Summary
The Health Technician in Cardiology section under Medical Service provides cross-coverage, clinical, administrative and procedural assistance that aids all Cardiology Providers (General Cardiologists, lnterventional and Electrophysiology Cardiologists, Cardiology Subspecialty Nurse Practitioners, Cardiology Fellows) in the Cardiology Procedure areas and Outpatient Cardiology Clinics. Health Technicians ensure quality and consistency of coverage in all Cardiology areas and programs.
This job is open to
Clarification from the agency
This announcement is open to:
1) Current, Permanent Employees of Loma Linda VA ONLY.
Duties
Major duties include but are not limited to the following:
- Aids the General Cardiologist, Invasive Cardiologist, lnterventional Cardiologist, Electrophysiology Cardiologist, Cardiology Fellow and Subspecialty Nurse Practitioners in clinic by assisting and aiding during visits and procedures, doing initial assessment and triage on walk-in urgent patients, entering data in patient chart, preparing patients for procedures, entering orders within their scope of practice
- Opens and sets up and prepares clinic rooms, maintains and operates monitoring equipment for procedure follow up visits.
- Performs daily Quality Assurance Checks on all equipment, including: Calibrating glucose monitoring equipment to yield accurate blood sugar results for patient symptoms, verifying the Crash Cart Defibrillator battery compliance and expiration dates on all supplies in preparation of any emergency, performing initial operator preventive maintenance and care on other equipment (interrogation devices, EKG machines, ultrasound machines, vital sign machines, monitoring equipment.
- Orders and monitors supply par levels by using independent judgement that provides timely and quality care.
- Exhibits strong multitasking skills to include handling multiple telephone calls while triaging and assisting the providers with ongoing clinic patient needs and appointments.
- Coordinating patient's appointments, subspecialty procedures, tracking no-shows, calling patients with reminders, sending follow- up notification and reminder letters.
- Prepares patient lists and records for the following clinic day is the first contact for patients who call with scheduling or questions triages simple clinical symptoms or questions over the phone for patients calling for General Cardiologist, Invasive Cardiologist, lnterventional Cardiologist, Electrophysiology Cardiologist, Cardiology Fellow and Subspecialty Nurse Practitioners, using independent judgement and knowing when to ask for help from them as needed.
- Obtains and reconciles patient medication lists prior to the visit or over the phone when patients have questions, assists and works with Clinical Pharmacist as needed triages walk-in patients and uses sound independent judgement when to ask for help from the clinical provider.
- Performs vital signs and obtains basic medical history in the process of patient triage and notifies provider of critical indicator or findings are documented.
- Receives and interprets physician's procedures requests. Independently operates and performs electrocardiogram procedures (EKG).
- Obtains and documents patient vitals, triage process and conversations in the electronic record obtains and follows up on requests for medications and diagnostic tests ordered by the nurse practitioner or the physician.
- Checks patient out using appropriate ICD and CPT coding
- Coordinates pacer and defibrillator clinics with device manufacturing representatives, ensures proper grouping of patients with the same device type and/or manufacturer.
- Coordinates patient visits with other services, arranges concurrent or sequential patient care visits requests procedural results and medical records from non-VA healthcare systems, enters the results to electronic medical record (CPRS)
- Analyzes workflow in clinic to determine potential problem areas; designs and implements innovative actions to improve coordination and efficiency between various care providers and supportive entities; evaluates the success of new flow process
- Coordinates with other services to ensure consults are placed correctly and are completed in a reasonable amount of time as specified by VHA mandates.
- Ensures all clinic times and appointment grids are correct, considers the physician and nurse practitioner availability, overbooks urgent patients using clinical judgement.
- Coordinates with clinic locations and nurse managers to ensure that rooms are available for student, resident and fellow physicians who rotate through Cardiology Services as part of their training.
- Acts as a liaison via Secure Messaging, CPRS or My Healthy Vet between the patients and providers (physicians and nurse practitioners) to ensure patients' needs and questions are addressed in a timely manner, answers patient questions according to clinical judgment able to access other remote sources of protected health information and data in third party locations, inclusive but not limited to Holter Data and Event monitors, and able to identify critical test results and notify the physician and nurse practitioner or resident or fellow.
Performs other related duties as assigned.
Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 4:30 pm
Telework: Not Authorized.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Health Technician (Cardiology) /PD025160
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized.
Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved.
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized.
Requirements
Conditions of Employment
- You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
- All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.
- Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
- You may be required to serve a probationary period
- Subject to background/security investigation
- Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process
- Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP)
- Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details.
Qualifications
To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 09/30/2024.
Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement.
or a GS-07 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-06. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade.
Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below:
- Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-06 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Assist and aid during visits and procedures, doing initial assessment and triage on walk-in urgent patients, enters data in patient chart, prepares patients for procedures, enters orders within their scope of practice; Opens, sets up and prepares clinic rooms, maintains and operates monitoring equipment for procedure follow up visits; Performs daily Quality Assurance Checks on all equipment, including: Calibrating glucose monitoring equipment to yield accurate blood sugar results for patient symptoms, verifying the Crash Cart Defibrillator battery compliance and expiration dates on all supplies in preparation of any emergency, performing initial operator preventive maintenance and care on other equipment (interrogation devices, EKG machines, ultrasound machines, vital sign machines, monitoring equipment); Orders and monitors supply par levels by using independent judgement; Handles multiple telephone calls while triaging and assisting the providers with ongoing clinic patient needs and appointments; Coordinating patient's appointments, subspecialty procedures, tracking no-shows, calling patients with reminders, sending follow- up notification and reminder letters; Performs vital signs and obtains basic medical history in the process of patient triage and notifies provider of critical indicator or findings are documented; Receives and interprets physician's procedures requests, and independently operates and performs electrocardiogram procedures (EKG); Obtains and documents patient vitals, triage process and conversations in the electronic record obtains and follows up on requests for medications and diagnostic tests ordered by the nurse practitioner or the physician; Collects, records, manages and stores research data; Obtains, processes and ships laboratory specimens; Communicates effectively with patients, their families and all care providers; Operates office equipment such as computers, fax machines, photocopiers, voice mail messaging systems and computer scanning equipment to complete department tasks.
