Medical Instrument Technician (EKG)

Veterans Health Administration • Cincinnati, OH

1d • Onsite

About The Position

The Cincinnati VA Medical Center is looking for a Medical Instrument Technician (MIT) - Electrocardiograph (EKG) Technician/(Monitor Watcher) who is a clinical/technical specialist that will provide cardiac monitoring and patient care duties under the supervision of the Registered Nurse. The MIT/Monitor Watcher will be responsible for direct and indirect patient care. Clinical skills and proficiency are required for EKG monitoring, assessment, evaluation, age-appropriate care and documentation. The Cincinnati VA Medical Center (CVAMC) is a two-division campus located in Cincinnati, OH and Fort Thomas, KY serving 15 counties in Southwest OH, Northern Kentucky, and Southeast Indiana with 6 Community Based Outpatient Clinics located in Bellevue, KY; Florence, KY; Lawrenceburg, IN; Hamilton, OH; Clermont County, OH, and Georgetown, OH. The CVAMC also supports two off main campus locations in the Cincinnati area via an Eye Center and Mental Health Outreach Community Division.

Requirements

• 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.
• 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 identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Must pass pre-employment evaluation.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.
• As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest.
• Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met.
• 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.
• There are no specific educational requirements for this occupation.
• Education may be substituted for experience only at the GS-4 and GS-5 levels.
• 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 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.
• 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).
• GS-7 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 knowledge of the equipment, standard tests and procedures, and typical readings including arrhythmias and abnormalities.
• Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills and Abilities: Knowledge of typical patient reactions and signs of distress including the ability to recognize, report and treat potentially lethal arrhythmias.
• Knowledge of common equipment settings and standardized procedures plus knowledge of common errors and corrective measures.
• 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.
• Ability to act as a mentor or preceptor to lower graded technicians.
• Ability to conduct in-service training on the EKG equipment and related instrumentation.
• Certification: No certification is required; however, it is desirable that employees at this level have Basic Cardiac Life Support (BCLS) certification.
• 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 work requires, at various intervals, long periods of sitting to monitor patients and/or EKG monitors.
• The employee must be able to visualize monitors, various equipment, and computer screen.

Nice To Haves

• Basic and Advanced Cardiac Life Support certifications are desirable.
• Basic Cardiac Life Support (BCLS) certification is desirable.

Responsibilities

• Assists with providing training to all new MIT/Monitor Watcher staff on the duties of the position in accordance with instructions, policies, previous trainings, or accepted practices with EKG monitoring.
• Provides orientation to new staff and ongoing guidance in collaboration with the Registered Nurse.
• Recognizes and reports changes in rhythms to the RN.
• Provides continuous monitoring of cardiac rate, rhythm, and patterns of conduction at a monitoring station.
• Recognizes and reports changes in a patient's rhythm that are outside the established parameters.
• Maintains patient confidentiality and rights at all times.
• Recognizes life threatening situations and notifies the Registered Nurse while simultaneously initiating emergency procedures.
• Demonstrates skills in the operation of and monitoring of EKG monitoring systems.
• Monitors patient rhythm and determines proper alarm settings after verifying with the Registered Nurse (RN).
• Monitors for abnormal cardiac rhythms and understands that emergency medical treatment may be needed for such rhythms.
• Demonstrates knowledge of what default alarm setting are and makes adjustments based on RN guidance.
• Demonstrates skill in operation of monitoring of various equipment, which includes cardiac monitors, 12 lead EKG machines, vital signs machines, pulse oximetry, and various other clinical equipment found in the Telemetry setting.
• Demonstrates how to measure EKG strips, including the PRI, QRS duration, QT, and rate using a minimum of a 6 second strip.
• Verbalizes the need to ensure patient is admitted and placed on a cardiac monitor as soon as they arrive on the unit.
• Demonstrates how to attach cardiac monitor to patient once they arrive on the unit and verbalizes the need to ensure the patient is admitted and placed on a cardiac monitor as soon as they arrive on the floor.
• Obtains, measures, and interprets rhythm strip within the first 30 minutes of patient's arrival to the unit.
• Marks the date and time that the strip was obtained along with initials and documents rhythm strip.
• Verbalizes the need to repeat this procedure with any rhythm changes.

Benefits

• Competitive salary and regular salary increases
• 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year)
• After 12 months of employment, up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child.
• After 60 days of employment, full time employees with a total family income below $144,000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66 .
• Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA
• Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement)

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed