Biomedical Equipment Support Specialist - Information Systems

Description:

The Biomedical Equipment Support Specialist (BESS) (Biomedical Information Systems) works in support of the medical equipment management program. In addition the BESS maintains medical servers and networks, diagnostic software, virtual platforms, and clinical applications software.

Requirements:

Basic Requirements :

• Citizenship. Be a citizen of the United States (U.S.). Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens according to 38 U.S.C. § 7407(a).
• English Language Proficiency. Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).
• Physical Requirements. See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Service for requirements.
• Education, Experience, or Certification.

1. Associates or higher degree in the biomedical technology or biomedical engineering field; OR
2. Associates or higher degree in electronics, a field of information technology, or engineering (other than biomedical engineering) AND 1 year of creditable experience; OR
3. Completion of the Department of Defense (DOD) biomedical equipment technician training program; OR
4. Completion of a DOD training program in repair and maintenance of electronic systems or information technology AND 1 year of creditable experience; OR
5. Completion of a biomedical engineering technician or Healthcare Technology Management (HTM) certificate program that included an internship or apprenticeship; OR
6. Completion of biomedical engineering technician or HTM certificate program that did not include an internship AND 1 year of creditable experience; OR
7. Hold or having ever held certification as a Certified Biomedical Equipment Technician (CBET), Certified Radiology Equipment Specialist (CRES), Certified Laboratory Equipment Specialist (CLES), or Certified Healthcare Technology Manager (CHTM). Continuous maintenance of certification is not required throughout VHA employment.

Grade Determination GS-12: Biomedical Equipment Support Specialist (Information Systems)

(1) Experience. One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade.

(2) Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:

• Knowledge of Health Level 7 (HL7) and Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) standards.
• Knowledge of advanced testing methods to troubleshoot networked medical equipment and clinical system interfaces.
• Skill in maintaining computer and server based medical equipment, databases, and software.
• Skill in managing medical equipment and clinical system projects that interface with an electronic health record or other information systems.
• Skill in applying cybersecurity standards to medical devices and clinical systems such as Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Federal Information Security Modernization Act (FISMA), and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) guidelines.
• Ability to apply information security tools including virus protection, software updates, and operating system patches.
• Ability to establish a medical network including VLAN configuration, Internet Protocol addressing, and network security.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/ .
Part II Appendix G49