Biomedical Equipment Support Specialist (Biomedical Info Systems)

Summary

Serves as a Biomedical Equipment Support Specialist specializing in Biomedical Information Systems. Provides advanced technical expertise for networked medical devices, ensuring cybersecurity, system integration, and device connectivity across the medical center. Supports clinical operations by maintaining safe, secure, and reliable medical technology systems.

Duties

Major Duties - Oversees support, maintenance, and integration of network-connected medical devices and healthcare technology systems. - Manages medical device cybersecurity, including patching, vulnerability remediation, antivirus protections, and compliance with VA security standards. - Configures and troubleshoots device network components (VLANs, IP addressing, subnetting, firewalls, and security protocols). - Supports medical device servers, databases, software applications, HL7/DICOM interfaces, and middleware solutions. - Collaborates with OIT, biomedical engineering, clinical services, and device manufacturers to resolve connectivity, integration, and performance issues. - Conducts system testing, device validation, lifecycle management, and technology upgrades. - Implements network engineering principles to resolve complex integration challenges where no precedent exists. - Distinguishes networking from non-networking problems and coordinates with IT teams to ensure device functionality and uptime. - Maintains documentation, inventories, configuration records, and compliance reporting for all managed systems. Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., with ad-hoc flexibility as needed. Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 41764F Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases 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) 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) Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Selected applicants who are new to a supervisory role will be required to complete a one-year supervisory probationary period.

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: 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 in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f). Education, Experience, or Certification: Associates or higher degree in the biomedical technology or biomedical engineering field; OR Associates or higher degree in electronics, a field of information technology, or engineering (other than biomedical engineering) AND 1 year of creditable experience; OR Completion of the Department of Defense (DOD) biomedical equipment technician training program; OR Completion of a DOD training program in repair and maintenance of electronic systems or information technology AND 1 year of creditable experience; OR Completion of a biomedical engineering technician or Healthcare Technology Management (HTM) certificate program that included an internship or apprenticeship; OR Completion of biomedical engineering technician or HTM certificate program that did not include an internship AND 1 year of creditable experience; OR 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. **If claiming education or certification as proof of meeting basic requirements, documents are required to be submitted with application. Foreign Education. To be creditable, education completed outside the U.S. must be deemed at least equivalent to that gained in a conventional U.S. program by a private organization specializing in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials. The evaluation document must be submitted with your application. GRADE DETERMINATIONS. In addition to the basic requirements for employment, candidates must meet the following grade-determining criteria for placement at grade level specified. Biomedical Equipment Support Specialist (Information Systems), GS-12: GS-12-Specialized Experience: At least one year of experience equivalent to the GS-11 grade level. Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs). In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs on their resume and in their experience: Knowledge of Health Level 7 (HL7) and Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) standards. Knowledge of advanced testing methods to troubleshoot networked medical equipment and clinical system interfaces. Skill in maintaining computer and server based medical equipment, databases, and software. Skill in managing medical equipment and clinical system projects that interface with an electronic health record or other information systems. 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. Ability to apply information security tools including virus protection, software updates, and operating system patches. 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, a