Clarification from the agency

This job is open to current permanent VA Nationwide employees, Federal employees of other Agencies, VHA HPTs (if applicable), and U.S. Citizens NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information, refer to Required Documents below.

If you are NOT a current, permanent VA employee or Federal employee from another agency, you should apply under CBST-12954109-26-JA.

Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

The work involves performance of varied procedures and treatment techniques in providing continuous cardiac monitoring for diagnosis and treatment of patients with cardiac diseases, cardiac devices such as pacemakers and automated implantable cardiac defibrillator (AICD) and other medical problems. The monitoring results affect the accuracy and reliability of physicians' diagnoses and treatment and thus the quality of patient care; the monitoring results provide patient information, which may ensure timeliness of life-saving interventions. The incumbent works at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center operating medical diagnostic equipment. Duties include continuous monitoring during ambulatory exercise testing, pulse oximetry monitoring, monitoring patients with Holter monitors, MUSE computer storage system for scanning and integration in CPRS and VISTA imaging associated with each.

Will be expected to perform other duties as assigned. The Electrocardiograph Technician (EKG) will maintain Basic Life Support (BLS) certification. The work may require the employee to workdays, evenings, nights, rotating shifts, and extended hours. This position may be designated as essential during increment weather conditions or other appropriate emergency conditions.

Will be expected to perform duties independently and required minimal supervision and consultation for unusual circumstances. Supervisor may periodically spot check any work at various intervals and completed work is accurate and timely.

Completed work is reviewed and in compliance with hospital policy and guidelines.

Specific, detailed guidelines covering all important aspects of the assignments are provided by the service Supervisor. Within the established guidelines, uses independent judgment in the performance of duties and whether to repeat, modify or immediately notify staff of monitoring results. Identifies and selects the appropriate guideline, reference or procedure; makes minor deviation to adapt the guidelines in specific cases and resolve problems.



Work Schedule: 7:30 PM - 8:00 AM with rotation of work days, weekends and holidays;subject to change based on the needs of the facility.subject to change based on the needs of the facility
Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized
Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases
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)
Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior [work experience] or military service experience.
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 #: 00513-F (GS4); 00514-F (GS5); 02138-F (GS6); 02140-F (GS7)
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

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.
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
• Subject to background/security investigation.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

Basic Requirements:

• United States Citizenship: Citizenship of the United States. (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:
Medical Instrument Technician (Trainee), GS-4
Experience. At least 1 year of experience comparable to the next lower grade level which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics related to the duties of the position to be filled. Six months of this experience may have been in medically related fields such as nursing assistant, practical nursing, or similar fields. The remaining six months must have been in operating diagnostic and therapeutic equipment covered by this occupation. Experience gained in the operation of equipment for animal diagnosis or treatment may be credited at this level.

OR

Education. Successful completion of two years of education above high school or an associate's degree with a major field of study directly related to the medical instrument technician occupation.

In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:

• Knowledge of basic medical terminology.
• Ability to learn the components, operating characteristics, and settings of the equipment to be used.
• Ability to learn typical patient reactions to the basic procedures involved and ability to recognize signs of distress.
• Ability to learn the standard positions for the procedure being conducted.
• Ability to communicate orally and in writing.

Medical Instrument Technician (Trainee), GS-5
Experience. At least 1 year of experience comparable to the next lower grade level which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics related to the duties of the position to be filled. This would be experience in operating equipment related to the particular specialization for which application is made or in related functional areas. Experience gained in the operation of equipment for animal diagnosis or treatment may be credited through this grade level.

OR

Education. Successful completion of 4 academic years above high school leading to a bachelor's degree with courses related to the occupation, or a bachelor's degree in a major field of study appropriate to medical instrument technician function.

In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:

• Knowledge of standard medical terminology to interpret physician orders or instructions.
• Knowledge of common physical disabilities and ability to position patients for the examination or treatment.
• Ability to learn the normal and abnormal results for routine procedures to recognize and report obvious abnormalities.
• Ability to operate the equipment to administer routine/standard diagnostic treatment or procedures.
• Ability to perform standard operator maintenance on the equipment including the ability to disassemble, clean, reassemble, and calibrate the machine.

