***This is an open continuous announcement until December 31, 2024. Qualified applicants will be considered and referred as vacancies become available.***
The initial cut-off date for referral of eligible applications will be September 19, 2024 . Eligible applications received after that date will be referred at regular intervals or as additional vacancies occur on an as-needed basis until positions are filled.
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/or Education: Must have one year of experience in a health care field that demonstrates the applicant's ability to perform the work or provides an understanding of the work such as but not limited to a medical or clinical assistant (or technician) or health technician
OR
Four academic years above high school leading to a bachelor's degree with courses related to the occupation
OR
Experience/Education Combination. An equivalent combination of experience and education are qualifying for entry level for which both education and experience are acceptable. Examples are listed below:
- Six months of experience in the health care field and two years of education above high school that included at least six semester hours in health care related courses such as, biological science, surgical technician courses, nursing assistant or other courses related to the position; or an associate's degree in a health care related field
- Six months of experience in the health care field and successful completion of a course for health care technicians, hospital corpsmen, or medical service specialists given by the U.S. Armed Forces
OR
Grandfathering Provision: All Health Technicians-Telehealth Clinical employed in VHA in this occupation on 02/07/2018 are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title, series, and grade held. For employees who do not meet all the basic requirements required in this standard, but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it, the following provisions apply:
- Such employees may be reassigned, promoted up to and including the full performance journeyman level, or changed to lower grade within the occupation, but may not be promoted beyond the journeyman level or placed in supervisory or managerial positions.
- Employees who are appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of the qualification standard may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed, on a temporary or permanent basis, until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standard.
- If an employee who was retained (grandfathered) under this provision leaves that occupation, the employee loses protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of re-entry to the occupation.
Grade Determinations:Health Technician-Telehealth Clinical
GS-5:
Experience or Education: None beyond the basic requirements
Assignment: This is an entry level Health Technician-Telehealth Clinical position. It is expected that the Health Technician-Telehealth Clinical receive guidance from more experienced staff members and require frequent and direct supervision. Assignments associated with this position include, but are not limited to, schedule telehealth appointments using an electronic scheduling system; obtain and document patient history and pertinent clinical information in electronic medical records; prepares the telehealth room where the Health Technician-Telehealth Clinical readies the equipment for examination, establishes video conferencing connection, makes introductions between patient site and provider site; monitors and maintains electronic schedule of rooms, patients, technologies, and presenters; administers the patient satisfaction survey; cleans and performs minor routine maintenance of assigned telehealth technology.
GS-6:
Experience: One year of experience equivalent to the GS5 grade level
Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs): In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:
- Comprehensive knowledge of computer systems and programs to perform a variety of tasks
- Ability to communicate, consult, and interact with other members of the healthcare team, external relations, customer service and patient education
- Ability to provide and receive guidance and technical direction
- Ability to plan, organize, set priorities, work as a team member, and effectively complete assignments
- Ability to read, interpret, and apply complex written instructions
- Knowledge of general clinical policies and procedures in a healthcare environment
- Skilled in the use of telehealth technologies for the facilitation of telehealth clinical encounters
Assignment: This is considered the full performance level for this assignment. The Health Technician-Telehealth Clinical performs a full range of duties and is responsible for day-to-day operation of the Connected Care Services. Assignments at this level include, but are not limited to, screening patients for Telehealth modality and referring patients that do not meet established criteria to appropriate care; communicating effectively with administrative and professional staff, and obtaining assistance for issues that may arise or backlogs that cannot be resolved in a timely manner. Responsible for performing imaging duties in accordance with VHA national telehealth guidelines such as: capture and transmission of clinical images and/or data, obtains consent as necessary, generates consults according to established procedures for each telehealth specialty, transmits images or clinical data to the electronic medical record, provides patient education regarding general anatomy, disease processes and prevention as appropriate, and takes appropriate action based on the providers' findings and recommendations. Responsible for facilitation of real-time Telehealth encounters by providing hands on assistance and reporting clinical observations under the direction of a licensed independent Practitioner or clinical specialist; schedules, confirms and coordinates Telehealth services between internal and external VA and non-VA sites; analyzes own work flow to determine potential problem areas and recommends corrective action to improve coordination between various units/facilities; has regular contact with the Facility Telehealth Coordinator to work out process issues, equipment needs, problems, data collection and any other logistical issues; responsible for conducting routine inventories and consistently tracking location/status of Telehealth technology located at assigned site; and communicates with National Telehealth Technology Help Desk to facilitate troubleshooting, repair, and coordination of replacement equipment as necessary.
References: VA Handbook 5005/96, Part II, Appendix G50
The full performance level of this vacancy is GS6. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS5 to GS6
Physical Requirements: The work requires some physical exertion such as prolonged periods of standing, bending, reaching, crouching, stooping, stretching, and lifting moderately heavy items such as manuals, record boxes, equipment or assisting patients. The work requires above average agility and dexterity. The incumbent may be required to travel between VA and/or Non-VA clinical care sites and possession of a valid driver's license may be required.