Summary The Biomedical Equipment Support Specialist provides clinical and administrative support to staff, patients, and administrators for all matters of concern relating to the facility wide lifecycle management of networks, networked medical equipment and associated systems. This position is located under the Biomedical Engineering service of the Pittsburgh VA Healthcare System. Responsibilities The duties of this position include but are not limited to the following: Manages and maintains medical servers and networks, diagnostic software, virtual platforms, and clinical applications software. Manages projects involving medical equipment and clinical systems, to include procurement, installation, and maintenance. Manages hardware components of virtual servers, physical servers, and medical workstations. Facilitates operating system updates, upgrades, and virus protection. Identifies, troubleshoots, and completes corrective action for issues related to networked medical equipment and clinical systems. Evaluates compatibility and adaptability of medical equipment and clinical systems to integrate with the electronic health record or other clinical systems. Reviews, coordinates, and implements available software patches, updates, and system/data backups with staff and manufacturers. Coordinates, implements, and manages cybersecurity measures and disaster recovery plans. Responds to, investigates, and documents cybersecurity incidents involving medical equipment and clinical systems. Monitors cybersecurity metrics, and initiates corrective action to address deficiencies. Complies with networked medical equipment and clinical systems are inventoried in the appropriate database. Serves as a subject matter expert on assigned committees, projects, and workgroups. Manages the lifecycle of medical equipment and clinical systems. Troubleshoots medical equipment and clinical systems using a variety of technical data and completes corrective action. Documents all work in the Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS). Facilitates the project installation of both Medical Device Systems and Special Purpose Systems. Provides customer support to staff, evaluates issues and needs, responds with solutions, and keeps customers abreast of status. Educates staff on the safe operation and user-level maintenance of medical equipment and clinical systems. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm Compressed/Flexible: Not Authorized Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 03614-F Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Preferred Experience: Computer virus protection software, available software patches and upgrades, and information security tools experience preferred. Electronics, computer and networking theory with experience maintaining, interfacing and troubleshooting networked medical equipment to include VLAN configuration, IP addressing, subnetting, and network security preferred. Experience utilizing and maintaining computer and server based medical equipment, medical record databases, and proprietary and generic software, experience with TCP/IP, HL7, networking, network security, and DICOM standards preferred. Experience interpreting, identifying, and applying network engineering principles and practices where there often times is no previous example to follow, or precedence preferred. Experience distinguishing networking problems from non-networking and discuss various options with IT networking and operations staff members preferred. 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 trial 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. Must pass pre-employment physical examination. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). 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. Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy. Education, Experience, or Certification. Associates or higher degree in the biomedical technology or biomedical engineering field; OR (2) Associates or higher degree in electronics, a field of information technology, or engineering (other than biomedical engineering) AND 1 year of creditable experience; OR (3) Completion of the Department of Defense (DOD) biomedical equipment technician training program; OR Completion of a DOD training program in repair and maintenance of electronic systems or information technology AND 1 year of creditable experience; OR Completion of a biomedical engineering technician or Healthcare Technology Management (HTM) certificate program that included an internship or apprenticeship; OR Completion of biomedical engineering technician or HTM certificate program that did not include an internship AND 1 year of creditable experience; OR Hold or having ever held certification as a Certified Biomedical Equipment Technician (CBET), Certified Radiology Equipment Specialist (CRES), Certified Laboratory Equipment Specialist (CLES), or Certified Healthcare Technology Manager (CHTM). Continuous maintenance of certification is not required throughout VHA employment. Foreign Education. To be creditable, education completed outside the U.S. must be deemed at least equivalent to that gained in a conventional U.S. program by a private organization specializing in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials. Physical Requirements. See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Service for requirements. English Language Proficiency. Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f). 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: Experience: In addition to meet the basic requirements, you must also have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 grade level. Experience includes managing medical equipment and clinical systems including installation, planned maintenance, troubleshooting, repair, calibrations, electrical safety inspections, patient safety, cybersecurity, and decommissioning. Planning, implementing, and providing technical and project oversight for medical equipment and clinical systems. Developing technical requirements, drafting RFP language, sole-source justifications, and statements of work. Conduct market research, product evaluations, evaluate contractor performance, and conduct pre-procurement assessments. Serve as a Contracting Officer Representative (COR) or Contracting Officer Technical Representative (COTR) to purchase medical equipment, maintenance and repair contracts, and facility projects as needed. BESSs at this level conduct pre-purchase evaluations and address pre-implementation security issues to ensure medical device isolation architecture requirements are met. They consult with and advise clinical and administrative staff in evaluating medical equipment and clinical systems proposed for purchase. BESSs perform incoming inspections on medical equipment and systems to determine that all safety regulations, manufacturer's specifications, contract requirements, and needs of users are met, and they initiate corrective action when necessary. Provide instruction and guidance to end users on proper use and care of equipment including operator-level maintenance of equipment and accessories. BESSs partner with customers to determine the nature and scope of the customer's issues and needs, provide an appropriate response and applicable solutions, and ensure the customer is apprised of delays and significant steps until completion. Ensure inventory accuracy of networked medical equipment and clinical systems to identify and mitigate cybersecurity vulnerabilities. Responsibility for monitoring system backups; data integrity; ensuring network connectivity between systems, servers, databases, and the electronic medical record; and maintain systems security and standards. In the event of a system failure, BESSs reload operating systems and clinical application software and interface with IT to keep systems operational. Use schematic drawings, wiring diagrams, and manufacturer service literature as guidelines to accomplish work. BESSs use specialized electronic test equipment or software to analyze, evaluate, diagnose, troubleshoot, calibrate, or repair analog and digital microprocessor controlled, computerized, or networked digital systems. BESSs coordinate and manage vendor services and review work performed to ensure defined specifications are met and documented. Respond appropriately to hazard alerts and recall notifications concerning medical equipment. Investigate equipment incidents, cases of equipment damage and abuse, equipment failure reports that cannot be duplicated, and medical device security incidents. BESSs at this level determine when health care technology, instrumentation, or systems are obsolete, hazardous, or no longer cost-effective to maintain. Ensure proper disposal of medical equipment and clinical systems including removal of PHI and hazardous materials. Document all activities and ensure the data are correctly entered into the CMMS. Ensure compliance with all applicable standards, policies, procedures, and regulatory requirements such as NFPA, FDA, NRC, TJC, and the AAMI. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to meeting the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: Skill in managing workflow by directing the work of others to accomplish program goals and objectives. Skill in developing policies to oversee medical equipment and clinical systems. Skill in managing interpersonal relationships between employees, team leaders, and managers. Skill in applying standards for safe operation of medical equipment and clinical systems including National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), the Joint Commission (TJC), and the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI). Ability to supervise subordinate staff (for example, plan, organize, delegate, direct, control, and review activities and performance). Ability to provide guidance on multiple @types of medical equipment and clinical systems. Ability to analyze data to optimize quality, efficiency, performance, and productivity. 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-12. 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 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.
