Medical Instrument Technician (Polysomnography)

Veterans Health Administration • Springfield, MO

4d • Onsite

About The Position

The Medical Instrument Technician (Polysomnography) works in the Specialty Care Service of the Veterans Health Care System of the Ozarks. The position is physically located at the Gene Taylor Veterans' Outpatient Clinic in Springfield, Missouri. The technician prepares patients and sleep-testing equipment, performs and interprets polysomnographic studies, monitors patient safety and physiological data, and supports treatment of sleep-disordered breathing. The role also includes training and supervising technicians working in a developmental capacity, contributing to sleep-lab performance improvement, and helping develop lab policies and protocols.

The work is performed in an office/clinic setting with minimal risks and normal safety precautions. The area is adequately lighted, heated, and ventilated. The role can involve handling several tasks at once in sometimes stressful situations. The position is not virtual, and telework is not available. The work schedule is Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and may change based on facility needs.

Requirements

• At least one year of experience comparable to GS-08 that is directly related to the duties, and the knowledge, skills, and abilities required at that level.
• Advanced knowledge of the International Classification of Sleep Disorders and the ability to recognize uncommon or rare sleep disorders.
• Ability to summarize and report polysomnographic data in narrative form.
• Knowledge of event characteristics, such as respiratory, cardiac, sleep-stage, and seizure events, and the ability to take appropriate action.
• Ability to provide briefings and orientation to hospital staff, including physicians.
• Knowledge of complex examination and treatment procedures and techniques sufficient to train and supervise others, evaluate and initiate performance-improvement projects, and write polysomnography policies, procedures, and protocols.
• Knowledge of JCAHO and other regulatory requirements.
• Ability to communicate effectively and professionally with employees at varying grade levels.
• U.S. citizenship, except that non-citizens may be appointed only when qualified citizens cannot be recruited under VA policy.
• Proficiency in written and spoken English.
• Successful completion of required background/security investigation, pre-employment physical evaluation, and applicable pre-employment drug screening.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program and completion of the required online onboarding and application requirements.
• Must serve a one- or two-year trial period, subject to written certification for continued employment.
• Physical capability to perform duties that may require standing, lifting, carrying, sitting, stooping, bending, pulling, and pushing; may also require personal protective equipment and annual TB screening or testing.

Nice To Haves

• Registration by the Board of Registered Polysomnographic Technologists (BRPT), including the RPSGT credential.
• Basic Cardiac Life Support (BCLS) certification.
• Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) certification.
• Three years of sleep-medicine experience in a laboratory setting.
• EEG experience.

Responsibilities

• Prepare patients and calibrate sleep equipment and physiological calibrations; explain pre-testing, testing, and post-testing procedures.
• Prepare and calibrate testing equipment, verify proper functioning, and make adjustments as needed.
• Monitor patient safety parameters and physiological data, recognize emergencies, provide competent care and CPR, and notify Rapid Response or Code Blue teams when required.
• Monitor and interpret montage signals, including EEG, EOG, EKG, EMG, respiratory, snore, and SPO2 channels; use the 10-20 neurological measuring system for EEG electrode placement and recording.
• Initiate and titrate CPAP, BiPAP, and ASV therapy; perform split-night studies and troubleshoot advanced PAP modalities, including adaptive servo-ventilation and volume-assured pressure support systems.
• Identify and treat sleep-related breathing disorders and document study details, physiological measurements, therapies, and sleep-related events.
• Perform difficult or unusual procedures and therapeutic interventions, and train and supervise Medical Instrument Technicians (Polysomnography) working in a developmental capacity.
• Follow protocols for MSLT, MWT, parasomnia studies, PAP, and oxygen titration to ensure appropriate data collection.
• Stage and event-score sleep studies according to AASM parameters and standards; use CPAP, BiPAP, AVAPS, and other titration modes and methods.
• Interpret sleep study reports and CPAP download reports; recognize and score complex sleep disorders, including parasomnias, narcolepsy, REM behavior disorder, periodic limb movement disorder, and central sleep apnea.
• Provide detailed technical reporting and communicate abnormal or urgent findings to physicians.
• Brief fellow technicians, the Sleep Supervisor, the Cardiopulmonary Chief, and requesting physicians on sleep study results.
• Initiate sleep-lab performance improvement projects to streamline processes and improve efficiency.
• Maintain current knowledge of JCAHO and polysomnography regulations and help develop sleep-lab policies, procedures, and protocols in response to trends in sleep medicine.
• Train developmental Medical Instrument Technicians (Polysomnography) on sleep-lab operational procedures.

Benefits

• Competitive salary and regular salary increases; a higher step rate may be considered based on higher or unique qualifications or VA special needs.
• 37–50 days of annual paid time off per year, consisting of 13–26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, and 11 paid federal holidays.
• Potential credit toward annual leave accrual based on prior work or military service, subject to request and approval.
• Up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave after 12 months of employment following birth, adoption, or foster-care placement of a child.
• Eligible full-time employees may qualify for a childcare subsidy after 60 days of employment, subject to family-income and other eligibility limits.
• Traditional federal pension, with five-year vesting, and federal 401(k) with up to 5% in VA contributions.
• Federal health, vision, dental, term-life, and long-term-care insurance; many federal insurance programs may be continued into retirement.

What This Job Offers

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