Electrocardiograph Technician (EKG),GS-6
Experience. At least 1 year of experience comparable to the next lower grade level which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics related to the duties of the positions to be filled. In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:

• Ability to recognize special patient needs such as disabilities, impaired mobility, and complicating medical conditions in order to prepare and position the patient for the prescribed procedure.
• Knowledge of the specialized equipment and accessories appropriate to Holter monitoring and ability to perform such tests.
• Knowledge of universal precautions and sterilization techniques and ability to follow CDC guidelines in cleaning equipment.
• Ability to monitor the patient for adverse reactions and take appropriate action.
• Ability to operate the equipment to perform standard and routine highly specialized procedures including exercise stress testing.

Certification. No certification is required; however, it is desirable that employees at this level have BCLS (Basic Cardiac Life Support) certification.

Electrocardiograph Technician (EKG), GS-7
Experience. At least 1 year of experience comparable to the next lower grade level which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics related to the duties of the positions to be filled. This would be experience which provided knowledge of the equipment, standard tests and procedures, and typical readings including arrhythmias and abnormalities. In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:

• Knowledge of typical patient reactions and signs of distress including the ability to recognize, report and treat potentially lethal arrhythmias.
• Knowledge of common equipment settings and standardized procedures plus knowledge of common errors and corrective measures.
• 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.
• Ability to act as a mentor or preceptor to lower graded technicians.
• Ability to conduct in-service training on the EKG equipment and related instrumentation.

Certification. No certification is required; however, it is desirable that employees at this level have BCLS (Basic Cardiac Life Support) and ACLS (Advanced Cardiac Life Support) certifications.

Preferred Experience: Details you would like considered to be included on announcement. Telemetry monitoring experience in acute care setting within the last 2 years, Telemetry Interpretation certification (or equivalent) preferred.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS7. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS3 to GS7.

Physical Requirements: Physical aspects associated with work required of this assignment are typical for the occupation, see Duties section for essential job duties of the position. May require standing, lifting, carrying, sitting, stooping, bending, pulling, and pushing. May be required to wear personal protective equipment and undergo annual TB screening or testing as conditions of employment.

Work Environment: Work is performed in an office/clinic setting with minimal risks that requires normal safety precautions; the area is adequately lighted, heated, and ventilated. However, the work environment requires someone with the ability to handle several tasks at once in sometimes stressful situations.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Area of Consideration - Eligible applications will be reviewed and referred in the following order:

• Current permanent VA employees of the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center
• All other VA employees
• Current Permanent Federal employees of other agencies
• VHA HPTs (if applicable)
• All other applicants

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Your application, resume, C.V., and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment.

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.

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.

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.

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:

• Resume
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action

Special Note for Applications: To complete your application, please use the following link https://vacareers.va.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/Resume.docx to download the standard Clinical Resume Document. This one-page document does not need to be modified and must be uploaded into the two-page restricted 'Resume' document upload field.

Your full resume/CV may be uploaded without page limitation into the 'Other' document upload field.

Resume Requirement: Your resume must include the following information: Job title, description of duties, beginning and ending date (month/year) of employment, and average hours worked per week.SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action (if applicable for Eligibility):

• Most recent SF-50 if you are a current or former Federal employee

Examples of appropriate SF-50's include:

• Within grade increases at the highest grade held; or
• Promotions with an effective date no more than one year old; or
• SF-50's at the highest grade held with an effective date no more than one year old.

The following documents are accepted, and may be required if applicable to your eligibility and/or qualifications for this position. Please ensure you have included all documents required for your application, such as a copy of your transcript (if using education to qualify), SF-50's (current/former Federal employees), etc.

• Cover Letter
• License
• CV/Resume
• Professional Certification
• Resume
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
• Transcript

Selections from this announcement will be made without regard to Veterans' preference in accordance with OCHCO Bulletin dated 9/25/2025.

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