Health Technician (Telehealth Clinical)

Summary

The Tibor Rubin VA Medical Center is recruiting for one (1) vacancy to fill a Health Technician (Telehealth Clinical) position at the Gardena Community-Based Outreach Clinic. The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) supports the provision of patient care using telehealth technologies which increase a Veteran's access to care and support a Veteran's self-management. Welcome to VA Long Beach Tibor Rubin - History

Qualifications

Basic Requirements:

• Citizenship
• Citizen of the United States
• (Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Handbook 5005 - Part II - Chapter 3 - Section A - paragraph 3.g.)
• Experience and Education
• (1) Experience
• One year of experience in a health care field that demonstrates the applicant's ability to perform the work or provides an understanding of the work such as but not limited to a medical or clinical assistant (or technician) or health technician
• OR (2) Education
• Four academic years above high school leading to a bachelor's degree with courses related to the occupation
• OR (3) Experience/Education Combination
• Equivalent combination of experience and education are qualifying for entry level for which both education and experience are acceptable
• Examples are listed below: (a) Six months of experience in the health care field and two years of education above high school that included at least six semester hours in health care related courses such as - biological science - surgical technician courses - nursing assistant or other courses related to the position
• or an associate's degree in a health care related field
• or (b) Six months of experience in the health care field and successful completion of a course for health care technicians - hospital corpsmen - or medical service specialists given by the U.S. Armed Forces
• Grade Determinations: Health Technician (Telehealth Clinical) - GS-6 (Full Performance Level) GS-06 Experience: One year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level
• AND Demonstrated Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities (KSA)
• In addition to the experience above - the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs
• (a) Comprehensive knowledge of computer systems and programs to perform a variety of tasks
• (b) Ability to communicate - consult - and interact with other members of the healthcare team - external relations - customer service and patient education
• (c) Ability to provide and receive guidance and technical direction
• (d) Ability to plan - organize - set priorities - work as a team member - and effectively complete assignments
• (e) Ability to read - interpret - and apply complex written instructions
• (f) Knowledge of general clinical policies and procedures in a healthcare environment
• (g) Skilled in the use of telehealth technologies for the facilitation of telehealth clinical encounters Perform Assignment
• This is considered the full performance level for this assignment
• The Health Technician (Telehealth Clinical) performs a full range of duties and is responsible for day-to-day operation of the Connected Care Services
• Assignments at this level include - but are not limited to - screening patients for Telehealth modality and referring patients that do not meet established criteria to appropriate care
• communicating effectively with administrative and professional staff - and obtaining assistance for issues that may arise or backlogs that cannot be resolved in a timely manner
• Responsible for performing imaging duties in accordance with VHA national telehealth guidelines such as: capture and transmission of clinical images and/or data - obtains consent as necessary - generates consults according to established procedures for each telehealth specialty - transmits images or clinical data to the electronic medical record - provides patient education regarding general anatomy - disease processes and prevention as appropriate - and takes appropriate action based on the providers' findings and recommendations
• Responsible for facilitation of real-time Telehealth encounters by providing hands on assistance and reporting clinical observations under the direction of a licensed independent Practitioner or clinical specialist
• schedules - confirms and coordinates Telehealth services between internal and external VA and non-VA sites
• analyzes own work flow to determine potential problem areas and recommends corrective action to improve coordination between various units/facilities
• has regular contact with the Facility Telehealth Coordinator to work out process issues - equipment needs - problems - data collection and any other logistical issues
• responsible for conducting routine inventories and consistently tracking location/status of Telehealth technology located at assigned site
• and communicates with National Telehealth Technology Help Desk to facilitate troubleshooting - repair - and coordination of replacement equipment as necessary
• Preferred Experience: N/A References: VA Handbook 5005 - Part II - Appendix G50 - Health Technician (Telehealth Clinical) Qualification Standard
• The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-06
• Physical Requirements: The work requires some physical exertion such as prolonged periods of standing - bending - reaching - crouching - stooping - stretching - and lifting moderately heavy items such as manuals - record boxes - equipment or assisting patients
• The work requires above average agility and dexterity
• The incumbent may be required to travel between VA and/or Non-VA clinical care sites and possession of a valid driver's license may be required.

Duties

• The telehealth technician will work in a clinical a setting - serving as an expert in all Telehealth technologies
• These technologies may include - but are not limited to - Clinical Video Telehealth (CVT) - Store and Forward Telehealth (SFT) - Video Conferencing - VA Video Connect (VVC) - VA Mobile - My HealtheVet (MHV) - Home Telehealth (HT) - and other telehealth applications
• These technologies are used to deliver care to Veterans located at various institutional and non-institutional settings - such as the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Centers (VAMCs) - Community-Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs) - State Veteran Homes - Vet Centers - homeless shelters - Indian Health Services (IHS) clinics - Department of Defense (DOD) facilities and other affiliated organizations as well as directly to Veterans in their home
• This is considered the full performance level for the Health Technician (Telehealth Clinical) position
• The incumbent performs a full range of duties and is responsible for day-to-day operation of telehealth services at the assigned location and between the assigned location and remote sites of care
• The incumbent may receive guidance from more experienced staff members and may provide guidance to less experienced staff positions
• Assigned Duties: preparing the clinical environment - which may include preparing medical and telecommunications equipment to be used for clinical examination and treatment
• serving as a telepresenter within scope of practice during clinical video telehealth (CVT) and VA Video Connect (VVC) encounters including tasks such as establishing and maintaining video conferencing connections - making introductions between patient site and provider site - following instructions of a clinician to facilitate an effective clinical encounter
• serving as an imager and clinical data manager for store and forward telehealth (SFT) clinical encounters including tasks such as capturing images - collecting data and transmitting them electronically for clinical review in accordance with VHA national guidelines
• taking measures to ensure patient care is delivered safely by following appropriate procedures for inventory management - cleaning of clinical equipment and the care environment while following all patient safety guidelines - protocols - and procedures
• completing standardized clinical questionnaires and templates within scope of training and applicable guidelines
• ensuring that patient privacy is protected by complying with all information security and patient privacy regulations
• receiving and scheduling requests for simple and complex intra-facility - and interfacility telehealth appointments using an electronic resource-based scheduling system
• screening patients for Telehealth modality and referring patients that do not meet established criteria to appropriate care
• monitoring and maintaining schedules of rooms - patients - technologies - clinical providers and presenters as needed to ensure efficient telehealth operations
• providing patient education via approved materials
• supporting the Veteran in completing patient satisfaction surveys
• communicating effectively with clinical and administrative staff at the assigned local site and those located at remote sites of care
• configuring - installing - troubleshooting - cleaning - and performing minor routine maintenance of assigned telehealth technology
• ensuring assigned telehealth technologies are managed appropriately to include inventory - secure - ready for use - and accounted for by preparing and tracking maintenance work orders - information systems - inventory records - and communicating with the National telehealth Technology Help Desk to facilitate troubleshooting - repair - and coordination of replacement equipment as necessary
• maintaining regular contact with other staff members and the Facility Telehealth Coordinator to work out process issues - equipment needs - problems - data collection and any other logistical issues
• arranging and completing test video calls with Veterans to prepare the Veterans for clinical encounters using telehealth technologies
• ensuring information and resources are maintained for local and remote telehealth providers so they can effectively execute contingency and emergency plans
• other duties as assigned
• Work Schedule: Monday through Friday - 8:00am - 4:30pm - 7:30 - 4:00pm - or 7:00 - 3:30pm Compressed/Flexible: Not Available Telework: Not eligible for telework Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required