Medical Instrument Technologist (Vascular)

Veterans Health Administration • Cleveland, OH

12d • Onsite

About The Position

The VA Northeast Ohio Healthcare System is recruiting a Medical Instrument Technician (Vascular) for the Vascular Laboratory Section of Surgical Service at the Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center. Vascular technologists perform noninvasive examinations using high-frequency ultrasound to help diagnose disease, and assume responsibilities associated with the Vascular Lab.

The role performs routine, complex, and non-routine vascular ultrasound examinations of the upper and lower extremities, abdominal vasculature, and extracranial cerebrovascular vessels. Testing may require adapting procedures to the patient’s condition or disease process and may use diagnostic ultrasound and plethysmography equipment. Additional examinations may include arteriovenous fistulas, palmar arch studies, thoracic outlet syndrome evaluations, and ice water immersion. The technologist may assist physicians with thrombin injections and is expected to notify the vascular surgeon or referring physician of significant abnormalities requiring immediate attention during an examination.

The position also involves traveling to satellite facilities as needed and going to the operating room when requested by surgeons for additional testing. The technologist must maintain a sterile field, keep accurate and complete patient records, prepare preliminary examination reports documenting procedural difficulties, and follow departmental coding and examination procedures. The work schedule is 7:30 a.m.–4:00 p.m. or 8:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m., flexible based on service needs. Telework and virtual work are not available.

Requirements

• At least one year of experience comparable to the GS-7 level, demonstrating relevant knowledge, skills, and abilities.
• Proficiency in spoken and written English.
• Ability to perform noninvasive vascular ultrasound procedures of upper and lower extremity, abdominal, and extracranial cerebrovascular vessels, including adapting procedures or instruments.
• Knowledge of anatomy and physiology relevant to vascular ultrasonography, including physiological influences on blood-flow hemodynamics.
• Knowledge of pharmacology and chemistry sufficient to understand drug reactions, actions, effects, and administration methods relevant to vascular ultrasonography.
• Knowledge of vascular diseases and their effects on test results, sufficient to select appropriate procedures.
• Ability to obtain a patient history and perform an appropriate physical assessment based on presentation and examination type, including observation, inspection, auscultation, and palpation.
• Knowledge of normal and abnormal cross-sectional and longitudinal vascular anatomy, anatomical planes, tissue structures, disease effects, signs and symptoms of acute and chronic vascular disease, and characteristic appearances of vascular abnormalities.
• Ability to provide Doppler information for peripheral vessels, distinguish characteristics related to the organs supplied, quantify carotid artery stenoses, and interpret waveform analysis, plethysmographic tracings, velocity changes, and pressure gradients associated with normal, obstructed, or occluded vessels or grafts.
• Ability to perform intracranial (transcranial) vascular examinations.
• Ability to operate instruments to obtain high-quality images using appropriate transducer frequency, Doppler angle, focal zones, gain, depth, color map, wall filter, and sample volume.
• Ability to provide objective data documenting progression or regression of disease.
• U.S. citizenship is required, subject to the stated VA policy exception for non-citizens when qualified citizens cannot be recruited.
• Must meet applicable background and security investigation requirements and complete onboarding requirements.
• Must participate in the seasonal influenza vaccination program as a VA health care personnel requirement.
• Must serve a one- or two-year trial period, subject to the stated evaluation and certification conditions.

Nice To Haves

• Basic Cardiac Life Support (BCLS) certification.
• Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) certification.
• American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography (ARDMS) RVT registration; applicants are asked to provide a license.
• Graduation from an accredited vascular ultrasound program and RVT registration through ARDMS; applicants are asked to provide transcripts.
• Eligibility under the VA Qualification Standard grandfathering provision, applicable only to current VHA employees in this occupation who meet the criteria.

Responsibilities

• Perform noninvasive vascular ultrasound examinations of upper and lower extremity, abdominal, and extracranial cerebrovascular vessels, adapting procedures as needed.
• Perform standardized, routine, complex, and non-routine diagnostic vascular testing using ultrasound and plethysmography equipment.
• Perform additional testing such as arteriovenous fistula evaluation, palmar arch studies, thoracic outlet syndrome evaluation, and ice water immersion.
• Assist physicians with thrombin injections.
• Notify the vascular surgeon or referring physician of significant abnormalities requiring immediate attention while the patient is undergoing an examination.
• Travel to satellite facilities as needed.
• Perform additional testing in the operating room when requested by surgeons.
• Maintain a sterile field.
• Maintain accurate and complete patient records and examination reports.
• Prepare preliminary reports, including documentation of procedural difficulties.
• Follow departmental examination procedures and adapt testing to the patient’s condition or disease process.
• Follow proper coding procedures under departmental policies.

Benefits

• Competitive salary and regular salary increases.
• 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 approval.
• Up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave after 12 months of employment in connection with birth, adoption, or foster-care placement of a child.
• Eligible full-time employees with qualifying family income may receive a childcare subsidy after 60 days of employment, subject to program limits and eligibility requirements.
• Traditional federal pension with five-year vesting and a 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 can be carried into retirement.

What This Job Offers

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