Job Description
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 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" 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 Grandfathering Provision The following is the standard grandfathering policy for all Title 38 Hybrid qualification standards Some of these provisions may not apply to this occupation Please carefully review the qualification standard to determine the specific education and/or licensure/certification/ registration requirements that apply to this occupation 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 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-6 (a) Experience At least 1 year of experience comparable to the next lower grade level (GS-05)which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics related to the duties of the positions to be filled In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: (b) Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities 1 Knowledge of the anatomy and physiology of the heart and great vessels 2 Knowledge of cardiac arrhythmias and their relationship to hemodynamic conditions of the cardiac cycle 3 Knowledge of basic cardiac ultrasound physics and the acoustic mechanisms by which high quality cardiac images are obtained 4 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 standardized, routine procedures 5 Ability to interact with patients explaining procedures and positioning the patient for the procedure.(c) Certification Basic Cardiac Life Support (BCLS) certification is desirable GS-7 (a) Experience At least 1 year of experience comparable to the next lower grade level (GS-06 )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 echocardiographic examinations In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: (b) Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities 1 Ability to scan transthoracic echocardiograms in all views with colorflow and some Doppler 27 2 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 3 Knowledge of the set-up for transesophageal echocardiograms 4 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 (c) Certification Basic Cardiac Life Support (BCLS) and Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) certifications are desirable GS-8 (a) Experience At least 1 year of experience comparable to the next lower grade level (GS-07) 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 overall knowledge, skills, and abilities to conduct diagnostic echocardiography examinations in complex and unusual cases In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: (b) Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills and Abilities 1 Ability to produce diagnostic quality images and Doppler frequency shift recordings using M-mode, two-dimensional, pulsed and continuous wave Doppler spectral display, and color flow Doppler imaging 2 Knowledge of normal echocardiographic findings and deviations produced by a wide variety of cardiovascular diseases 3 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 4 Ability to perform complementary ultrasonic examinations (including noninvasive) transthoracic, Bubble studies and contrast echocardiography, (invasive) stress echocardiography, and transesophageal echocardiography 5 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 Basic Cardiac Life Support (BCLS) and Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) certifications are desirable Preferred Experience: >3 YEARS experience in TEE, Stress echo including Dobutamine, Structural heart (TAVR), and echo enhancing agent use RDCS or CCI registry Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit The 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 GS6 to GS-8. Physical Requirements: Duties are performed in areas designated for the Cardiology Hub and Spoke Network The Cardiac Echocardiography Technician must be able to travel to treatment areas with ease while pushing an Echo Machine The Cardiac Echocardiography Technician must be able to stand for up to 8-10 hours while providing patient care The Cardiac Echocardiography Technician must be able to lift 20 pounds of equipment, supplies and records The Cardiac Echocardiography Technician must be able to manipulate the probes during the procedure, pushing against the patient's chest to obtain the appropriate images Additionally, the Cardiac Echocardiography Technician will be required to transport Veterans on stretchers, beds, and wheelchairs There is the potential for extended periods of sitting at computer terminals The Cardiac Echocardiography Technician is expected to use proper preventive ergonomic techniques to perform duties. >5c143e31-5e48-4549-b2d185386