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***THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION, YOU MUST LIVE WITHIN OR BE WILLING TO RELOCATE WITHIN A COMMUTABLE DISTANCE OF THE DUTY LOCATION***

Major duties and responsibilities include:

• Documents urinary procedures and patient education in electronic medical record.
• Ensures accuracy of patient information entered into various urological equipment that requires downloads to the patient medical records.
• Prepares specimens for submission for pathology analysis, ensuring accuracy of unique patient identifiers and specimen type and location.
• Completes a patient intake that includes obtaining vital signs, pain assessment, current medications (pertinent to visit), allergies, and chief complaints.
• Maintains adequate inventories of supplies for exam and procedure rooms per established PAR level.
• Performs routine exam/procedure urinalysis, bladder scans, and voiding trials.
• Performs exam/procedure room, instrument/equipment cleaning between patient visits; must possess knowledge of policy and procedure related to sterilization, disinfection, handling, and storage of Reusable Medical Equipment/Devices (RME/D).
• Prepares equipment and supplies for surgical procedures using aseptic technique utilizing appropriate preference card: sterile field using sterile packs and sterile instrument trays/peel packs; sterile draping; specialty equipment (electrocautery, smoke evacuator, etc.).
• Prepares equipment and supplies for cystoscopy examinations and prostate biopsy procedures utilizing appropriate preference card: endoscope tower/ultrasound generator; endoscope/prostate biopsy probe; specialty equipment electrocautery.
• Provides technical assistance to Urology provider with minor surgical procedures (circumcisions/vasectomies, biopsies): passing instruments; passing supplies (suture); skin retracting; maintaining sterile field.
• Performs difficult and routine urinary catheterizations, urinary drainage tube irrigations, ultrasonic bladder scanning. and reinforcement of home-going education related to self-catheterization urinary drainage tube irrigations.
• Prepares equipment and supplies for Urodynamic studies (UDS) testing utilizing appropriate preference card: UDS generator, supplies, catheters, leads, etc.
• Provides technical assistance to Urology provider with Urodynamic Studies (UDS) testing, not limited to, prepping, performing catheterization, and placing sensor leads, monitoring, etc.
• Recognizes technical problems and apply initiative and knowledge to troubleshoot and follow-up until repair or equipment deemed not repairable.
• Provides routine and complex patient information to patients and families regarding self-catheterization or urinary drainage tube irrigations.
• Utilizes safe operation techniques for Radiological Equipment to ensure safe operating exposure to both patient and operators of equipment. Must be able to correct minor malfunctions and take necessary action to get major problems resolved.
• Utilizes applicable computer software programs and/or database applications to perform related tasks (Electronic Medical Record (CPRS/VISTA), Radiological Software, Image capturing software.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm
Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not authorized
Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not approved
Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required

Designated Drug-Testing Position: 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. Applicants will not be appointed to the position if a verified positive drug test result is received.

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)

Qualifications

IN ORDER TO QUALIFY FOR THIS POSITION AT THE GS-8 LEVEL YOU MUST MEET THE FOLLOWING:

ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY: In accordance with 38 U.S.C 7402(d), No person shall serve in direct patient care positions unless they are proficient in basic written and spoken English. ~AND~

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: You must possess 1 year of specialized experience, equivalent to the GS-7 level in the Federal service, that equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA's) needed to successfully perform the duties of the position and that is typically in or related to this Health Technician position to be filled. Positions in this series range widely in type and include support duties to medical or health personnel such as audiologists, speech pathologists, medical officers, and optometrists. Therefore, technician experience is experience that required application of the knowledge, methods, and techniques of the position to be filled. Specific specialized experience for the position includes:Experience using knowledge of highly technical medical instruments, human anatomy, physiology, and aseptic technique to prepare and protect the sterile field during surgery; skill in pathology care and handling of specimens correctly to prevent damage to or loss of specimens and eventual diagnosis, and skill in operation and function of all surgical instruments and Sterile Processing. (THIS EXPERIENCE MUST BE SUPPORTED BY YOUR RESUME TO BE CREDITABLE.) ~OR~

SUBSTITUTION OF EDUCATION FOR EXPERIENCE: You must have successfully completed one and one-half years (27 semester hours) of graduate level education that is directly related to the specialization of the position to be filled. One year of full-time graduate education is considered to be the number of credit hours that the school attended has determined to represent 1 year of full-time study. If that information cannot be obtained from the school, 18 semester hours should be considered as satisfying the 1 year of full-time study requirement. (COPY OF TRANSCRIPTS ARE REQUIRED AT TIME OF APPLICATION) ~OR~

COMBINATION OF EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION: You must possess equivalent combinations of successfully completed post-high school education and specialized experience to meet total qualification requirements at the GS-8 level. (THIS EXPERIENCE MUST BE SUPPORTED BY YOUR RESUME TO BE CREDITABLE AND COPY OF TRANSCRIPTS ARE REQUIRED AT TIME OF APPLICATION)

You will be rated on the following Competencies as part of the assessment questionnaire for this position:

• Clinical Data Collection/Documentation
• Patient Care
• Technical Competence

IMPORTANT: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. All experience listed on your resume must include the month and year start/end dates. 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.

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; religious; 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.

Physical Requirements: Duties require extensive periods of standing and walking. Duties require regular and recurring bending, lifting, stooping, stretching, pushing, reaching, carrying supplies and similar activities. Duties require working with machinery including grinders, ovens, drill presses, and other machinery necessary to fabricate custom limbs and braces. Duties require incumbent to be able to lift. Occasionally it may be necessary to lift supplies and objects weighing as much as 50 pounds. Requires use of proper body mechanics. Incumbent must be able to work in stressful situations. S/he must be able to maintain tight deadlines to get Veterans equipment in a fast, efficient manner.

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/.

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. If your resume does not support your questionnaire answers, we will not allow credit for your response(s).

Your responses to the assessment questionnaire will be reviewed along with the information provided in your resume and supporting documentation to determine if you are qualified for the position. If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and or experience, your rating may be lowered and/or you may lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your eligibility.

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.

Candidates who apply under All U.S. Citizens announcements will be rated and ranked using Category Rating procedures. Qualified candidates will be assigned to a quality category. The categories are defined as follows:

• Best qualified - applicants possessing experience that substantially exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are highly proficient in all requirements of the job and can perform effectively in the position;
• Highly qualified - applicants possessing experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in most of the requirements of the job;
• Well qualified - applicants possessing experience that meets the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in some, but not all, of the requirements of the job; and
• Qualified - applicants possessing experience and/or education that meets the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors.

Application of Veterans' Preference: Category rating and selection procedures place those with veteran's preference above non-preference eligibles within each category. Preference eligible applicants that meet the eligibility and qualification requirements and who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10 percent are listed in the highest quality category (except when the position being filled is scientific or professional at the GS-09 grade level or higher).

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.