The Supervisory Biomedical Equipment Support Specialist (BESS) works in support of the Biomedical Engineering Department by providing leadership, guidance, and supervision among assigned employees. Additionally, the Supervisory BESS 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. 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 Physical Requirements. See physical requirements listed below and/or VA Directive and Handbook 5019 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, 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). 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: In addition to the basic requirements for employment, candidates must meet the following grade-determining criteria for placement at grade levels specified. Experience. At least one year of experience at the GS-11 grade level that demonstrates the technical competencies described at that level. Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: (a) Skill in managing workflow by directing the work of others to accomplish program goals and objectives. (b) Skill in developing policies to oversee medical equipment and clinical systems. (c) Skill in managing interpersonal relationships between employees, team leaders, and managers. (d) Ability to analyze data to optimize quality, efficiency, performance, and productivity. (e) Ability to supervise subordinate staff (for example, plan, organize, delegate, direct, control, review activities, and performance). (f) Ability to provide guidance on multiple types of medical equipment and clinical systems. Assignments. For all supervisory assignments the BESS must spend 25% or more of their time providing administrative and technical supervisor and perform major duties above those at the FPL consist of significant scope, complexity, difficulty, and variety. Employees in this assignment serve as a Supervisory BESS and may also perform the duties of an FPL BESS. Supervisory BESS provide program-specific leadership and exercise a full range of supervisory and personnel management authorities and responsibilities in planning, directing, and assessing the work of subordinate staff. They establish performance standards and evaluate the overall performance of employees. Supervisory BESSs define competency requirements and identify development and training needs. They take necessary actions to ensure subordinate personnel maintain and enhance technical expertise. Supervisory BESSs ensure compliance with all applicable standards, policies, procedures, and regulatory requirements. They develop, implement, and monitor the medical equipment management program. Supervisory BESSs develop program-specific policies and procedures. They oversee administrative management of resources such as budgets, staffing, purchases, and contracts. Supervisory BESSs collaborate with executive leadership, clinical, and administrative staff regarding management of medical equipment. They solicit feedback from customers to monitor the quality of the medical equipment management program. Supervisory BESSs identify, prioritize, and coordinate training through manufacturers, vendors, VISNs, national program offices, or other sources to enhance competencies of staff members. They oversee the medical device protection program. Supervisory BESSs establish workload distribution and priorities and revise work schedules to meet workload changes. They have oversight of large scale, complex projects involving cross-functional teams. Supervisory BESSs oversee vendor services, review work performed, and ensure defined specifications are met and documented. They investigate and document equipment incidents, damage, and abuse. Preferred Experience: More than three years of experience addressing calls as a Biomedical Equipment Support Specialist. Experience working in a high-stress environment, such as fixing failed medical equipment while being used in patient care. Experience leading other and managing workflow even when short staffed. Certification as a Certified Biomedical Equipment Technician (CBET), Certified Laboratory Equipment Specialist (CLES), Net+ and/or A+. More than three years of experience as a Biomedical Equipment Support Specialist performing medical equipment PMs to Joint Commission Standards 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-12. Physical Requirements: Heavy lifting (45 pounds and over), straight pulling (2 hours), pulling hand over hand (4 hours); pushing (6 hours), reaching above shoulder, use of fingers, both hands required, walking (6 hours), standing (8 hours), crawling (4 hours), kneeling (6 hours), repeated bending (6 hours), climbing, use of legs and arms, both legs required, operation of a motor vehicle, ability for rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously, near vision correctable to 13" to 16" to Jaeger 1 to 4; Far vision correctable in one eye to 20/20 and to 20/40 in the other; both eyes required, depth perception, ability to distinguish basic colors, ability to distinguish shades of colors, hearing (aid permitted).
Major Duties: Responsible for lifecycle management of network equipment including network switches, servers, routers & related infrastructure for any & all networked complex medical devices & systems such as imaging, life support, dialysis, & monitoring. Completes routine & complex assignments involved identifying & troubleshooting issues related to VLAN configuration, IP addressing, sub-netting, HL7, DICOM, Access Control List (ACL) & network security across the medical device network. Coordinates with other facility support departments including Facilities Management Service (FMS), Office of Information Technology (OIT), Sterile Processing Service (SPS), & Environmental Management Service (EMS). Utilizes advanced network test equipment & software including tracers, wireless spectrum analyzers, network traffic monitors, command prompt, physical & virtual server software. Manages complete systems of computerized networks, databases & servers including biomedical information systems that store or facilitate patient information. These biomedical information systems include Picture Archiving Communication Systems (PACS), physiological monitoring systems, Clinical Information Systems (CIS), Anesthesia Record Keeping (ARK), & other systems for which Medical Device Isolation Architecture (MDIA) would apply. Implements emerging technologies including diagnostic modalities, network management & storage, &virtual data centers. Manages network incident response due to infection, loss of service or regional & local policy changes according to VA guidelines. Ensures proper security configuration for assigned devices & networks. Regularly reviews & installs available approved software updates & virus definitions for applicable networked medical devices. Leads development of disaster recovery procedures for critical systems to be enacted in the event of device failure. Adheres to MDIA Guidelines in both pre-procurement & during system implementation. Responsible for lifecycle management of any & all medical devices & systems such as imaging, life support, dialysis, & monitoring to include physical & network support. Completes assignments involved in the installation, maintenance, modification, troubleshooting, repair & calibration of these complex therapeutic, diagnostic & life support medical devices & systems. Participates in incoming inspections, regular & unscheduled maintenance, & planning for end-of-life replacement in conjunction with clinical services. Utilizes common test equipment including electrical safety analyzers, oscilloscopes, patient simulators, pulse generators, network analyzers, & multimeters. Adheres to relevant safety codes & standards of regulatory bodies including The Joint Commission (TJC), National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), Food & Drug Administration (FDA), Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI), American College of Radiology (ACR), Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS). Documents all work performed in the computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) in accordance with regulatory body requirements, Healthcare Technology Management (HTM) Documentation of Services guidelines & other organizational requirements. Maintains documentation of biomedical information systems covering ePHI requirements, VLAN, IP address, antivirus software, security & other required information. Functions as a Contracting Officer Representative (COR) & keeps appropriate certification levels. Follows contract procedures & documentation requirements to develop statements of work, sole source justifications, other applicable documentation (6550, Independent Government Cost Estimate (IGCE), etc.) & to oversee vendor work. Collaborates with Logistics & Contracting to procure parts & services. Investigates, remediates & documents recalls & safety alerts within established timeframes. Participates in local safety improvement processes such as Root Cause Analysis (RCA), safety work groups, & Environment of Care Rounds. Identifies hazards during routine job performance & ensures they are addressed & corrected. Provides training as appropriate to medical technology end users & clinical staff. Manages installation or upgrade projects for biomedical information systems, backup servers, other communication systems & other medical devices & systems. Maintains medical systems (action items, special projects, etc.) to meet mission critical requirements. Represents Biomedical/Clinical Engineering department on committees & in meetings as delegated by supervisor. Work Schedule: Monday thru Friday, 8:00 am - 4:30 pm 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