Summary

The Health Technician (Telehealth Clinical) serves in a generalist role to support and manage telehealth operations and is typically stationed at a clinical care delivery site (VA Medical Center - CBOC - VA Outreach Clinic - etc.) - with duties that may require travel. Primary responsibilities of the incumbent include: supporting clinical telehealth encounters for both the patient and provider locations by serving as the tele presenter within scope of practice - and functioning as an imager.

Qualifications

***This is an OPEN CONTINUOUS ANNOUNCEMENT and will remain open until April 7 - 2025. The initial cut-off date for referral of eligible applications will be November 20th - 2024 - with subsequent cut-off dates on the 1st of each month. 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.***

Basic Requirements:

• United States Citizenship: Be a citizen of the United States
• English Language Proficiency
• Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed
• Experience and Education
• 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 Education
• Four academic years above high school leading to a bachelor's degree with courses related to the occupation
• OR 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: 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
• 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
• Certification
• None Grandfathering Provision
• All Health Technicians (Telehealth Clinical) employed in VHA in this occupation on the effective date of this qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title - series - and grade held
• For employees who do not meet all the basic requirements required in this standard - but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it - the following provisions apply:(1) Such employees may be reassigned - promoted up to and including the full performance (journeyman) level - or changed to lower grade within the occupation - but may not be promoted beyond the journeyman level or placed in supervisory or managerial positions.(2) Employees who are appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of the qualification standard may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed - on a temporary or permanent basis - until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standard.(3) If an employee who was retained (grandfathered) under this provision leaves that occupation - the employee loses protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of re-entry to the occupation
• 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)
• Grade Determination
• In addition to the basic requirements for employment - the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates
• GS-5 Experience or Education
• None beyond the basic requirements
• Assignment
• This is an entry level Health Technician (Telehealth Clinical) position
• It is expected that the Health Technician (Telehealth Clinical) receive guidance from more experienced staff members and require frequent and direct supervision
• Assignments associated with this position include - but are not limited to - schedule telehealth appointments using an electronic scheduling system
• obtain and document patient history and pertinent clinical information in electronic medical records
• prepares the telehealth room where the 3 Health Technician (Telehealth Clinical) readies the equipment for examination - establishes video conferencing connection - makes introductions between patient site and provider site
• monitors and maintains electronic schedule of rooms - patients - technologies - and presenters
• administers the patient satisfaction survey
• cleans and performs minor routine maintenance of assigned telehealth technology
• GS-6 Experience
• One year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level Demonstrated Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities (KSA)
• In addition to the experience above - the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs
• Comprehensive knowledge of computer systems and programs to perform a variety of tasks
• Ability to communicate - consult - and interact with other members of the healthcare team - external relations - customer service and patient education
• Ability to provide and receive guidance and technical direction
• Ability to plan - organize - set priorities - work as a team member - and effectively complete assignments
• Ability to read - interpret - and apply complex written instructions
• Knowledge of general clinical policies and procedures in a healthcare environment
• Skilled in the use of telehealth technologies for the facilitation of telehealth clinical encounters
• 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
• References: VA Handbook 5005/96 Part II Appendix G50 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

• Major duties include - but are not limited to: Preparing the clinical environment - which may include preparing medical and telecommunications equipment to be used for clinical examination and treatment
• Serving as a telepresenter per scope of practice - during clinical video telehealth (CVT) and 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 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 the 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 inter-facility 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 secured - ready for use - and accounted for by preparing and tracking maintenance work orders - information systems - inventory records - and communicating with National Telehealth Technology Help Desk to facilitate troubleshooting - repair - and coordination of replacement equipment as necessary
• Providing established education and training to Veterans and clinicians on the use of telehealth technologies and serving as a point of contact to answer questions and address concerns related to these technologies
• Maintaining knowledge of and skill in applying an extensive body of rules - procedures - and operations in telehealth-related technologies and a variety of computer hardware and software used for telecommunications - data entry and retrieval - record maintenance - document and report generation
• Maintaining regular contact with more experienced 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
• Independently plans the work - resolves problems - carries out successive steps of assignments - and adjusts using accepted standard operating procedures or practices
• Handles problems and/or deviations that arise in accordance with established policies - regulatory and administrative guidelines - directives - instructions - and accepted practices in the occupation
• and Refers new or controversial issues to the supervisor for direction and/or assistance
• Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8am-4:30pm Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Functional Statement #: 52865-A & 52866-A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required