Summary

The Echocardiography Technician has the intimate knowledge of thoracic anatomy and physiology related to cardiovascular function. They are responsible for adhering to all departmental - service - hospital - agency - and national regulations and policies. They identify and record anomalies indicative of disease - injury or other medically significant condition from ultrasound imaging and simultaneous recordings of the Doppler.

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
• 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
• See the grade requirements part of this standard for information regarding educational substitutions
• 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 certain functional areas at the higher levels or supervisory assignments - specific certifications appropriate to the specialty are indicated in this standard under "Titles and Certification/Registrations"
• 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: GS-8: Experience
• Applicants must have at least 1 year of experience comparable to the next lower grade level which demonstrates the knowledge - skills - abilities - and other characteristics of the positions to be filled
• This would be experience which provided the overall knowledge - skills - and abilities to conduct diagnostic echocardiography examinations in complex and unusual cases
• In addition - the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: Demonstrated Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities (a) 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
• (b) Knowledge of normal echocardiographic findings and deviations produced by a wide variety of cardiovascular diseases
• (c) 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
• (d) Ability to perform complementary ultrasonic examinations (including noninvasive) transthoracic - Bubble studies and contrast echocardiography - (invasive) stress echocardiography - and transesophageal echocardiography
• (e) 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
• Preferred Experience: 1 year of completing adult echocardiograms
• Registry preferred but not required
• 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. Physical Requirements: Physical aspects associated with work required of this assignment are typical for the occupation and would generally not require a pre-placement examination.

Duties

• Functions: The Echocardiography Technician must possess the ability to organize and manage time effectively - exercise independent judgment - assume responsibility for their own work/actions - and sometimes work under stressful conditions - remain focused - maintain the ability to prioritize and transition between tasks quickly
• They must possess ethical judgment - integrity - honesty - dependability and accountability
• Technician must be reliable and able to work independently
• The technician is responsible for performing job functions in accordance with the mission - vision - and values of VA EKHCS
• The technician working at this level must assume the functions and responsibilities of lower grade levels
• In addition - the major functions include - but are not limited to: Knowledge and performance of standardized echocardiography concepts: a
• Anatomy and physiology of the heart and great vessels b
• ECG strip interpretation c
• Cardiac arrhythmias d
• Hemodynamic conditions of the cardiac cycle e
• Basic ultrasound physics f
• Type and severity of a variety of cardiac problems including valvular dysfunction - myocardial wall kinesia - effusions - endocardial lesions - etc
• Knowledge and performance of echocardiography procedures: a
• Ability to produce diagnostic quality images and Doppler frequency shift recordings using M-mode - two-dimensional - three-dimensional - four-dimensional - pulsed and continuous wave Doppler spectral display - and color flow Doppler imaging
• b
• Ability to perform complex procedures such as cardiac studies of the four chambers of the heart using sector scanning techniques to detect stenotic and incompetent valves - chamber enlargement - and pericardial effusion and cardiovascular studies deriving pressure gradients across obstructed valves - strain technology - pericardiocentesis - etc
• c
• Ability to perform complementary ultrasonic examinations (including noninvasive) transthoracic echocardiography - Bubble studies and contrast echocardiography (invasive)
• Knowledge and performance of echocardiography equipment/software: a
• GE MAC 5500 HD® Resting ECG Analysis System b
• GE Muse® Secure Digital Card Reader c
• Phillips EPIQ 7 Ultrasound System d
• Phillips EPIQ CVx 3D Ultrasound System Knowledge and performance of emergency procedures: a
• Recognize the need for medical intervention if patient safety is at risk
• b
• Maintains a safe work environment to include non-technical maintenance of equipment - safety checks - cleaning - stocking - etc
• c
• Understanding of procedures regarding cardiac emergencies - seizures - diabetic emergencies - etc
• Knowledge and performance of medical records: a
• Proper documentation of procedures performed in CPRS b
• Proper charging of procedures performed in CPRS c
• Maintains annual training for HIPPA and internet security via TMS d
• Medical terminology - consult management - consent forms - medical charts - etc
• e
• Ability to manage Echocardiography images in ISCV Intellispace Cardiovascular and merge images to a CD
• Work Schedule: Tuesday - Friday - 7:00am - 5:30pm Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized 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) 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 #: 000000 Medical Instrument Technician Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized