Clarification from the agency

This announcement is open to all Current, permanent employees of the NJ VA Healthcare System. External applicants should apply to Vacancy 12722072, CBDT-12722072-25-KA

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As a Medical Instrument Technician (Echocardiography), you will independently perform advanced cardiac ultrasound procedures to support the diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular conditions. You will work collaboratively with the healthcare team, using state-of-the-art imaging technology to produce high-quality diagnostic results.

Major Duties include:

• Performs a full range of specialized cardiac ultrasound procedures, including Transthoracic, Transesophageal, Stress, Contrast, and Bubble echocardiographic exams with minimal supervision.
• Produces and interprets high-quality cardiac ultrasound images using M-Mode, 2D, and Doppler (color, pulsed, and continuous wave) modalities.
• Recognizes and communicates significant abnormalities in real time to attending or referring physicians for urgent evaluation.
• Conducts complex cardiac studies to detect stenosis, valve incompetence, chamber enlargement, and pericardial effusions.
• Uses advanced imaging techniques to asses cardiovascular function and pressure gradients across valves.
• Maintains and operates diagnostic ultrasound equipment; performs quality checks, cleaning, calibration, and preventive maintenance per manufacturer guidelines.
• Independently position patients, adjusts transducer settings, and modifies protocols based on patient anatomy or diagnostic requirements and explains each step to ensure understanding and comfort.
• Collaborates with physicians and healthcare team members to interpret findings and provide accurate reports.
• Complies with infection control and sterile processing protocols, including probe disinfection and room setup for echocardiographic exams.
• Ensures compliance with infection control standards, including maintaining a sterile environment and proper equipment sterilization.
• Performs regular quality assurance testing of equipment to ensure peak performance and accurate imaging.
• Provides patient education on exam procedures and ensures understanding of instructions and consent.

Additional duties as assigned

Work Schedule: 8:00AM-4:30PM, Monday-Friday
Telework: Ad-hoc and Situational Telework is Available.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 21U78-A
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): 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.
• 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. 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 dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Must pass pre-employment physical examination.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).

Qualifications

Basic Requirements:

• Citizenship. Citizenship of the United States. (Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3g, this part.)
• Education. There are no specific educational requirements for this occupation. 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 all specialties identified in this standard, Basic and Advanced Cardiac Life Support certifications are desirable. Training which does not result in official certification does not meet this definition.
• English Language Proficiency. Medical Instrument Technicians must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with chapter 2, section D, paragraph 5a, this part.

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).

Creditable Experience - Knowledge of Current Medical Instrument Technician Practices. To be creditable, the experience must have required the use of knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics associated with current Medical Instrument Technician practice appropriate to the identified specialty area. Specialized developmental experience obtained under supervision of appropriately certified individuals may be credited at higher levels and is addressed in individual appendices.

Quality of Experience. Experience is only creditable if it is equivalent to at least the next lower grade level and is directly related to the position/specialty to be filled. Part-time Experience. Part time experience is credited according to its relationship to a full time workweek. For example, an individual employed 20 hours per week, or on a ½ time basis would receive one work week credit for each two weeks of service.

Grade Determinations:

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.

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
1. Knowledge of the anatomy and physiology of the heart and great vessels.
2. Knowledge of cardiac arrhythmias and their relationship to hemodynamic conditions of the cardiac cycle.
3. Knowledge of basic cardiac ultrasound physics and the acoustic mechanisms by which high quality cardiac images are obtained.
4. Ability to set up and adjust the ultrasound equipment to meet the conditions of the examination and the patient and to operate the equipment for standardized, routine procedures.
5. Ability to interact with patients explaining procedures and positioning the patient for the procedure.

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 positions to be filled. This would be experience which provided the individual with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to independently conduct difficult but standardized echocardiographic examinations.

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
1. Ability to perform more complex electroencephalography studies such as evoked potential (visual, auditory, somatosensory) and transcranial Doppler studies.
2. Knowledge of medication effects related to electroencephalography studies and clinical situations requiring medication.
3. Knowledge of life threatening or medically emergent testing or patient situations.
4. Ability to recognize artifacts (patient or environmental) and document, eliminate, or take proper measures to monitor the artifact.

GS-08 Medical Instrument Technician (Echocardiography) (Full Performance Level):

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 the overall knowledge, skills, and abilities to conduct diagnostic echocardiography examinations in complex and unusual cases. In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

1. Ability to produce diagnostic quality images and Doppler frequency shift recordings using M-mode, twodimensional, pulsed and continuous wave Doppler spectral display, and colorflow Doppler imaging.
2. Knowledge of normal echocardiographic findings and deviations produced by a wide variety of cardiovascular diseases.
3. Ability to perform complex procedures such as cardiac studies of the four chambers of the heart and valves using sector scanning techniques to detect stenotic and incompetent valves, chamber enlargement, and pericardia effusion and cardiovascular studies deriving pressure gradients across obstructed valves, etc.
4. Ability to perform complementary ultrasonic examinations (including noninvasive) transthoracic, Bubble studie and contrast echocardiography (invasive) stress echocardiography, and transesophageal echocardiography.
5. Ability to adapt transducer positioning, instrument controls, and examination techniques to the individual patie being studied and the problem being evaluated including recognizing pertinent abnormalities and documenting abnormal findings.

Certification. Basic Cardiac Life Support (BCLS) and Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) certifications a desirable.

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

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-08. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-06 to GS-08.

Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019.

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 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.