Summary The Telehealth Clinical Technician supports & manages telehealth operations & is stationed at the Rock Springs CBOC. Primary responsibilities include: supporting telehealth encounters by serving as the telepresenter within scope of practice, functioning as an imager & clinical data manager for telehealth store & forward applications, managing real time clinical telehealth events, providing instructions for patients, & providing technical & administrative support of telehealth operations. Responsibilities Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Prepares the clinical environment, which may include preparing medical & telecommunications equipment to be used for clinical examination & treatment. Serves as a telepresenter within scope of practice during clinical video telehealth (CVT) & VA Video Connect (VVC) encounters including tasks such as establishing & maintaining video conferencing connections, making introductions between patient site & provider site, following instructions of a clinician to facilitate an effective clinical encounter. Serves as an imager & clinical data manager for store & forward telehealth (SFT) clinical encounters including tasks such as capturing images, collecting data & transmitting them electronically for clinical review in accordance with VHA national guidelines. Ensures patient care is delivered safely by following appropriate procedures for inventory management, cleaning of clinical equipment & the care environment while following all patient safety guidelines, protocols, & procedures. Completes standardized clinical questionnaires & templates within scope of training & applicable guidelines. Ensures that patient privacy is protected by complying with all information security & patient privacy regulations. Receives & schedules requests for simple & complex intra-facility, & inter- facility telehealth appointments using an electronic resource-based scheduling system. Screens patients for Telehealth modality & referes patients that do not meet established criteria to appropriate care. Monitors & maintains schedules of rooms, patients, technologies, clinical providers & presenters as needed to ensure efficient telehealth operations. Provides patient education via approved materials. Supports the Veteran in completing patient satisfaction surveys Communicates effectively with clinical & administrative staff at the assigned local site & those located at remote sites of care. Configures, installs, troubleshoots, cleans, & performs minor routine maintenance of assigned telehealth technology. Ensures assigned telehealth technologies are managed appropriately to include inventory, secure, ready for use, & accounted for by preparing & tracking maintenance work orders, information systems, inventory records, & communicating with the National Telehealth Technology Help Desk to facilitate troubleshooting, repair, & coordination of replacement equipment as necessary. Provides established education & training to Veterans, staff & providers on the use of telehealth technologies & serving as a point of contact to answer questions & address concerns related to these technologies. Maintains knowledge of & skill in applying an extensive body of rules, procedures, & operations in telehealth-related technologies & a variety of computer hardware & software used for telecommunications, data entry & retrieval, record maintenance, document & report generation. Maintains regular contact with other staff members & the Facility Telehealth Coordinator to work out process issues, equipment needs, problems, data collection & any other logistical issues. Arranges & completes test video calls with Veterans to prepare the Veterans for clinical encounters using telehealth technologies. Ensures information & resources are maintained for local & remote telehealth providers so they can effectively execute contingency & emergency plans. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm Recruitment/Relocation Incentives (Sign-on Bonus): Not authorized. Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not authorized. Pay: Competitive salary & regular salary increases. When setting pay, a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of higher or unique qualifications or special needs of the VA (Above Minimum Rate of the Grade). 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 #: 61237-0 / 51032-0 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. 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 identification 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 This is an OPEN CONTINUOUS ANNOUNCEMENT and will remain open until November 2, 2026 or until the position is filled. The initial cutoff date for referral of eligible applications will be September 17, 2026. Eligible applications received after that date will be referred at regular intervals or as additional vacancies occur on an as needed basis until positions are filled. 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 Proficiency. A candidate will not be appointed under authority of 38 U.S.C. chapters 73 or 74, to serve in a direct patient-care capacity in VHA who is not proficient in written and spoken English. Experience and Education. Experience. One year of experience in a health care field that demonstrates the applicant's ability to perform the work or provides an understanding of the work such as but not limited to a medical or clinical assistant (or technician) or health technician. OR Education. Four academic years above high school leading to a bachelor's degree with courses related to the occupation. OR Experience/Education Combination. Equivalent combination of experience and education are qualifying for entry level for which both education and experience are acceptable. Examples are listed below: (a) Six months of experience in the health care field and two years of education above high school that included at least six semester hours in health care related courses such as, biological science, surgical technician courses, nursing assistant or other courses related to the position; or an associate's degree in a health care related field; or (b) Six months of experience in the health care field and successful completion of a course for health care technicians, hospital corpsmen, or medical service specialists given by the U.S. Armed Forces. Grandfathering Provision. All Health Technicians (Telehealth Clinical) employed in VHA in this occupation on the effective date of this qualification standard (2/7/2018) are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title, series, and grade held. For employees who do not meet all the basic requirements required in this standard, but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it, must meet one of the listed provisions in the qualification standard. Grade Determinations. In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates. Health Technician (Telehealth Clinical), GS-5 (Entry Level) Experience or Education. None beyond the basic requirements. Assignments at the GS-5 level. This is an entry level Health Technician (Telehealth Clinical) position. It is expected that the Health Technician (Telehealth Clinical) receive guidance from more experienced staff members and require frequent and direct supervision. Assignments associated with this position include, but are not limited to, schedule telehealth appointments using an electronic scheduling system; obtain and document patient history and pertinent clinical information in electronic medical records; prepares the telehealth room where the Health Technician (Telehealth Clinical) readies the equipment for examination, establishes video conferencing connection, makes introductions between patient site and provider site; monitors and maintains electronic schedule of rooms, patients, technologies, and presenters; administers the patient satisfaction survey; cleans and performs minor routine maintenance of assigned telehealth technology. Health Technician (Telehealth Clinical), GS-6 (Full Performance Level) Experience. One year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-5). Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSA). In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs. (a) Comprehensive knowledge of computer systems and programs to perform a variety of tasks. (b) Ability to communicate, consult, and interact with other members of the healthcare team, external relations, customer service and patient education. (c) Ability to provide and receive guidance and technical direction. (d) Ability to plan, organize, set priorities, work as a team member, and effectively complete assignments. (e) Ability to read, interpret, and apply complex written instructions. (f) Knowledge of general clinical policies and procedures in a healthcare environment. (g) Skilled in the use of telehealth technologies for the facilitation of telehealth clinical encounters. Preferred Experience: 1 to 3 years of computer experience and customer service.??????? 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-6. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-5 to GS-6. Physical Requirements: The work requires some physical exertion such as prolonged periods of standing, bending, reaching, crouching, stooping, stretching, and lifting moderately heavy items such as manuals, record boxes, equipment or assisting patients. The work requires above average agility and dexterity. The incumbent may be required to travel between VA and/or Non-VA clinical care sites and possession of a valid driver's license may be required. 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 for 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.
