT)/Electrocardiogram (EKG) is responsible for continuous telemetry monitoring, identifying cardiac rhythms, including disturbances like ventricular tachycardia and atrial fibrillation. The incumbent relays critical information to the Registered Nurse (RN) and may provide limited direct patient care, such as 1:1 observation of at-risk patients. Responsibilities Cheyenne VA Health Care System - Start, continue, or finish your career here | Cheyenne VA Health Care System (youtube.com)Total Rewards of a VA Career - Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Initiates, sets up, monitors, and interprets patient cardiac waveforms, notifying the appropriate clinical staff as directed. Sets up, adjusts, and maintains all cardiac monitoring equipment. Provides continuous cardiac surveillance, interpretation, and reporting of monitor tracings. Performs activities including initiating, recording, interpreting, and discontinuing telemetry. Duties include, but are not limited to: Setting up and operating electrocardiographic equipment. Performing specialized examinations and studies, including continuous cardiac monitoring on remote telemetry, ambulatory monitoring of arrhythmias, EKG testing, and pacemaker interrogations. Providing continuous monitoring of cardiac rate, rhythm, and patterns of conduction at a monitoring station. Measuring, printing, and interpreting rhythms at designated intervals and as needed. Recognizing life-threatening situations and notifying the RN while simultaneously initiating emergency procedures. Relaying critical information, specifically cardiac rhythms (normal or abnormal) and rhythm changes to the primary nurse or charge nurse. Educating patients on the purpose and use of cardiac monitoring. Preparing patients for proper skin preparation and electrode placement. Performing EKGs on a ROUTINE, STAT, and as-needed basis. Appropriately processing and acquiring completed EKGs in the MUSE system. Identifying all cardiac rhythms, including complex rhythm disturbances such as Ventricular Tachycardia, Ventricular Fibrillation, Atrial Fibrillation, and other dysrhythmias. Ensuring patient safety by adhering to current CVAMC policy and service-specific SOPs. Providing limited direct patient care, such as 1:1 observation for at-risk patients. Work Schedule: Full-time, Twelve-hour shifts are available. This schedule consists of six 12-hour shifts and one 8-hour shift per pay period, with variable shifts including nights, weekends, and holidays. Compressed/Flexible: Available Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year). Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior [work experience] or military service experience. Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment, up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child. Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment, full time employees with a total family income below $144,000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66. Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement) Telework: Not available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 442-50854-A, 442-50855-A, 442-50856-A, 442-50857-A 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. Must be proficient in written and spoken English. 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). Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. 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. Citizenship of the United States. (Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3g, this part. 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. Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the criteria discussed in the applicable headings, or that defined in the appendices, must be met when determining the grade of candidates. For individuals at the GS-4 and GS-5 levels, the approved title will be Medical Instrument Technician (Trainee). Medical Instrument Technician (Trainee), GS-4 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 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, Education. Successful completion of two years of education above high school or an 7 associate's degree with a major field of study directly related to the medical instrument technician occupation. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. 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. Medical Instrument Technician (Trainee), GS-5 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 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, Education. Successful completion of [4 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. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. 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 8 procedures. Ability to perform standard operator maintenance on the equipment including the ability to disassemble, clean, reassemble, and calibrate the machine. Medical Instrument Technician - Electrocardiograph Technician (EKG), GS-6 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. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills and Abilities. Ability to recognize special patient needs such as disabilities, impaired mobility, and complicating medical conditions in order to prepare and position the patient for the prescribed procedure. Knowledge of the specialized equipment and accessories appropriate to Holter monitoring and ability to perform such tests. Knowledge of universal precautions and sterilization techniques and ability to follow CDC guidelines in cleaning equipment. Ability to monitor the patient for adverse reactions and take appropriate action. Ability to operate the equipment to perform standard and routine highly specialized procedures including exercise stress testing. Certification. No certification is required; however, it is desirable that employees at this level have BCLS (Basic Cardiac Life Support) certification. Medical Instrument Technician - Electrocardiograph Technician (EKG), 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 the equipment, standard tests and procedures, and typical readings including arrhythmias and abnormalities. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. 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-service 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. Preferred Experience: EKG or telemetry experience 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-7. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-4 to GS-7. Physical Requirements: The employee understands that the Medical Instrument Technician (Trainee) role involves prolonged periods of sitting, bending, reaching, crouching, stooping, and stretching. While much of the work is sedentary, it can also involve walking, pushing, bending, standing, and moderate lifting. The employee must be capable of lifting items up to 50 lbs. Proper body mechanics are imperative for the safety of both the employee and the patient population. 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/. Additional Information Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed. During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status. VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority. 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.