Biomedical Equipment Support Specialist

Biomedical Equipment Support Specialist

The Biomedical Equipment Support Specialist (BESS) for Salisbury - W.G. (Bill) Hefner VA Medical Center with duty at the Kernersville Health Care Center, NC, provides clinical and administrative support to staff, patients, and administrators for all matters of concern relating to the facility wide lifecycle management of medical equipment. Responsibilities include:

• Lifecycle management of all medical systems including imaging, life support, dialysis, and monitoring to include physical and network support.
• Coordination with other facility support departments for incoming inspections, regular and unscheduled maintenance, and planning for end of life replacement of medical equipment.
• Maintaining functional knowledge of relevant safety codes and standards of regulatory bodies including The Joint Commission, National Fire Protection Association, Food and Drug Administration, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation.
• Documenting all work performed in the computerized maintenance management system.
• Applying basic networking principles to resolve medical system communication issues.
• Investigating, remediating, and documenting Repairable Medical Device recalls and safety alerts.
• Maintaining knowledge of the state of the art in medical technology, including scientific advances, network protocols, and vendor changes.
• Providing training and education as appropriate to medical technology end users and clinical staff.
• Loading operating system and clinical application software as needed.

Work Schedule: Full time, Monday - Friday, 7:30am - 4:00pm. Telework: Not Available. Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement #: 000000. Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized. Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized.

Requirements:

• You must be a U.S. Citizen.
• 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.
• 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.
• Must pass pre-employment physical evaluation.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel.
• 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.

Qualifications:

• Basic Requirements:
• United States Citizenship: Be a citizen of the United States (U.S.).
• Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens according to 38 U.S.C. § 7407(a).
• English Language Proficiency: Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).
• Experience and Education: (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, GS-11 (Full Performance Level): Experience: At least one year of experience equivalent to the GS-9 grade level.
• Certification as a Certified Biomedical Equipment Technician (CBET), Certified Laboratory Equipment Specialist (CLES), Net+ and A+ are highly desirable at this level but not required.
• Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs): In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:
• Knowledge of standards including National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Joint Commission (TJC), and the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI) for safe operation of medical equipment and clinical systems.
• Skill in using test and calibration equipment including digital multi-meters, electrical safety analyzers, defibrillator analyzers, patient simulators, manometers, tachometers, and Local Area Network (LAN) analyzers.
• Skill in interpreting a variety of technical data including schematic drawings and wiring diagrams.
• Skill in applying networking principles, such as Access Control List (ACL), Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), and Virtual Local Area Networks (VLAN).
• Ability to perform advanced testing to troubleshoot medical equipment and clinical system interfaces.
• Ability to maintain medical computers and software.
• Ability to manage projects involving 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 GS-11. Physical Requirements: The work requires light to medium effort with occasional climbing, stooping, lifting, and reaching. The work may require a limited amount of lifting between ten and fifty pounds would be common. If in some situations there may be special requirements for specific agility or dexterity for the completion of various tasks. Substantial amounts of walking are involved.

Education IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

Additional Information Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.

During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it