Health Technician (Telehealth Clinical)-Virtual Mobile Clinic

Veterans Health Administration•Des Moines, IA

4d•Onsite

About The Position

The Health Technician (Telehealth Clinical) supports Veterans’ access to care by preparing and operating telehealth environments and technologies. The role helps facilitate clinical video telehealth and VA Video Connect encounters, as well as store-and-forward telehealth encounters, while providing patient education and supporting safe, private, and effective care. The position operates within the VA Midwest Health Care Network’s Whole Health approach, which emphasizes personalized health plans, healing relationships and environments, and connection to the Veteran’s community. The technician prepares clinical rooms and equipment, supports appointment scheduling and patient screening, maintains telehealth equipment and records, and coordinates with local and remote clinical and administrative staff. The position is onsite; telework is not authorized and the position is not virtual. The stated work schedule is Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, 6:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Requirements

U.S. citizenship is required, subject to the stated statutory exception for temporary appointments when qualified citizens cannot be recruited.
Proficiency in written and spoken English.
One year of experience in a healthcare field demonstrating the ability to perform the work or understanding of it; or four academic years above high school leading to a bachelor’s degree with occupation-related coursework; or a qualifying combination of healthcare experience and education.
For GS-6, one year of experience equivalent to GS-5, including relevant telehealth scheduling, patient-history documentation, room and equipment preparation, video connection setup, schedule maintenance, patient-satisfaction surveying, and equipment cleaning and minor maintenance.
For GS-6, comprehensive knowledge of computer systems and programs.
For GS-6, ability to communicate, consult, and interact with healthcare-team members, external relations, customers, and patients, including patient education.
For GS-6, ability to provide and receive guidance and technical direction.
For GS-6, ability to plan, organize, set priorities, work as a team member, and complete assignments effectively.
For GS-6, ability to read, interpret, and apply complex written instructions.
For GS-6, knowledge of general clinical policies and procedures in a healthcare environment.
For GS-6, skill in using telehealth technologies to facilitate clinical encounters.
Unrestricted driver’s license and a clean driving-record report from the DMV during onboarding.
Must pass a pre-employment physical examination; a driver’s physical is required.
Selected applicants are subject to urinalysis drug screening, background and security investigation, and an online onboarding process.
Must participate in the seasonal influenza vaccination program.
Must complete application requirements listed in the announcement’s Required Documents section.
Must serve a one- or two-year trial period, subject to evaluation and written certification for continued employment.
Education used to qualify must be recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and from an accredited institution; foreign education requires a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency and transcript.

Nice To Haves

Previous experience as a Health Technician (Telehealth Clinical).

Responsibilities

Prepare clinical environments and medical and telecommunications equipment for examinations and treatment.
Serve as a telepresenter during clinical video telehealth and VA Video Connect encounters by establishing video connections, making introductions between patient and provider sites, and following clinician instructions.
Support store-and-forward telehealth encounters by capturing images, collecting data, and transmitting materials electronically for clinical review in accordance with VHA guidelines.
Promote patient safety by following inventory, equipment-cleaning, care-environment, and patient-safety procedures.
Complete standardized clinical questionnaires and templates within the scope of training and applicable guidelines.
Protect patient privacy and comply with information-security and patient-privacy regulations.
Receive and schedule simple and complex intra-facility and inter-facility telehealth appointment requests using an electronic resource-based scheduling system.
Screen patients for telehealth suitability and refer those who do not meet established criteria to appropriate care.
Monitor and maintain schedules for rooms, patients, technologies, clinical providers, and presenters.
Provide patient education using approved materials and support Veterans in completing patient-satisfaction surveys.
Communicate with clinical and administrative staff at local and remote sites of care.
Configure, install, troubleshoot, clean, and perform minor routine maintenance on assigned telehealth technology.
Manage assigned telehealth technologies, including maintaining inventory and readiness, securing and accounting for equipment, tracking maintenance work orders and inventory records, and coordinating with the National Telehealth Technology Help Desk for troubleshooting, repairs, and replacement equipment.
Provide established education and training to Veterans, staff, and providers on telehealth technologies; answer related questions and address concerns.
Maintain knowledge and skills regarding telehealth rules, procedures, operations, telecommunications hardware and software, data entry and retrieval, record maintenance, and document and report generation.
Maintain regular contact with other staff and the Facility Telehealth Coordinator to address process issues, equipment needs, problems, data collection, and logistical issues.