Medical Instrument Technician (Polysomnography)

• 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.
• 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 drivers licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• 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 determining if your employment advances the public interest we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your trial period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification in writing that your continued employment advances the public interest.

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.

Complete all application requirements detailed in the Required Documents section of this announcement.

Basic Requirements:

• United States Citizenship: Be a Citizen of the United States.
• 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 or supervisory assignments specific certifications appropriate to the specialty are indicated in this standard under Titles and Certification/Registrations.
• 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.

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.

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:

GS-4:

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 position to be filled. Six months of this experience may have been in medically related fields such as nursing assistant practical nursing or similar fields. The remaining six months must have been in operating diagnostic and therapeutic equipment covered by this addition the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:

OR

Education. Successful completion of two years of education above high school or an associates degree with a major field of study directly related to the medical instrument technician occupation.

Demonstrated Knowledge Skills and Abilities (a) Knowledge of basic medical terminology (b) Ability to learn the components operating characteristics and settings of the equipment to be used (c) Ability to learn typical patient reactions to the basic procedures involved and ability to recognize signs of distress (d) Ability to learn the standard positions for the procedure being conducted (e) Ability to communicate orally and in writing

GS-5:

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 position to be addition the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:

OR

Education. Successful completion of 4 academic years above high school leading to a bachelors degree with courses related to the occupation or a bachelors degree in a major field of study appropriate to medical instrument technician functions.

Demonstrated Knowledge Skills and Abilities (a) Knowledge of standard medical terminology to interpret physician orders or instructions (b) Knowledge of common physical disabilities and ability to position patients for the examination or treatment (c) Ability to learn the normal and abnormal results for routine procedures to recognize and report obvious abnormalities (d) Ability to operate the equipment to administer routine/standard diagnostic treatment or procedures (e) Ability to perform standard operator maintenance on the equipment including the ability to disassemble clean reassemble and calibrate the machine

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 addition the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:

Demonstrated Knowledge Skills and Abilities (a) Knowledge of standard computerized polysomnographs for recording continuous all night physiological data including EEG EOG EKG EMG and respiratory parameters. (b) Knowledge of standard devices such as oximeters respiratory effort devices nasal pressure devices thermistors thermocouples continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machines and laboratory computers including the ability to calibrate and operate the equipment and recognize and eliminate recording artifacts. (c) Knowledge of medical terminology and medical record organization to review medical records sleep study orders consent forms medical charts etc. (d) Knowledge of polysmnographic procedural protocols (including overnight sleep studies MSLT MWT PAP etc.). (e) Knowledge of basic anatomy and physiology and the international 10-20 electrode placement system in order to conduct the sleep studies.

Certification. Basic Cardiac Life Support (BCLS) certification is desirable.

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 duties of 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 polysomnography addition the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:

Demonstrated Knowledge Skills and Abilities (a)Knowledge of CPAP function and operation to select and fit appropriate PAP patient interface devices. (b) Ability to independently titrate and document PAP level to achieve therapeutic goals. (c) Knowledge of indications complications and contraindications of CPAP therapy. (d) Knowledge of Bi-Level pressure titrations. (e) Ability to recognize changes seen during the PSG tracing and identify all stages of sleep. This includes the ability to score and analyze sleep stages in clinical polysomnography recordings.

Certification. Basic Cardiac Life Support (BCLS) certification is desirable.

GS-8:

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 a knowledge of the more complex procedures as well as knowledge of the uncommon and/or rare sleep addition the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:

Demonstrated Knowledge Skills and Abilities (a) Advanced knowledge or the International Classification of Sleep Disorders and the ability to recognize uncommon and/or rare sleep disorders. (b) Ability to summarize and report polysomnographic data in narrative form. (c) Knowledge of event characteristics (e.g. respiratory cardiac sleep stage seizures etc.) and ability to take appropriate action. (d) Ability to provide briefings and orientation to hospital staff including physicians.

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

Preferred Experience: Sleep Lab Experience Registration by the Board of Registered Polysomnographic Technologists (BRPT).

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard please visit full performance level of this vacancy is GS-8. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-4 to GS-8.

Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019.