BIOMEDICAL EQUIPMENT SUPPORT SPECIALIST

Biomedical Equipment Support Specialist

Department of Veterans Affairs

Location

1 vacancy in the following location :

Relocation expenses reimbursed

Telework eligible

Duties

Summary

The Biomedical Equipment Support Specialist (BESS) 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.

Biomedical support requires the application of engineering and mechanical concepts and methodology to provide lifecycle management and technical support of diagnostic, and to improve clinical care provided by doctors, nurses, and other clinical staff of the VA.

Responsibilities

Biomedical support requires the application of engineering and mechanical concepts and methodology to provide lifecycle management and technical support of diagnostic, therapeutic devices, monitoring, and other equipment utilized in the practice of medicine, and to improve clinical care provided by doctors, nurses, and other clinical staff throughout VA.

Medical equipment supported by the BESS is maintained to the standards required by multiple accrediting agencies (e.g. Food and Drug Administration, The Joint Commission, the National Fire Protection Association, etc.

• Lifecycle management encompasses the following : technology assessment including defining requirements and analyzing alternatives with clinical users;
• technology acquisition including technical evaluation and best value determination of proposed equipment and systems; technology implementation including site preparation, incoming inspections, device / system integration, network device security implementation and clinical / technical training;
• technology sustainment including regular and unscheduled maintenance, upgrades and enhancements, continuing education; end of useful life tasks including decommissioning, data sanitization, and technical evaluation for condition prior to disposal;

and strategic planning for end of life replacement in conjunction with clinical services.

• Lifecycle management of all medical systems such as imaging, life support, dialysis, and monitoring to include physical and network support.
• Coordinates and works effectively with other facility support departments including but not limited to Facilities Management Service (FMS), Office of Information Technology (OIT), Patient Safety, Sterile Processing Service (SPS), Logistics, Contracting, Informatics, and Environmental Management Service (EMS).

Specific tasks include but are not limited to incoming inspections, regular and unscheduled maintenance, and planning for end of life replacement in conjunction with clinical services.

Utilizes common test equipment including, but not limited to patient simulators, pulse generators, network analyzers, test phantoms, electrical safety analyzers, oscilloscopes, and multimeters.

• 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).
• Documents all work performed in the computerized maintenance management system (CMMS). This documentation is completed in accordance with regulatory body requirements, the Office of Healthcare Technology Management (HTM) Documentation of Services policies and guidelines, and other VA requirements.
• Applies basic networking principles to resolve medical system communication issues including, but not limited to, node to server failures.

Adheres to VA Medical Device Cyber Security policies and procedures in pre-procurement, during system implementation, and throughout the life of the system.

Loads operating system (OS) and clinical application software as needed. Executes VA policy when responding to network incident response (due to infection, loss of services due to policy changes).

As assigned, functions as a Contracting Officer Representative (COR) and keeps appropriate certification levels. Uses knowledge of government contract procedures and documentation requirements to develop statements of work, sole source justifications, other applicable documentation (VA Form 6550, Independent Government Cost Estimate (IGCE), etc.

and to oversee vendor work. Collaborates with Logistics and Contracting to procure parts and services; functions as a purchase card holder, as required.

Investigates, remediates and documents Repairable Medical Device (RMD) recalls and safety alerts issued through the VA Alerts and Recall Management System (ARMS) within established timeframes.

Participates in local safety improvement processes such as Root Cause Analysis (RCA), safety work groups, and Environment of Care Rounds.

Identifies hazards during routine job performance and takes action to ensure they are addressed and corrected.

Additional duties are performed as assigned by supervisor related to maintenance, remediation, and tracking of medical systems (action items, special projects, etc.

to meet mission critical requirements. May be asked to assist in other administrative duties as well, including participating in hiring panels.

Represents Biomedical / Clinical Engineering department on committees and in meetings as delegated by supervisor. Work Schedule : Monday through Friday 7 : 00am -3 : 30pm

Fi nancial Disclosure Report : Not required Travel Required

Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.

Supervisory status

Promotion Potential

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• Designated and / or random drug testing may be required
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12 / 31 / 1959
• You may be required to serve a probationary period
• Subject to a background / security investigation
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process 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.
• Experience and Education : Associates degree in Biomedical Electronics Technology, Biomedical Equipment Technology or Biomedical Engineering Technology or in a related technical field such as Electronic Technology or Information Technology and two years of experience as a Biomedical Equipment Support Specialist, Biomedical Equipment Technician, Field Service Engineer, Medical Equipment Repairer, or Information Technology Specialist. Or,
• Bachelor's degree in Biomedical Engineering Technology or in a related field such as Electronics Engineering Technology (EET) or Information Technology.

Completion of a military training program in biomedical equipment and two years of experience as a Biomedical Equipment Support Specialist or Biomedical Equipment Technician, Field Service Engineer, Medical Equipment Repairer or Information Technology Specialist.

English Language Proficiency. Candidates will not be appointed under authority of 38 U.S.C. chapters 73 or 74, to serve in a direct patient-care capacity in VHA who is not proficient in written and spoken English.

See Chapter 2, section D, paragraph 5a, this part.

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 Supp