Medical Instrument Technician - Polysomnography

01Basic Requirements

United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy. English Language Proficiency: Medical Instrument Technicians must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with chapter 2, section D, paragraph 5a, this part.

02Certification

Certification is not required for this occupation; however, Basic Cardiac Life Support (BCLS) certification is strongly desirable at the GS6 or above as evidence of possession of the essential knowledge, skills, and abilities. The Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) certification is also highly desirable for employees at the GS8 level.

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).

Grandfathering Provision: All persons employed in VHA in this occupation on the effective date of this qualification standard (6/7/2012) are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title, series and grade held, including positive education and licensure/certification/registration that are part of the basic requirements of the occupation.

03Grade Determinations

GS4 MIT-Polysomnography Experience or Education: Must have at least 1 year of experience comparable to the next lower grade level whichdemonstrates the knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics related to the duties of the position to be filled. Six months of this experience may have been in medically related fields such as nursing assistant, practical nursing, or similar fields. The remaining six months must have been in operating diagnostic and therapeutic equipment covered by this occupation.

Experience gained in the operation of equipment for animal diagnosis or treatment may be credited at this level. ~OR~ Successfully completed two years of education above high school or an associate's degree with a major field of study directly related to the medical instrument technician occupation. GS4 MIT-Polysomnography Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSA's): In addition to the experience, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: Knowledge of basic medical terminology.

Ability to learn the components, operating characteristics, and settings of the equipment to be used. Ability to learn typical patient reactions to the basic procedures involved and ability to recognize signs of distress. Ability to learn the standard positions for the procedure being conducted. Ability to communicate orally and in writing.

GS5 MIT-Polysomnography Experience or Education: Must have 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 position to be filled. This would be experience in operating equipment related to the particular specialization for which application is made or in related functional areas.

Experience gained in the operation of equipment for animal diagnosis or treatment may be credited through this grade level. ~OR~ Successfully completed 4 academic years above high school leading to a bachelor's degree with courses related to the occupation, or a bachelor's degree in a major field of study appropriate to medical instrument technician functions.

GS5 MIT-Polysomnography Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSA's): In addition to the experience, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: Knowledge of standard medical terminology to interpret physician orders or instructions. Knowledge of common physical disabilities and ability to position patients for the examination or treatment. Ability to learn the normal and abnormal results for routine procedures to recognize and report obvious abnormalities.

Ability to operate the equipment to administer routine/standard diagnostic treatment or procedures. Ability to perform standard operator maintenance on the equipment including the ability to disassemble, clean, reassemble, and calibrate the machine. GS6 MIT-Polysomnography Experience: Must have 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.

GS6 MIT-Polysomnography Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSA's): In addition to the experience, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: Knowledge of standard, computerized polysomnographs for recording continuous all night physiological data including EEG, EOG, EKG, EMG and respiratory parameters.

Knowledge of standard devices such as oximeters, respiratory effort devices, nasal pressure devices, thermistors, thermocouples, continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machines, and laboratory computers including the ability to calibrate and operate the equipment and recognize and eliminate recording artifacts. Knowledge of medical terminology and medical record organization to review medical records, sleep study orders, consent forms, medical charts, etc.

Knowledge of polysmnographic procedural protocols (including overnight sleep studies, MSL T, MWT, PAP, etc.). Knowledge of basic anatomy and physiology and the international 10-20 electrode placement system in order to conduct the sleep studies. GS7 MIT-Polysomnography Experience: Must have 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 the individual with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to independently conduct difficult but standardized polysomnography examinations. GS7 MIT-Polysomnography Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSA's): In addition to the experience, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: Knowledge of CPAP function and operation to select and fit appropriate PAP patient interface devices. Ability to independently titrate and document PAP level to achieve therapeutic goals.

Knowledge of indications, complications, and contraindications of CPAP therapy. Knowledge of Bi-Level pressure titrations. Ability to recognize changes seen during the PSG tracing and identify all stages of sleep. This includes the ability to score and analyze sleep stages in clinical polysomnography recordings.

GS8 MIT-Polysomnography Experience: Must have at least 1 year of experience comparable to the GS7 grade level which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics related to the duties of the position to be filled. This would be experience which provided a knowledge of the more complex procedures as well as knowledge of the uncommon and/or rare sleep disorders.

GS8 MIT-Polysomnography Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSA's): In addition to the experience, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: Advanced knowledge or the International Classification of Sleep Disorders and the ability to recognize uncommon and/or rare sleep disorders Ability to summarize and report polysomnographic data in narrative form Knowledge of event characteristics (e.g., respiratory, cardiac, sleep stage, seizures, etc.) and ability to take appropriate action Ability to provide briefings and orientation to hospital staff including physicians Preferred Experience: Registration by the Board of Registered Polysomnographic Technologists (BRPT) is highly desirable.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS8. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS4 to GS8.

*** This is an OPEN CONTINUOUS ANNOUNCEMENT and will remain open until December 21, 2026. The initial cutoff date for referral of eligible applications will be November 2, 2026.

Eligible applications received after that date will be referred at regular intervals or as additional vacancies occur on an as needed basis until positions are filled. *** Responsibilities include triaging consults, facilitating CPAP clinic operations, managing sleep study data, and providing direct patient education and equipment troubleshooting. Duties include, but are not limited to: Applies established protocols for accurate sleep study interpretation and scoring.

Demonstrates proficiency in identifying and treating sleep-related breathing disorders. Provides expertise in PAP therapy, including mask fitting and device setup (CPAP, BiPAP, AVAPS, Servo Ventilator). Ensures appropriate oxygen therapy coordination with Home Oxygen services. Conducts PAP mask fittings and patient education on equipment use. Performs CPAP/BiPAP setup, troubleshooting, and re-evaluation. Enrolls and manages patients within CPAP/BiPAP clinic follow-up programs.

Demonstrates strong customer service skills, providing compassionate patient interactions. Utilizes CPRS to manage patient records, consult tracking, and clinic scheduling. Reviews and archives sleep studies, ensuring data accuracy and compliance. Generates technical summary reports for physician review and quality assurance. Ensures contract compliance with home oxygen/CPAP providers. Develops and implements process improvements for clinic efficiency.

Provides guidance to patients on PAP-related concerns through multiple communication channels. Collaborates with healthcare teams to ensure continuity of care. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 7:30AM to 4:00PM Telework: May be available on an Ad-hoc basis as determined by the agency policy. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 53982A, 53983A, 53984A, 53985A, 53986A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized