This position is located at the Facilities Management Service Line in the Greater Los Angeles Department of Veterans' Affairs Medical Center. The Biomedical Equipment Support Specialist 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.
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. English Language Proficiency: Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7403(a). Education, Experience, or Certification: Associates or higher degree in the biomedical technology or biomedical engineering field; OR Associates or higher degree in electronics, a field of information technology, or engineering (other than biomedical engineering) AND 1 year of creditable experience; OR Completion of the Department of Defense (DOD) biomedical equipment technician training program; OR Completion of a DOD training program in repair and maintenance of electronic systems or information technology AND 1 year of creditable experience; OR Completion of a biomedical engineering technician or Healthcare Technology Management (HTM) certificate program that included an internship or apprenticeship; OR Completion of biomedical engineering technician or HTM certificate program that did not include an internship AND 1 year of creditable experience; OR 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. 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). Grade Determinations: Biomedical Equipment Support Specialist, GS-05: Experience or Education: None beyond the basic requirements. Assignment. Employees at this grade level serve as entry-level developmental BESSs. It is expected that they receive guidance from more experienced staff members and require regular supervision. BESSs at this grade level perform basic tasks designed to prepare them for promotion. They troubleshoot and perform planned maintenance on general medical equipment. Entry-level BESSs assist with incoming inspections and documentation. Biomedical Equipment Support Specialist, GS-07: Experience: One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade. Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs): In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: Knowledge of physics, anatomy, and physiology. Knowledge of electronics such as analog, digital, and microprocessor theory. Knowledge of the use of standard level test equipment such as multi-meters, electrical safety analyzers, patient simulators, storage oscilloscopes, manometers, and tachometers. Knowledge of basic networking concepts, such as computer and server hardware and software functionality, information technologies and computer virus protection software, available software patches and upgrades, and information security tools (for example, Microsoft Office, Windows operating systems, and McAfee). Skill in documenting all services provided in support of medical equipment and clinical systems in a computerized maintenance management system. Ability to learn equipment operating and maintenance procedures. Assignment. Employees at this grade level serve as developmental BESSs performing an increasing range of duties, under less frequent supervision, but receive guidance and direction regarding unfamiliar or unusual situations for more complex issues designed to prepare them for promotion. They troubleshoot and perform planned maintenance on general medical equipment. Developmental-level BESSs assist with incoming inspections and documentation. Biomedical Equipment Support Specialist, GS-09: Experience: One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade. Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs): In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: Knowledge of basic networking concepts including Access Control List (ACL), Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), and Virtual Local Area Networks (VLAN). Knowledge of computer and server hardware and software functionality including virus protection, operating system patches and upgrades, and information security tools. Ability to interpret a variety of technical data such as schematic drawings, wiring diagrams, table charts, mathematical expressions, and formulas. Ability to use standard level test equipment including multi-meters, electrical safety analyzers, patient simulators, storage oscilloscopes, manometers, and tachometers. Ability to perform equipment maintenance and operating procedures. Assignment. Employees at this grade level serve as a developmental BESS performing increasingly more complex tasks designed to prepare them to work independently at the full performance level. They troubleshoot and perform planned maintenance on medical equipment. Developmental-level BESSs assist with incoming inspections and documentation. BESSs in this assignment receive increasingly less frequent supervision, direction, or guidance from more experienced staff members. Biomedical Equipment Support Specialist, GS-11: Experience: One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade. Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs): In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: Knowledge of 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. Skill in using test and calibration equipment including digital multi-meters, electrical safety analyzers, defibrillator analyzers, patient simulators, manometers, tachometers, and Local Area Network (LAN) analyzers. Skill in interpreting a variety of technical data including schematic drawings and wiring diagrams. Skill in applying networking principles, such as Access Control List (ACL), Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), and Virtual Local Area Networks (VLAN). Ability to perform advanced testing to troubleshoot medical equipment and clinical system interfaces. Ability to maintain medical computers and software. Ability to manage projects involving medical equipment and clinical systems. Assignment. BESSs responsible for managing multiple assignments, organizing, and independently prioritizing their work with minimal supervision. At this level, BESSs manage medical equipment and clinical systems including installation, planned maintenance, troubleshooting, repair, calibrations, electrical safety inspections, patient safety, cybersecurity, and decommissioning. They plan, implement, and provide technical and project oversight for medical equipment and clinical systems. BESSs develop technical requirements, draft requests for proposal (RFP) language, sole-source justifications, and statements of work. They conduct market research, product evaluations, evaluate contractor performance, and conduct pre-procurement assessments. They serve as a Contracting Officer Representative to purchase medical equipment, maintenance and repair contracts, and facility projects as needed. BESSs conduct pre-purchase evaluations and address pre-implementation security issues to ensure medical device isolation architecture requirements are met. They consult with and advise clinical and administrative staff in evaluating medical equipment and clinical systems proposed for purchase. ***Continued under Additional Information***
Major Duties include but are not limited to: Provide clinical and administrative support to staff, patients and administrators for all matters of concern relating to the facility wide lifecycle management. Develop and maintain functional knowledge of relevant safety codes and standards of regulatory bodies including but not limited to the Joint Commission, National Fire Protection Association, Food and Drug Administration, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation. Investigate, remediate and document all recall and safety alerts within established timeframes. Develop and maintain knowledge of the state of the art medical technology, including scientific advances, basic network protocols and medical device security and vendor changes. Provide support of basic medical equipment and systems. Determine if the equipment is performing satisfactorily by selecting or designing appropriate test evaluations of performance in accordance with Original Equipment Manufacturer standards. Use writing skills to clearly and accurately communicate matters of importance. Document all work performed in the computerized maintenance management system. Represent Biomedical/Clinical Engineering department on committees and in meetings as delegated by supervisor. Lifecycle management of all medical systems such as imaging, life support, dialysis and monitoring to include physical and network support. Coordinate with other facility support departments including Facilities Management Service, Office of Information Technology, Patient Safety, Sterile Processing Service, Logistics, Contracting, Informatics and Environmental Management Service. Apply general networking principles to resolve medical system communication issues including node to server failures. Utilize general knowledge of computer hardware, software, communication standards, security, storage media, to maximize the usage and functionality of complex, integrated medical equipment systems and networks. Work Schedule: 7:00am - 3:30pm Compressed/Flexible: Not Available. Telework: Not Available. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 000000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized. Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized. Financial Disclosure Report: Not required