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: A candidate 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 & spoken English. See chapter 2, section D, paragraph 5a, this part.
- Experience & Education:
(1)
Experience. 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
(2)
Education. Four academic years above high school leading to a bachelor's degree with courses related to the occupation.
OR
(3)
Experience/Education Combination. Equivalent combination of experience & education are qualifying for entry level for which both education & experience are acceptable. Examples are listed below:
(a) Six months of experience in the health care field & 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;
OR
(b) Six months of experience in the health care field & successful completion of a course for health care technicians, hospital corpsmen, or medical service specialists given by the U.S. Armed Forces.
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 & meet the criteria). All Health Technicians (Telehealth Clinical) employed in VHA in this occupation on the effective date of this qualification standard 2/7/2018 are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title, series, & 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.
Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates.
Health Technician (Telehealth Clinical), GS-5 (Entry Level)
- Experience or Education: None beyond the basic requirements.
Assignment. This is an entry level position. It is expected that the Health Technician (Telehealth Clinical) receive guidance from more experienced staff members & require frequent & direct supervision. Assignments associated with this position include, but are not limited to, schedule telehealth appointments using an electronic scheduling system; obtain & document patient history & 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 & provider site; monitors & maintains electronic schedule of rooms, patients, technologies, & presenters; administers the patient satisfaction survey; cleans & performs minor routine maintenance of assigned telehealth technology.
Health Technician (Telehealth Clinical), GS-6 (Full Performance Level)
- Experience. One year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level
- Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities (KSA). In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs.
- (a) Comprehensive knowledge of computer systems & programs to perform a variety of tasks.
- (b) Ability to communicate, consult, & interact with other members of the healthcare team, external relations, customer service & patient education.
- (c) Ability to provide & receive guidance & technical direction.
- (d) Ability to plan, organize, set priorities, work as a team member, & effectively complete assignments.
- (e) Ability to read, interpret, & apply complex written instructions.
- (f) Knowledge of general clinical policies & procedures in a healthcare environment.
- (g) 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 & 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 & referring patients that do not meet established criteria to appropriate care; communicating effectively with administrative & professional staff, & 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 & transmission of clinical images &/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 & prevention as appropriate, & takes appropriate action based on the providers' findings & recommendations. Responsible for facilitation of real-time Telehealth encounters by providing hands on assistance & reporting clinical observations under the direction of a licensed independent Practitioner or clinical specialist; schedules, confirms & coordinates Telehealth services between internal & external VA & non-VA sites; analyzes own work flow to determine potential problem areas & 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 & any other logistical issues; responsible for conducting routine inventories & consistently tracking location/status of Telehealth technology located at assigned site; & communicates with National Telehealth Technology Help Desk to facilitate troubleshooting, repair, & coordination of replacement equipment as necessary.
Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit
https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationSt&ards/.
The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-6. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-5 to GS-6.
Physical Requirements: The work requires some physical exertion such as prolonged periods of standing, bending, reaching, crouching, stooping, stretching, & lifting moderately heavy items such as manuals, record boxes, equipment or assisting patients. The work requires above average agility & dexterity. May be required to travel between VA &/or Non-VA clinical care sites & possession of a valid driver's license may be required.