Summary This Position is located at Fayetteville NC VA Coastal Health Care, Fayetteville, NC. Medical instrument technicians (EKG) at this level operate and monitor electrocardiographic equipment to perform specialized examinations and studies involving exercise stress testing, ambulatory monitoring of arrhythmias, and indirect carotid pulse tracings on chronic patients. Responsibilities Duties and responsibilities for this position include, but not limited to the following: Knowledge of the anatomy and physiology of the heart. Knowledge of cardiac arrhythmias and their relationship to hemodynamic conditions of the cardiac cycle. Ability to interact with patients explaining procedures and positioning the patient for the procedure. independently performs the full range of electrocardiograph procedures, and related examinations, such as applying ambulatory monitoring devices, scanning Holter recordings, event monitor strips and editing EKG, Holter, and treadmill reports. Utilizes MUSE cardiology storage system. Receives request and/or, consults for procedures. Receives assignment for which clear precedents exist. Receives assignments that require application of standard procedures or that have special procedures identified and explained. Understands and carries out the appropriate requests made by practitioners or seeks assistance of the supervision when an uncommon, unique or new procedure is requested. Instructs patient pre-procedure to ensure confidence and cooperation of patient during procedures. Independently explains various procedures including need for positions on table or treadmill, monitoring equipment, adverse reactions to stressing agents. Explains requirements for accurate monitoring and necessity of diary entries. Answers questions by patients and or family members. Performs MIT/EKG tech work with Holter/Event Monitoring specialty. This specialty area requires experience in applying, operating and instructing Holter and Event Monitoring equipment. Schedules patient for application and removal of monitors. Works in the Cardiology Section of Medical Service in this VAMC. Meets the needs of all customers while supporting the Medical Center and Service missions. Consistently communicates and treats customers (patients, visitors, volunteers, and all Medical Center staff) in a courteous, tactful, and respectful manner. Provides the customers with consistent information according to established policies and procedures. Handles conflict and problems in dealing with the customer constructively and appropriately. Additional duties include, but are not limited to: EKGs, Exercise tolerance test system (Treadmill), Cardiology Data Storage Systems, Ambulatory Monitoring System (King of Hearts & Holter monitors) Holter/Event Scanner, and Quinton Rehab Cardiac Monitoring system. Narrative of assigned duties describing the nature and location of the work. All other duties assigned. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am To 4:30pm Functional Statement #: 00000 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. Must be proficient in written and spoken English. You may be required to serve a trial period. Subject to background/security investigation. Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. Must pass pre-employment physical examination. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). 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. English Language Proficiency: Medical Instrument Technicians must be proficient in spoken and written English Education: There is no specific educational requirements for this occupation. Certification: No certification is required; however, it is desirable that employees at this level have BCLS (Basic Cardiac Life Support) & ACLS (Advanced Cardiac Life Support) certifications. Experience: At least 1 year of experience comparable to the next lower grade level 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: Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: 1. Knowledge of typical patient reactions and signs of distress including the ability to recognize, report and treat potentially lethal arrhythmias. 2. Knowledge of common equipment settings and standardized procedures plus knowledge of common errors and corrective measures. 3. Ability to modify procedures/positions to obtain the correct results with patients with complicating conditions such as amputations, Parkinson's disease, structural defects, and scar tissue. 4. Ability to act as a mentor or preceptor to lower graded technicians. 5. Ability to conduct in-service training on the EKG equipment and related instrumentation. Assignment: This represents the full performance level. Medical instrument technicians (EKG) at this level operate and monitor electrocardiographic equipment to perform specialized examinations and studies involving exercise stress testing, ambulatory monitoring of arrhythmias, and indirect carotid pulse tracings on chronic patients. They monitor tracings to identify arrhythmias and when gross abnormalities appear, when to repeat certain procedures, when to stop test procedures, and when to get the immediate attention of a physician. They evaluate test results to determine appropriate machine adjustments and use alternative techniques and procedures when established procedures do not accomplish acceptable results. This includes adapting equipment and accessories to yield the best results during the examination. They edit and select an appropriate sample portion of the tracing for further interpretation by the physician. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-7. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-07. 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). Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. Physical Requirements: Heavy lifting, 45 pounds and over, moderate carrying, 15-44 pounds, pushing, repeated bending, both legs required, ability for rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously, near vision correctable at 13" to 16" to Jaeger 1 to 4, far vision correctable in one eye to 20/50 and 20/100 in the other, both eyes required, depth perception, hearing (aid permitted). Environmental factors: electrical energy, working around machinery with moving parts, working closely with others. Good visual abilities to read equipment label, equipment gauges/monitors, and observe the patient's condition, often in dim lighting required for the exam. Education None Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/. Additional Information Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed. During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status. VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement. Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.