Job Summary

The Biomedical Equipment Support Specialist (BESS) is a full-time position in the Biomedical Section of Engineering Service at the West Texas VA Health Care System (WTVAHCS), Big Spring, Texas. This position 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.

Job Description

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 11/25/2024. 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. Experience and Education: Associates degree in Biomedical Electronics Technology, Biomedical Equipment Technology or Biomedical Engineering Technology or in a related technical field such as Electronic Technology or Information Technology and two years of experience as a Biomedical Equipment Support Specialist, Biomedical Equipment Technician, Field Service Engineer, Medical Equipment Repairer, or Information Technology Specialist. OR Bachelor's degree in Biomedical Engineering Technology or in a related field such as Electronics Engineering Technology (EET) or Information Technology. OR Completion of a military training program in biomedical equipment and two years of experience as a Biomedical Equipment Support Specialist or Biomedical Equipment Technician, Field Service Engineer, Medical Equipment Repairer or Information Technology Specialist. Licensure/Certification/Registration. None. Certification as a Certified Biomedical Equipment Technician (CBET), Certified Laboratory Equipment Specialist (CLES), Net+ and A+ are highly desirable but not required. Physical Requirements. See physical requirement section above. English Language Proficiency. Candidates 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. See Chapter 2, section D, paragraph 5a, of VA Handbook 5005. 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). GS-11 Grade Determination: Biomedical Equipment Support Specialist (Full Performance Level) Experience. At least one year of experience equivalent to the GS-9 grade level. 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. Specialized experience includes support of medical equipment and systems, install, maintain, safety test, calibrate, troubleshoot, and support medical technologies such as sleep lab monitoring systems, GI endoscopic systems, dental imaging equipment, surgical equipment, and clinical laboratory equipment. Performs and documents all repairs and preventive maintenance activities and ensures that the data is correctly entered into the medical equipment management computer system. Utilizes schematic drawings, wiring diagrams, and technical manuals as guidelines for accomplishing work. Maintains inventory documentation of assigned networked- attached medical equipment/systems to include electronic protected health information (ePHI) requirements, Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN), IP addresses, Access Control Lists (ACL), anti-virus software, and other necessary information. Provides biomedical equipment related technical training to peer and clinical staff. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs). In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: (a) Knowledge of a wide range of sciences including, but not limited to, electronics (analog and digital), computer science/networking, mechanical engineering design, pneumatics, hydraulics, chemistry, physiology, medical terminology, anatomy, optics, and biology to perform duties of a broad scope and nature on complex and sophisticated patient-related medical systems and sub-systems. (b) Ability to perform advanced testing and troubleshooting of medical devices involving their interfaces and connections to information systems either directly or through the hospitals hardwired and wireless networks. (c) Knowledge of codes and standards relevant to safe operation of medical instrumentation such as 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). (d) Skill in the use of all types of test and calibration equipment such as digital multi-meters, electrical safety analyzers, defibrillator analyzers, patient simulators, digital oscilloscopes, pulse generators, and Local Area Network (LAN) analyzers in performing troubleshooting/repair and preventive maintenance activities. (e) Ability to configure and maintain medical servers and desktop computers. (f) Knowledge of contracting regulations, requirements, and specific contract specifications including performance-based contracts. Assignment. Responsible for the life-cycle management of diagnostic, therapeutic, and other patient related medical equipment and systems. Performs routine and complex tasks involved in the installation, maintenance, modification, troubleshooting and calibration of complex therapeutic, diagnostic and life support biomedical equipment. Responsible for monitoring system backups, file integrity, ensuring network connectivity between systems, servers, databases, and the electronic medical record. Must be able to reload operating systems and clinical application software in the event of a system failure and interface with Office of Information and Technology (OI&T) locally and at other sites to keep systems operational. Conducts pre-purchase evaluations and addresses pre-implementation security issues to ensure that medical device isolation architecture (MDIA) requirements are met. Serves as project leader for equipment installation to include but not limited to: discussing contract requirements and concerns with the architect/engineer and contractor; identifying the site requirements, preparing cost analysis and justifications, preparing site plans and progress reports; acting as the project coordinator during installation, testing phases and through to completion of the project to include acceptance testing, planning and coordinating work schedules with other services, arranging utility shutdowns; identifying and ordering materials and arranging for assistance from other trades and crafts as necessary. Responds appropriately to hazard recall notifications concerning medical equipment. Investigates equipment incidents and alerts, cases of equipment damage and abuse, equipment failure reports that cannot be duplicated and medical device security incidents. May be a member of a Root Cause Analysis (RCA) team when appropriate. May serve as a Contracting Officer Representative (COR) for the purchase of medical equipment, maintenance/repair contracts, and facility projects. This work includes but is not limited to; drafting Request for Proposal (RFP) language, Sole-source justifications, Statements of Work (SOW), conducting market research, product evaluations, evaluating contractor performance, and pre-procurements assessments. Consults and advises clinical and administrative staff in evaluating medical equipment proposed for purchase. Determines when healthcare technology, instrumentation, or systems are obsolete, hazardous and/or not cost effective to maintain. Performs incoming inspections on new and unfamiliar medical equipment and systems upon receipt to determine that all government safety regulations, manufacturer's specifications, contract requirements are met. 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-11.