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: 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
• For all specialties identified in this standard, Basic and Advanced Cardiac Life Support certifications are desirable
• Training which does not result in official certification does not meet this definition
• Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019
• 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
• 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)
• Medical Instrument Technician (Polysomnography) Polysomnography Technicians operate the electroencephalograph and other devices to record the electrical activity of the brain during sleep
• Registration is offered by the Board of Registered Polysomnographic Technologists (BRPT)
• 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
• Basic Developmental Levels: 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 associate's degree with a major field of study directly related to the medical instrument technician occupation
• In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: 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
• 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
• In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: 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 procedures
• Ability to perform standard operator maintenance on the equipment including the ability to disassemble, clean, reassemble, and calibrate the machine
• Medical Instrument Technician (Polysomnography) 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
• In addition, 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, and laboratory computers including the ability to calibrate and operate the equipment and recognize and eliminate recording artifacts
• Knowledge of medical terminology and medical record organization to review medical records, sleep study orders, consent forms, medical charts, etc
• Knowledge of polysmnographic procedural protocols (including overnight sleep studies, MSLT, MWT, PAP, etc.)
• Knowledge of basic anatomy and physiology and the international 10-20 electrode placement system in order to conduct the sleep studies
• 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 the individual with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to independently conduct difficult but standardized polysomnography examinations
• In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: Knowledge of CPAP function and operation to select and fit appropriate PAP patient interface devices
• Ability to independently titrate and document PAP level to achieve therapeutic goals
• Knowledge of indications, complications, and contraindications of CPAP therapy
• Knowledge of Bi-Level pressure titrations
• Ability to recognize changes seen during the PSG tracing and identify all stages of sleep
• This includes the ability to score and analyze sleep stages in clinical polysomnography recordings
• GS-8: 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 a knowledge of the more complex procedures as well as knowledge of the uncommon and/or rare sleep disorders
• In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: Advanced knowledge or the International Classification of Sleep Disorders and the ability to recognize uncommon and/or rare sleep disorders
• Ability to summarize and report polysomnographic data in narrative form
• Knowledge of event characteristics (e.g., respiratory, cardiac, sleep stage, seizures, etc.) and ability to take appropriate action
• Ability to provide briefings and orientation to hospital staff including physicians
• 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-8. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-4 up to GS-8.