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
• 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
• 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 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.) Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019
• 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
• Grade Determinations: GS-8 Medical Instrument Technician (Echocardiography)
• Full Performance Level: (a) Experience: At least one (1) year of experience comparable to the next lower grade level (GS-7) which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics related to the duties of the position to be filled
• This would be experience which provided the overall knowledge, skills, and abilities to conduct diagnostic echocardiography examinations in complex and unusual cases
• GS-7 Experience includes: Ability to scan transthoracic echocardiograms in all views with colorflow and some Doppler
• Ability to conduct cardiac testing to determine the severity and variety of cardiac problems, i.e., valvular dysfunction, myocardial wall kinesia, effusions, endocardial lesions, etc
• Knowledge of the set-up for transesophageal echocardiograms
• Ability to set up and adjust the ultrasound equipment to meet the conditions of the examination and the patient and to operate the equipment for more complex, but standardized procedures (b) Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills and Abilities: Ability to produce diagnostic quality images and Doppler frequency shift recordings using M-mode, two-dimensional, pulsed and continuous wave Doppler spectral display, and colorflow Doppler imaging
• Knowledge of normal echocardiographic findings and deviations produced by a wide variety of cardiovascular diseases
• Ability to perform complex procedures such as cardiac studies of the four chambers of the heart and valves using sector scanning techniques to detect stenotic and incompetent valves, chamber enlargement, and pericardial effusion and cardiovascular studies deriving pressure gradients across obstructed valves, etc
• Ability to perform complementary ultrasonic examinations (including noninvasive) transthoracic, Bubble studies and contrast echocardiography, (invasive) stress echocardiography, and transesophageal echocardiography
• Ability to adapt 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
• (c) Certification: No certification or registration is required
• Basic Cardiac Life Support (BCLS) and Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) certifications are desirable for applicants at this level
• (d) Assignment: This represents the full performance level
• Echocardiography technicians at this level identify and record anomalies indicative of disease, injury, or other medically significant condition from ultrasound imaging and simultaneous recordings of the Doppler
• They incorporate the causes and results of a variety of symptoms and conditions into a plan of ultrasonic diagnostic examination
• They change and develop sounding techniques to accommodate such variables as limited patient mobility, variation in physical condition or dimension of the patient, presence of prosthesis or foreign objects, and ultrasonic response of different body parts
• They produce diagnostic quality images and Doppler frequency recordings using M-Mode, two-dimensional, and Doppler ultrasound
• Preferred Experience: Certification by the American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography (ARDMS) and Cardiovascular Credentialing International (CCI) with 1-3 years as a cardiac sonographer is preferred
• 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-8. Physical Requirements: The physical requirements of the position (i.e
• standing, bending, stooping, sitting, pulling, pushing, etc.) Requires standing, bending stooping, sitting, pulling and pushing patients must be able to perform gross and fine coordinated hand movements.