OR,
- Education: To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have One Full Year of Graduate education, with course work directly related to the position. A transcript must be submitted with your application.
You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: - Administration and Management
- Communications
- Computer Skills
- Customer Service (Clerical/Technical)
Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.
Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment.
Physical Requirements: The work requires regular and recurring physical exertion. It may involve walking, frequent bending, reaching and stretching to set up and take apart equipment; lifting and positioning patients; and carrying, pushing, or pulling moderately heavy objects. Duties may require above average dexterity. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.
Education
A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.
Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.
Benefits
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Review our benefits
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
How You Will Be Evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.
Narrative responses are not required at this time. If you are referred for consideration, you may be asked to submit additional job related information, which may include, but not limited to; responses to the knowledge, skills and abilities; completion of a work sample, and/or contact for an interview. Your resume and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment.
The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.
For more information on the "Who may apply" eligibility requirements, please refer to the OHRM Status Candidates and Other Candidate Definitions document.
Placement Policy: The posting of this announcement does not obligate management to fill a vacancy or vacancies by promotion. The position may be filled by reassignment, change to lower grade, transfer, appointment, or reinstatement. Management may use any one or any combination of these methods to fill the position.
It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.
Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.
Required Documents
To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:
The following documents are accepted, and may be required if applicable to your eligibility and/or qualifications for this position. Please use this checklist to make sure you have included other documents required for your application, such as a copy of your transcript (if using education to qualify), SF-50's (current/former Federal employees), documentation to support Veterans Preference claims, or ICTAP/CTAP documentation (for displaced Federal employees). You will not be contacted for additional information.
- Cover Letter
- DD-214/ Statement of Service
- Disability Letter (Schedule A)
- Disability Letter (VA)
- License
- Other (1)
- PCS Orders
- Performance Appraisal
- Professional Certification
- Resume
- Separation Notice (RIF)
- SF-15
- SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
- Transcript
SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action (if applicable for Time in Grade and/or Eligibility):
- Most recent SF-50 if you are a current or former Federal employee
- An SF-50 showing your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade
- Award 50's do not provide sufficient information and will not be accepted for the purpose of verifying time-in-grade.
- Examples of appropriate SF-50's include:
- Within grade increases at the highest grade held; or
- Promotions with an effective date more than one year old; or
- SF-50's at the highest grade held with an effective date more than one year old.
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from
schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
How to Apply
All applicants are encouraged to apply online. To apply for this position, you must complete the questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 09/30/2024 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12547745.
- To begin, click Apply Online to create a USA JOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USA JOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire.
- Click Submit My Answers to submit your application package.
NOTE: It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date.
To verify your application is complete, log into your USA JOBS account, https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login, select the Application Status link and then select the more information link for this position. The Application page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and any correspondence the agency has sent related to this application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process. To return to an incomplete application, log into your USA JOBS account and click Update Application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USA JOBS account or your application will be incomplete.
The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced Federal/VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well-qualified: applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in most of the required competencies of the job. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/.
During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions.
Next steps
Once your online application is submitted you will receive a confirmation notification by email. After we receive application packages (including all required documents) and the vacancy announcement closes, we will review applications to ensure qualification and eligibility requirements are met. After the review is complete, a referral certificate(s) is issued and applicants will be notified of their status by email. Referred applicants will be notified as such and may be contacted directly by the hiring office for an interview. All referred applicants receive a final notification once a selection decision has been made.
You may check the status of your application at any time by logging into your USA Jobs account and clicking on Applications. Information regarding your application status can be found in the USAJobs Help Center.
NOTE: Participation in the seasonal influenza program is a condition of employment and a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). It is a requirement that all HCP to receive annual seasonal influenza vaccination or obtain an exemption for medical or religious reasons. Wearing a face mask is required when an exemption to the influenza vaccination has been granted. HCP in violation of this directive may face disciplinary action up to and including removal from federal service. HCP are individuals who, during the influenza season, work in VHA locations or who come into contact with VA patients or other HCP as part of their duties. VHA locations include, but are not limited to, VA hospitals and associated clinics, community living centers (CLCs), community-based outpatient clinics (CBOCs), domiciliary units, Vet centers and VA-leased medical facilities. HCP include all VA licensed and unlicensed, clinical and administrative, remote and onsite, paid and without compensation, full- and part-time employees, intermittent employees, fee basis employees, VA contractors, researchers, volunteers and health professions trainees (HPTs) who are expected to perform any or all of their work at these facilities. HPTs may be paid or unpaid and include residents, interns, fellows and students. HCP also includes VHA personnel providing home-based care to Veterans and drivers and other personnel whose duties put them in contact with patients outside VA medical facilities.
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