This position requires a highly skilled Sonographer with a comprehensive, specialized education in the medical and technical aspects of diagnostic cardiac sonography. This position is located with the Specialty Service line working under the Chief of Medicine, Cardiologist and Cardiopulmonary coordinator at the Martinsburg, WV, VAMC.
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: There are no specific educational requirements for this occupation. Education may be substituted for experience only at the GS-4 and GS-5 levels. 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. Grade Determinations: GS-6 Medical Instrument Technician (Echocardiography). (a) Experience: At least one year of experience comparable to the next lower grade level (GS-5) which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics related to the duties of the positions to be filled. GS-5 Experience includes: 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. (b) GS-6 Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills and Abilities: In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: Knowledge of the anatomy and physiology of the heart and great vessels. Knowledge of cardiac arrhythmias and their relationship to hemodynamic conditions of the cardiac cycle. Knowledge of basic cardiac ultrasound physics and the acoustic mechanisms by which high quality cardiac images are obtained. Ability to set up and adjust the ultrasound equipment to meet the conditions of the examination and the patient and to operate the equipment for standardized, routine procedures. Ability to interact with patients explaining procedures and positioning the patient for the procedure. (c) Assignment: Echocardiography technician assignments at this level involve performing routine, standardized cardiac ultrasound examinations under the supervision of a fully qualified cardiac sonographer. The work involves generating adequate gray scale images to define cardiac borders and learning to perform Doppler integration of cardiac valves for determination of flow velocities. GS-7 Medical Instrument Technician (Echocardiography). (a) Experience: At least one year of experience comparable to the next lower grade level (GS-6) 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 echocardiographic examinations. (b) GS-7 Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills and Abilities: In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: Ability to scan transthoracic echocardiograms in all views with colorflow and some Doppler. Ability to conduct cardiac testing to determine the severity and variety of cardiac problems, i.e., calcular dysfunction, myocardial wall kinesia, effusions, endocardial lesions, et. Knowledge of the set-up for transesophageal echocardiograms. Ability to set up and adjust the ultrasound equipment to meet the conditions of the examination and the patient and to operate the equipment for more complex, but standardized procedures. (c) Assignment: At this level, medical instrument technicians (echocardiography) perform a range of standard, but complex, echocardiographic examinations with responsibility for calibrating all instruments prior to the procedure. They are expected to keep an accurate record of tests, daily logs, and videotapes. They maintain cidex logs. GS-8 Medical Instrument Technician (Echocardiography). Full Performance Level (FPL). (a) Experience: At least one year of experience comparable to the next lower grade level (GS-7) 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 overall knowledge, skills, and abilities to conduct diagnostic echocardiography examinations in compelx and unusual cases. (b) GS-8 Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills and Abilities: In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: Ability to produce diagnostic quality images and Doppler frequency shift recordings using M-mode, two-dimensional, pulsed and continuous wave Doppler spectral display, and colorflow Doppler imaging. Knowledge of normal echocardiographic findings and deviations produced by a wide variety of cardiovascular diseases. Ability to perform complex procedures such as cardiac studies of the four chambers of the heart and valves using sector scanning techniques to detect stenotic and incompetent valves, chamber enlargement, and pericardial effusion and cardiovascular studies deriving pressure gradients across obstructed valves, etc. Ability to perform complementary ultrasonic examinations (including noninvasive) transthoracic, Bubble studies and contrast echocardiography, (invasive) stress echocardiography, and transesophageal echocardiography. Ability to adapt transducer positioning, instrument controls, and examination techniques to the individual patient being studied and the problem being evaluated including recognizing pertinent abnormalities and documenting abnormal findings. (c) Assignment: This represents the full performance level. Echocardiography technicians at this level identify and record anomalies indicative of disease, injury, or other medically significant condition from ultrasound imaging and simultaneous recordings of the Doppler. They incorporate the causes and results of a variety of symptoms and conditions into a plan of ultrasonic diagnostic examination. They change and develop sounding techniques to accommodate such variables as limited patient mobility, variation in physical condition or dimension of the patient, presence of prosthesis or foreign objects, and ultrasonic response of different body parts. They produce diagnostic quality images and Doppler frequency recordings using M-mode, two-dimensional, and Doppler ultrasound. Preferred Experience: Certification by the American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography (ARDMS) and Cardiovascular Credentialing International (CCI) with 1-3 years as a cardiac sonographer is preferred. 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 in the range of GS-6 to GS-8. Physical Requirements: The physical requirements of the position (i.e. standing, bending, stooping, sitting, pulling, pushing, etc.) Requires standing, bending stooping, sitting, pulling and pushing patients must be able to perform gross and fine coordinated hand movements.
Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Duties may include but are not limited to; Independently perform diagnostic tests, provide patient education, and act as a liaison and information source for the patient and family, nursing staff and medical staff. Responsible for the delivery of professional services and the provision of high-quality patient care in the Echo Lab. Review performance for quality and accuracy. Performs cardiac ultrasound (echocardiograms) autonomously to acquire the maximum diagnostic image quality. All echocardiograms include M-mode, two-dimensional and doppler examinations Performs portable ultrasound procedures on the patients who cannot be transported to the department. Maintains logs and controls. Manipulates high technology ultrasound equipment in the production of diagnostic images Receives patients and explains the procedure. Positions the patient in sitting, recumbent, prone or oblique position in the echocardiographic laboratory or by the bedside. Positions the transducer to the thorax, or body part under examination, using contact real time imaging techniques. Must have basic understanding of computer operations, including the operation of alphanumeric keyboard input, in order to select various programs to best demonstrate cardiac structures or body parts, in different positions, and to prepare equipment for operation, and to change imaging modalities as conditions warrant on different ultrasound systems. Assesses and interprets cardiac structures and blood flow during doppler studies. Operates various items of photographic equipment to record oscilloscope images. Operates videotape recorder and/or digital recorder to maintain a record for physician interpretation and for future reference. Operates continuous wave doppler with color flow mapping. Trains other staff including physicians and medical students, relevant to ultrasound such as appearance and functions of various systems and the physical abnormalities. Performs basic maintenance of ultrasound equipment on a regular basis and notifies supervisor of any equipment problems. Maintains adequate stock of equipment. Consults with cardiologist and/or physician regarding interpretation of echo testing results. Schedules and prioritizes patients for echocardiograms studies. Screens echo consults to determine if patient requires urgent evaluation. Maintains patient log upon completion of exam. Labels videotape of completed exam. Provides a preliminary report of the echocardiogram prior to review by cardiologist and/or physician. Files completed reports in appropriate locations and maintains a copy of all exams within the Cardiopulmonary Department. Receives information and keep abreast of new developments in the field and makes recommendations as to how improvements might be made to operate the section. Other tasks/duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Full time: Monday - Friday 8:00am - 4:30pm. Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not authorized. Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not authorized. Pay: Competitive salary and 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 #: 22163F Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized.