BIOMEDICAL EQUIPMENT SUPPORT SPECIALIST

Biomedical Equipment Support Specialist

Department of Veterans Affairs

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, therapeutic devices, monitoring, and other equipment and to improve clinical care.

Location

1 vacancy in the following location :

Duties

The duties of the Biomedical Equipment Support Specialist include, but are not limited to :

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.

Maintains knowledge of the state of the art in medical technology, including scientific advances, network protocols, and vendor changes.

Focuses on professional development in all areas of medical technology lifecycle management including technical skills. Knowledge and training is obtained from formal (conference, vendor-provided classes) or informal (magazines, articles, peer training) means.

Provides training and education as appropriate to medical technology end users and clinical staff .

Provides mentoring and technical training to peers and BESS at developmental levels.

May be tasked with leading and managing installation or upgrade projects for medical devices and systems. This includes but is not limited to pre-implementation planning and coordination with end users, vendors, and other onsite support staff (OIT, Informatics, SPS, etc.)

Additional duties are performed as assigned by supervisor related to maintenance, remediation, and tracking of medical systems (action items, special projects, et6.

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 - Friday, 7 : 30am - 4 : 00pm or 8 : 00am - 4 : 30pm

Telework : Not Available

Virtual : This is not a virtual position.

Position Title / Functional Statement # : Biomedical Equipment Support Specialist / PD000000

Travel Required : Yes, occasional travel to CBOCs may be required.

Relocation / Recruitment Incentives : Not Authorized

Permanent Change of Station (PCS) : Not Authorized

Fi nancial Disclosure Report : Not required

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• 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.
• 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.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Personnel.

Qualifications

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 :

• Associate's 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.
• 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 : Proficient in written and spoken English.

Licensure / Certification / Registration : None.

Preferred Certification : Certification as a Certified Biomedical Equipment Technician (CBET), Certified Laboratory Equipment Specialist (CLES), Net+ and A+ are highly desirable at this level but not required.

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 : In addition to meeting the basic requirement