Job Description

** Biomedical Equipment Support Specialist**

**Department of Veterans Affairs**

**Location**

2 vacancies in the following location:

** Relocation expenses reimbursed**

No

** Telework eligible**

No

**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. Lifecycle management encompasses the following: technology assessment; technology acquisition; technology implementation; technology sustainment; and technical evaluation.

**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 health service delivery systems for VA Southern Nevada Healthcare Systems (VASNHS).Duties include but are not limited to:

+ Lifecycle management of all medical systems such as imaging, life support, dialysis, and monitoring to include physical and network support;

+ Coordinate and work 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. Use common test equipment including, but not limited to patient simulators, pulse generators, network analyzers, test phantoms, electrical safety analyzers, oscilloscopes, and multimeters;

+ Maintain 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);

+ Document 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;

+ Apply basic networking principles to resolve medical system communication issues including, but not limited to, node to server failures. Adhere 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. Execute VA policy when responding to network incident response (due to infection, loss of services due to policy changes);

+ Function as a Contracting Officer Representative (COR) and keeps appropriate certification levels. Use 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 Collaborate with Logistics and Contracting to procure parts and services; functions as a purchase card holder, as required;

+ Investigate, remediate and document 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.

+ Maintain 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;

+ Provide training and education as appropriate to medical technology end users and clinical staff;

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

+ Represent Biomedical/Clinical Engineering department on committees and in meetings as delegated by supervisor. **Work Schedule:** Monday - Friday 7:30 am to 4:pm **Travel Required**

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

** Supervisory status**

No

** Promotion Potential**

11

**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.

Or

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.

**Grade Determinations**:

Biomedical Equipment Support Specialist, GS-7 (Developmental Level 1), Experience. At least one year of experience equivalent to the GS-5 grade level. Examples of experience include but is not limited to the following: Employees at this grade level serve as developmental BESSs and receive guidance from more experienced staff members. The incumbent acquires training from in-house as well as outside sources (e.g. attendance in community college courses, vendor service schools, conferences/seminars, etc.) to maintain and improve working knowledge of medical equipment, including

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