Summary The Medical Instrument Technician - Polysomnography (MIT) plays a crucial role in the evaluation, management, and education of patients with sleep disorders, ensuring high-quality patient care and adherence to sleep medicine protocols. Responsibilities include triaging consults, facilitating CPAP clinic operations, managing sleep study data, and providing direct patient education and equipment troubleshooting. Responsibilities Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional The role requires expertise in sleep disorder diagnostics, PAP technologies, patient interactions, and adherence to regulatory standards. Duties include, but are not limited to: Demonstrating proficiency in identifying and treating sleep-related breathing disorders Providing expertise in PAP therapy, including mask fitting and device setup (CPAP, BiPAP, AVAPS, ServoVentilator) Conducting PAP mask fittings and patient education on equipment use Performing CPAP/BiPAP setup, troubleshooting, and re-evaluation Utilizing CPRS to manage patient records, consult tracking, and clinic scheduling Reviewing and archiving sleep studies, ensuring data accuracy and compliance Ensuring contract compliance with home oxygen/CPAP providers Developing and implementing process improvements for clinic efficiency Providing guidance to patients on PAP-related concerns through multiple communication channels Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 7:30AM to 4:00PM Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized 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) 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: May be available on an Ad-hoc basis as determined by the agency policy. Virtual: This is not a virtual position Functional Statement #: 53986A Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized 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. 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 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: Medical Instrument Technicians must be proficient in spoken & written English in accordance with chapter 2, section D, paragraph 5a of the qualification standards Licensure/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 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 Determinations: GS4 Experience/Education: Have at least 1 year of experience comparable to the next lower grade level which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, abilities, & 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 & 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 Successfully completed 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. GS4 Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSA's): In addition to the experience, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: Knowledge of basic medical terminology. Ability to learn the components, operating characteristics, & 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. GS5 Experience/Education: Have at least 1 year of experience comparable to the GS4 grade level which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, abilities, & 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 Successfully completed 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 GS5 Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSA's): In addition to the experience, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: Knowledge of standard medical terminology to interpret physician orders or instructions Knowledge of common physical disabilities & ability to position patients for the examination or treatment Ability to learn the normal & 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 GS6 Experience: Have at least 1 year of experience comparable to the GS5 grade level which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, abilities, & other characteristics related to the duties of the positions to be filled. GS6 Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSA's): In addition to the experience, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: 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, & laboratory computers including the ability to calibrate and operate the equipment and recognize and eliminate recording artifacts Knowledge of medical terminology & medical record organization to review medical records, sleep study orders, consent forms, medical charts, etc Knowledge of polysmnographic procedural protocols (including overnight sleep studies, MSL T, MWT, PAP, etc.) Knowledge of basic anatomy and physiology & the international 10-20 electrode placement system in order to conduct the sleep studies. GS7 Experience: Have at least 1 year of experience comparable to the GS6 grade level which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, abilities, & other characteristics related to the duties of the positions to be filled. This would be experience which provided the individual with the knowledge, skills, & abilities to independently conduct difficult but standardized polysomnography examinations GS7 Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSA's): In addition to the experience, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: Knowledge of CPAP function & operation to select and fit appropriate PAP patient interface devices Ability to independently titrate & document PAP level to achieve therapeutic goals Knowledge of indications, complications, & contraindications of CPAP therapy Knowledge of Bi-Level pressure titrations Ability to recognize changes seen during the PSG tracing & identify all stages of sleep. This includes the ability to score and analyze sleep stages in clinical polysomnography recordings GS8 Experience: Have at least 1 year of experience comparable to the GS7 grade level which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, abilities, & other characteristics related to the duties of the position 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 GS8 Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSA's): In addition to the experience, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: Advanced knowledge or the International Classification of Sleep Disorders & the ability to recognize uncommon and/or rare sleep disorders Ability to summarize & report polysomnographic data in narrative form Knowledge of event characteristics (e.g., respiratory, cardiac, sleep stage, seizures, etc.) & ability to take appropriate action Ability to provide briefings & orientation to hospital staff including physicians Certification: No certification or registration is required. Basic Cardiac Life Support (BCLS) & Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) certifications are also desirable for employees at this level. Preferred Experience: Registered Polysomnographic technologist certification Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. Physical Requirements: Incumbent exercises physical effort in the performance of duties-continually standing, bending, walking, stooping, frequently pushing & pulling patients stretchers & mobile imaging equipment, occasionally lift & carry items weighing up to thirty pounds. Position also requires operation of the computer keyboard which requires frequent involvement (flexion and extension) of both wrists. Positioning patients who are unconscious or disabled requires considerable effort and working in awkward positions. Heavy lifting of totally incapacitated patients is done only with the help of other employees. Eyestrain may be encountered. Work is performed in areas having adequate heating & cooling & is exposed to disagreeable odors & minor injuries. Portable examinations may be required, which entail transporting equipment to bedside & examining the patient on the ward. 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: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/. Additional Information 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.
