Summary

The incumbent serves as a Non-Invasive Cardiology Technician at Madison VA Hospital in the following area of specialty: Diagnostic Cardiology Procedures (EKG - 24-hour Holter monitoring - Event continuous monitoring - Routine Cardiology Stress Testing and Nuclear Medicine Pharmacological Stress Testing). Typical assignments involve operating monitoring medical equipment and devices used in cardiology specifically for the recording and monitoring of EKG's - high degree of judgement. MUSE data base.

Qualifications

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
• Preferred Applicants will possess:- 1+ years of experience performing diagnostic EKG
• Experience with ETT's (exercise tolerance test)
• Experience with setting up and monitoring cardiac Holter monitors
• Graduate of an EKG technician training/certification program preferred
• At the GS7 grade level: possession of at least 1 year of experience comparable to the next lower grade level (GS6) which demonstrates your KSA characteristics related to this position
• This experience consists of:- receiving and interpreting physician's requests for diagnostic procedures and/or treatments;-explaining the procedure to the patient to secure the patient's confidence and cooperation;-documenting the patient's record
• independently performing standardized testing monitoring the patient for adverse reactions;- and operating - calibrating - and cleaning and/or sterilizing commonly used equipment
• And be able to demonstrate the following:1
• Knowledge of typical patient reactions and signs of distress including the ability to recognize - report and treat potentially lethal arrhythmias.2
• Knowledge of common equipment settings and standardized procedures plus knowledge of common errors and corrective measures.3
• Ability to modify procedures/positions to obtain the correct results with patients with complicating conditions such as amputations - Parkinson's disease - structural defects - and scar tissue.4
• Ability to act as a mentor or preceptor to lower graded technicians.5
• Ability to conduct in-service training on the EKG equipment and related instrumentation
• References: VA Handbook 5005/54 - Part II - Appendix G27 - Medical Instrument Technician Qualification Standards
• This can be found in the local Human Resources Office
• 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).Reference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.Physical Requirements: Duties will require dexterity in the following areas as the work requires regular and recurring moderate physical exertion including but not limited to walking - frequent bending - reaching - stretching to set up and take apart medical equipment - lifting and positioning patients - carrying - pushing or pulling moderately heavy objects.

Duties

• The incumbent serves as a Non-Invasive Cardiology Technician at Madison VA Hospital in the following area of speciality: Diagnostic Cardiology Procedures (EKG - 24 hour Holter monitoring - Event continuous monitoring - Routine Cardiology Stress Testing - Pharmacological Stress Testing)
• Typical assignments involve operating monitoring medical equipment and devices used in cardiology specifically for the recording and monitoring of EKG's - which require a high degree of judgement
• Independently performs a variety of cardiac diagnostic procedures
• Identifies data displayed and patient responses to the extent of determining appropriate machine adjustments in selecting the method and techniques that will yield the best results
• Recognizes evidence of cardiac emergencies - including acute myocardial infarction and serious arrhythmias from tracings and take appropriate action including immediate notification to the physician and initiating cardio-pulmonary resuscitation
• Recognizes appropriate anatomical landmarks for accurate and secure electrode placement
• The EKG technician performs 12-lead electrocardiograms
• Recognizes electrical hazards and other outside factors - which affect the technical accuracy and quality of EKG tracings
• Observes special precautions established for critical care areas - the emergency department and the operating room relating to their specialized equipment
• Recognizes mechanical - electrical or other interference for correction
• Explains routine and non-routine procedures to veteran patients and other authorized individuals to allay fear of the procedure
• Emphasizes the importance of following exact directions during monitoring periods - particularly for 24 hour Holter and Event monitoring or other special procedures
• Performs proper routine maintenance of equipment per established procedures to obtain satisfactory results
• Cleans - calibrates and maintains technical components and related office equipment to product technically correct tracings of diagnostic quality and to prepare the finished report of the procedure
• Observes the patient's condition making notation of pertinent information including vital signs and other diagnostic information in accordance with the established practice and in response to physician demand or changes in the patient's condition
• Recognizes the interrelationship between test results - patient response and patient's medical condition and effectively communicates information on technically observed abnormal deviations to the physician
• Work Schedule: 7:00am - 3:30pm - Monday - Friday Telework: Not available Virtual: This is not a virtual position.