Summary

Echocardiography technicians function proficiently in all aspects of a tertiary medical center Cardiac Echo Laboratory. Responsibilities include but are not limited to performance of inpatient and outpatient echocardiograms - use of echocardiographic contrast - training cardiology Fellows in echocardiography skills - assisting with echocardiographic procedures in the Cardiac Cath Lab and EP Lab - assist with 3D TEEs - and occasional travel to VA Colorado Springs clinic to perform echocardiograms.

Qualifications

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: Be a citizen 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 specific certifications appropriate to the specialty are indicated below
• 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 DETERMINATION - GS-09 (a) Experience
• Must have at least one (1) year of creditable experience equivalent to the GS-8 full performance level - which is directly related to the duties of the position to be filled -and must fully meet the KSAs at that level
• This would be experience which demonstrates possession of the knowledge required in order to provide all aspects of echocardiography services
• In addition - the candidate must demonstrate the following technical Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities( KSAs) and the potential to acquire the assignment specific KSAs designated by an asterisk (*): (b) Demonstrated Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities
• KSAs 1 - 2 - and 3 are appropriate for all positions at this level
• KSAs 4 and 5 are to be used in accordance with their appropriateness for the specific assignment
• 1
• Knowledge of the more complex examination and treatment procedures and techniques in order to provide training and supervision in these procedures - to evaluate and initiate performance improvement projects - and to write policies - procedures - and protocols - that pertain to Echocardiography
• *2
• Knowledge of JCAHO and other regulatory requirements
• 3
• Ability to communicate effectively and professionally with employees at varying grade levels
• *4
• Ability to manage and supervise employees
• *5
• Ability to provide - or provide for - staff development and training
• (c) Certification
• Registration by Cardiovascular Credentialing International (CCI) as a Registered Cardiac Sonographer (RCS) or by the American Registry of Diagnostic Medical Sonographers (ARDMS) as a Registered Diagnostic Cardiac Sonographer (RDCS) is highly desirable
• Basic Cardiac Life Support (BCLS) and Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) certifications are also desirable
• Reference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/
• The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-09
• Physical Requirements: Able to meet the physical demands of the position
• Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions
• While performing duties of this job the Echocardiography Technician is frequently required to stand - walk - and bend and reach
• Must be able to lift or move over 50 pounds
• They must have good manual dexterity and keyboarding skills
• Must be able to express or exchange ideas by means of the spoken word
• Must be able to view and read information on computer screens.

Duties

• Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Duties and skills needed to be successful in this position include - but are not limited to: Produces diagnostic quality images and Doppler frequency shift recordings using M-mode - two-dimensional - pulsed - and continuous wave Doppler spectral display - and color flow Doppler imaging
• Recognizes normal echocardiography findings and deviations from normal produced by a wide variety of cardiovascular diseases
• Brings significant abnormalities to the attention of the attending cardiologist per established policies
• Performs complex procedures in patients with myocardial - pericardial - valvular - and aortic disease including M-mode - 2-dimensional - and Doppler measurements
• Performs transthoracic echocardiography - bubble studies - and contrast echocardiography - stress echocardiography - 3-D image acquisition - and assists in transesophageal echocardiography
• Adapts transducer positioning - instrument controls - and examination techniques to the individual patient being studied and the problem being evaluated including recognizing pertinent abnormalities and documenting abnormal findings
• Interacts with patients explaining procedures and positioning and prepping the patient for procedure
• Follows policy for pre-cleaning of reusable medical equipment
• Completes diagnostic studies ordered by and in collaboration with physician on all tours of duty with minimal or no direct supervision
• works with co-workers to coordinate appointments/ workload according to appropriateness of patients/ staffing
• prioritizes requests according to clinical need in conjunction with cardiologist
• assures that all echocardiographic studies are properly stored in the image archive for cardiologist interpretation and reporting
• Assists with echocardiographic procedures in the Cardiac Cath Lab
• Performs research echocardiograms according to the specifications of the research protocol Obtain reports and/or images from echocardiographic studies performed at outside institutions for comparison with local studies or to determine need for local studies Understands JCAHO and other regulatory requirements
• Communicates effectively and professionally with employees at varying grade levels
• Functions as occasional back-up technician for performing 12-lead EKGs - Holter/Event monitor placement - and stress tests as needed and in accordance with individual training and qualifications
• Confers with Cardiology/Echo physician or Fellow for difficult exams and notifies both referring physician and Cardiology/Echo physician of results of exam - as needed
• Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00am - 4:30pm Compressed/Flexible: May be available Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases
• When setting pay - a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of higher or unique qualifications or special needs of the VA (Above Minimum Rate of the Grade)
• 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 #: 50968-A Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized