Biomedical Equipment Support Specialist (Information Systems)

Veterans Health Administration • San Diego, CA

7d • Onsite

About The Position

The Biomedical Equipment Support Specialist Information Systems (BESS IS) provides clinical and administrative support to staff, patients, and administrators on facility-wide lifecycle management of clinical systems, medical devices and systems, diagnostic software, virtual platforms, networks, and clinical applications. The specialist ensures compliance with the facility Medical Equipment Management Plan, applicable standards and regulatory requirements, and VA Directive 6550. The role serves as a subject matter expert on assigned committees, projects, initiatives, and workgroups.

The position manages medical servers and networks, diagnostic software, clinical systems, virtual platforms, clinical applications, and related hardware. It performs incoming inspections and planned maintenance; manages equipment and system projects from procurement through installation, sustainment, and maintenance; and evaluates compatibility and integration with the electronic health record and other clinical systems. Work is documented in the Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS) in accordance with regulatory, HTM, and organizational requirements.

The specialist manages technology lifecycles and plans for emerging technologies with clinical services, including medical equipment, network management and storage, and virtual data centers. Duties also include facilitating operating system updates, upgrades, and virus protection; coordinating software patches, updates, and backups; and managing cybersecurity measures and disaster recovery plans. Work may sometimes be required outside the normally scheduled tour of duty.

The regular schedule is Monday through Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., although the tour may vary. Compressed or flexible scheduling, telework, and virtual work are not available. The work can involve confined and interstitial spaces, physical exertion, electrical energy, ladders, outdoor work, and working alone, as well as occasional exposure to hazardous materials and occasional travel. Employees follow safety, fire protection, infection-control, emergency preparedness, security, and environmental procedures, including annual asbestos training and protocols for working in asbestos-containing areas.

Requirements

• U.S. citizenship, subject to the stated exception for non-citizen appointments when qualified citizens cannot be recruited under 38 U.S.C. § 7407(a).
• Proficiency in written and spoken English.
• Meet one of the basic qualification pathways: an associate or higher degree in biomedical technology or biomedical engineering; an associate or higher degree in electronics, information technology, or another engineering field plus one year of creditable experience; completion of a DOD biomedical equipment technician training program; completion of a DOD electronic systems repair and maintenance or information technology training program plus one year of creditable experience; completion of a biomedical engineering technician or HTM certificate program including an internship or apprenticeship; completion of such a certificate program without an internship plus one year of creditable experience; or current or prior certification as a CBET, CRES, CLES, or CHTM.
• For GS-12 placement, at least one year of creditable experience equivalent to the GS-11 level.
• For GS-12 placement, knowledge of HL7 and DICOM standards and advanced testing methods for troubleshooting networked medical equipment and clinical-system interfaces.
• For GS-12 placement, skill maintaining computer- and server-based medical equipment, databases, and software; managing medical-equipment and clinical-system projects interfacing with an electronic health record or other information systems; and applying cybersecurity standards to medical devices and clinical systems.
• For GS-12 placement, ability to use information-security tools, including virus protection, software updates, and operating-system patches, and to establish a medical network, including VLAN configuration, IP addressing, and network security.
• Subject to background/security investigation, pre-employment drug testing for selected applicants in testing-designated positions, required onboarding, and seasonal influenza vaccination requirements for VA health care personnel.
• Male applicants born after December 31, 1959, must meet Selective Service registration requirements.
• Serve a one- or two-year trial period, as applicable.
• Submit a transcript if education is used to meet qualification requirements; foreign education must meet the stated equivalency and documentation requirements.

Responsibilities

• Comply with the facility's Medical Equipment Management Plan and applicable standards, policies, procedures, and regulatory requirements, including VA Directive 6550.
• Maintain functional knowledge of relevant safety codes and standards from regulatory bodies, including TJC, NFPA, FDA, NRC, AAMI, ACR, and FIPS.
• Serve as a subject matter expert on assigned committees, projects, initiatives, and workgroups.
• Manage and maintain medical servers and networks, diagnostic software, clinical systems, virtual platforms, clinical applications, and related hardware components.
• Ensure networked medical equipment and clinical systems are inventoried in the appropriate database.
• Perform incoming inspections and planned maintenance on medical equipment and clinical systems.
• Manage projects involving medical equipment and clinical systems, including procurement, installation, sustainment, and maintenance.
• Evaluate compatibility and adaptability of medical equipment and clinical systems for integration with the electronic health record or other clinical systems.
• Document work in the CMMS according to regulatory, HTM, and organizational requirements.
• Manage lifecycles of medical equipment, clinical systems, diagnostic software, virtual platforms, and clinical applications.
• Plan for new and emerging technologies with clinical services, including medical equipment, network management and storage, and virtual data centers.
• Facilitate and execute operating system updates, upgrades, and virus protection.
• Review, coordinate, and implement software patches, updates, and system/data backups with staff and manufacturers.
• Coordinate, implement, and manage cybersecurity measures and disaster recovery plans.
• Follow safety, fire protection, infection-control, emergency preparedness, security, and environmental procedures; report hazards, accidents, and injuries; and review hazardous-materials information and waste-management procedures.
• Complete annual asbestos training and comply with protocols when working in asbestos-containing areas.

Benefits

• Federal employees receive access to a comprehensive benefits package for themselves and their families; specific benefit eligibility depends on position type.
• Selected applicants may request consideration of prior work or military service for annual-leave accrual credit, subject to approval.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: Associate degree