Biomedical Equipment Support Specialist (Information Systems)

Summary

The Biomedical Equipment Support Specialist Information Systems (BESS IS) provides clinical and administrative support to staff, patients, and administrators for all matters of concern relating to the facility wide lifecycle management of clinical systems, medical devices and systems, diagnostic software, virtual platforms, networks, and clinical applications.

Duties

Major duties to include but not limited to: Complies with the facility's Medical Equipment Management Plan. Ensures networked medical equipment and clinical systems are inventories in the appropriate database. Complies with applicable standards, policies, procedures, and regulatory requirements. Complies with VA Directive 6550 Prep-Procurement Assessment and Implementation of Medical Devices/Systems. Maintains functional knowledge of relevant safety codes and standards of regulatory bodies including but not limited to The Joint Commission (TJC), National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI), American College of Radiology (ACR), Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS).Serves as a subject matter expert on assigned committees, projects, initiatives, and workgroups. Manages and maintains medical servers and networks, diagnostic software, clinical systems, virtual platforms, and clinical applications software. Manages and maintains hardware components of virtual servers, physical servers, virtual data centers, medical equipment, and clinical systems. Performs incoming inspections and planned maintenance on medical equipment and clinical systems. Manages projects involving medical equipment and clinical systems, to include procurement, installation, sustainment, and maintenance. Evaluates compatibility and adaptability of medical equipment and clinical systems to integrate with the electronic health record or other clinical systems. Documents all work in the Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS). This documentation is completed in accordance with regulatory body requirements, Healthcare Technology Management (HTM) Documentation of Services guidelines and other organizational requirements. Manages the lifecycle of medical equipment, clinical systems, diagnostic software, virtual platforms, and clinical applications software. Plans for new and emerging technologies, in conjunction with the clinical service, including but not limited to medical equipment, clinical systems, network management and storage, and virtual data centers. Facilitates and executes operating system updates, upgrades, and virus protection. Reviews, coordinates, and implements available software patches, updates, and system/data backups with staff and manufacturers. Coordinates, implements, and manages cybersecurity measures and disaster recovery plans. Sometimes required to complete work outside of normally scheduled tour of duty. Perform other related duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 7:00 AM - 3:30 PM; Tour may vary. Compressed/Flexible: Not Available. 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.

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 (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: 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. Grandfathering Provision: Employees in VHA in this occupation, under a permanent, appropriate, and legal placement on the effective date of the qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the grade and assignment held including positive education and certification. For employees who do not meet all the basic or assignment-specific requirements in this standard, but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed, the following provisions apply: Employees may be reassigned, promoted up to and including the full performance (journey) level, or be changed to a lower grade within the occupation, but they may not be promoted beyond the journey level or be newly placed in supervisory or managerial positions. Employees who are appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of the qualification standard may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed on a temporary or permanent basis until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standard. Employees retained in this occupation under this provision who subsequently leave the occupation lose protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of re-entry to the occupation. Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements for employment, candidates must meet the following grade-determining criteria for placement at grade levels specified. GS-12 Experience: Applicants must have at least 1 year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-11). -AND- In addition to experience, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: 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. Preferred Experience: Physical requirements are necessary when working in confined spaces and interstitial areas. Physical exertion, such as lifting, standing, bending, or reaching, is required. Asbestos Areas: Completes asbestos training annually. Complies with all safety protocols when working in asbestos containing areas.