Biomedical Equipment Support Specialist (Information Systems)

Full Job Description

Biomedical Equipment Support Specialist (BESS) specialized in information systems within a Healthcare Technology Management (HTM) department under Facilities Management service at Robley Rex VA.

Works in support of the medical equipment management program.

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.

English Language Proficiency: Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C.

7403(f) Education, Experience, or Certification: (1) Associates or higher degree in the biomedical technology or biomedical engineering field; OR (2) Associates or higher degree in electronics, a field of information technology, or engineering (other than biomedical engineering) AND 1 year of creditable experience; OR (3) Completion of the Department of Defense (DOD) biomedical equipment technician training program; OR (4) Completion of a DOD training program in repair and maintenance of electronic systems or information technology AND 1 year of creditable experience; OR (5) Completion of a biomedical engineering technician or Healthcare Technology Management (HTM) certificate program that included an internship or apprenticeship; OR (6) Completion of biomedical engineering technician or HTM certificate program that did not include an internship AND 1 year of creditable experience; OR (7) Hold or having ever held certification as a Certified Biomedical Equipment Technician (CBET), Certified Radiology Equipment Specialist (CRES), Certified Laboratory Equipment Specialist (CLES), or Certified Healthcare Technology Manager (CHTM).

Continuous maintenance of certification is not required throughout VHA employment.

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: Biomedical Equipment Support Specialist (Information Systems), GS-12. Experience. One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities.

In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: (a) Knowledge of Health Level 7 (HL7) and Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) standards.

(b) Knowledge of advanced testing methods to troubleshoot networked medical equipment and clinical system interfaces.

(c) Skill in maintaining computer and server based medical equipment, databases, and software.

(d) Skill in managing medical equipment and clinical system projects that interface with an electronic health record or other information systems.

(e) Skill in applying cybersecurity standards to medical devices and clinical systems such as Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Federal Information Security Modernization Act (FISMA), and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) guidelines.

(f) Ability to apply information security tools including virus protection, software updates, and operating system patches.

(g) Ability to establish a medical network including VLAN configuration, Internet Protocol addressing, and network security Assignment.

For all assignments above the FPL, the higher-level duties must be of significant scope, administrative independence, complexity, and range of variety, as described in this standard at the specific grade level and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time.

At the advanced level, the BESS, in addition to the duties at the FPL, manage medical servers and networks, diagnostic software, virtual platforms, and clinical applications software.

They manage projects for medical equipment and clinical systems that interface with the electronic health record or other information systems.

BESSs (Information Systems) manage virtual and physical hardware components including storage, memory, processing, graphical, and network interfaces.

They facilitate operating system updates, upgrades, and virus protection. BESSs (Information Systems) perform maintenance for networked systems.

They leverage resources and knowledge to minimize the need for unit and intermediate-level service contracts and manufacturer or vendor expenditures for tasks that can be completed in-house.

BESSs (Information Systems) identify and troubleshoot issues related to networked medical equipment and clinical systems.

They evaluate compatibility and adaptability of biomedical devices for integration to the electronic health record.

BESSs (Information Systems) regularly review, coordinate, and implement available software patches, updates, and system or data backups with other BESSs, manufacturers, informatics, and IT staff.

They are responsible for compliance with physical security, privacy, and information standards and infrastructure standards.

BESSs (Information Systems) ensure compliance of networked clinical systems to all Medical Device Protection Program (MDPP) requirements.

They design, implement, and manage appropriate security measures and disaster recovery plans critical to ensure system uptime and prevent loss of patient data from critical medical equipment and clinical systems.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. The full performance level of this vacancy is 12.

The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-12 Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019. Major Duties:

Biomedical Equipment Support Specialist (BESS) specialized in information systems within a Healthcare Technology Management (HTM) department.

Duties are as listed but are not limited to: Information Systems GS-12 : Manages and maintains medical servers and networks, diagnostic software, virtual platforms, and clinical applications software.

Manages projects involving medical equipment and clinical systems, to include procurement, installation, and maintenance.

Manages hardware components of virtual servers, physical servers, and medical workstations. Facilitates operating system updates, upgrades, and virus protection.

Identifies, troubleshoots, and completes corrective action for issues related to networked medical equipment and clinical systems.

Evaluates compatibility and adaptability of medical equipment and clinical systems to integrate with the electronic health record or other clinical systems.

Reviews, coordinates, and implements available software patches, updates, and system/data backups with staff and manufacturers.

Coordinates, implements, and manages cybersecurity measures and disaster recovery plans.

Effectively responds to, investigates, and documents cybersecurity incidents involving medical equipment and clinical systems.

Responds to and remediates hazard alerts, recall notifications, and incidents concerning medical equipment and clinical systems. Documents all actions in the appropriate system.

Monitors cybersecurity metrics and initiates corrective action to address deficiencies. Develops documentation to purchase commodities and/or vendor services.

Manages, monitors, and evaluates contractor performance and addresses issues or deficiencies Utilizes test equipment in accordance with manufacturer instructions.

Provides customer support to staff, evaluates issues and needs, responds with solutions, and keeps customers abreast of status.

Educates staff on the safe operation and user-level maintenance of medical equipment and clinical systems.

Troubleshoots medical equipment and clinical systems using a variety of technical data and completes corrective action.

Performs incoming inspections and planned maintenance on medical equipment and clinical systems.

All other duties as assigned Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 0800-1630 Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement #:41069-F Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized