Summary This position is located at the Corporal Michael J. Crescenz VA Medical Center, Philadelphia. The Biomedical Equipment Support Specialist (BESS) provides clinical and administrative support to staff, patients, and administrators for all matters of concern relating to the facility wide lifecycle management of medical equipment. Biomedical support requires the application of engineering and mechanical concepts. Responsibilities Maintain specialized high-risk surgical or intensive care medical equipment such as anesthesia, intensive care ventilator equipment, intra-aortic balloon pumps, heart-lung bypass systems, and other advanced operating room or intensive care unit equipment. Lifecycle management of all medical systems such specialized high-risk, surgical, or intensive care medical equipment in accordance with manufacturer's instructions Ability to resolve failures on specialized medical equipment and clinical systems. Provides training and education as appropriate to medical technology end users and clinical staff. Performs manufacturer-level maintenance on intensive care systems. Serves as a subject matter expert on assigned committees, projects, and workgroups. Troubleshoots medical equipment and clinical systems using a variety of technical data and completes corrective action. Performs incoming inspections and planned maintenance on medical equipment and clinical systems. Responds to and remediates hazard alerts, recall notifications, and incidents concerning medical equipment and clinical systems. Documents all actions in the appropriate system. Utilizes test equipment in accordance with manufacturer instructions. Manages projects involving medical equipment and clinical systems. Work Schedule: Monday -Friday 7:00 am - 3:30 pm Financial Disclosure Report: Not required Requirements Conditions of Employment 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. Education, Experience, or Certification. (1) 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 (4) Completion of a DOD training program in repair and maintenance of electronic systems or information technology AND 1 year of creditable experience; OR (5) Completion of a biomedical engineering technician or Healthcare Technology Management (HTM) certificate program that included an internship or apprenticeship; OR (6) Completion of biomedical engineering technician or HTM certificate program that did not include an internship AND 1 year of creditable experience; OR (7) 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. Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates: References: VA Handbook 5005 Appendix G49 Biomedical Equipment Support Specialist QUALIFICATION STANDARD , dated February 7, 2022 The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12 Biomedical Equipment Support Specialist- Imaging, GS-12 Experience. At least one year of experience equivalent to the GS-11 grade level In addition to the experience above, you must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: (a) Knowledge of HL7 and DICOM standards. (b) Skill in applying standards including National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Joint Commission (TJC), and the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI) for safe operation of medical equipment and clinical systems. (c) Skill in operating test equipment for specialized high-risk, surgical, or intensive care medical equipment such as ventilator testers, mechanical lungs, and anesthetic gas monitors. (d) Skill in maintaining specialized high-risk, intensive care, or surgical equipment such as ventilators, heart-lung bypass, anesthesia, and intra-aortic balloon pumps. (e) Skill in performing advanced testing to troubleshoot specialized networked medical equipment and clinical system interfaces. (f) Ability to resolve complex failures on specialized medical equipment and clinical systems. Physical Requirements: Heavy lifting (45 lbs and over). You will be asked to participate in a pre-employment examination or evaluation as part of the pre-employment process for this position. Questions about physical demands or environmental factors may be addressed at the time of evaluation or examination. Education Certification. Licensure or Certification is not required for this occupation; however, it is strongly desirable as evidence of possession of the essential knowledge, skills, and abilities. Certification as a Certified Biomedical Equipment Technician (CBET), Certified Laboratory Equipment Specialist (CLES), Net+ and A+ are highly desirable at this level but not required. 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: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html. Additional Information It is VHA policy that all VHA Health Care Personnel (HCP) are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or obtain an approved accommodation for medical, pregnancy, or religious reasons, when required by law. 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. VA may offer newly-appointed Federal employee's credit for their job-related non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service. 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. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment. 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. Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members. If you are unable to apply online view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application.
