Login

Med Inst Tech (Vascular)

Veterans Health Administration | Pittsburgh, PA

Posted Date 6/17/2025
Description The Medical Instrument Technician (Vascular) at the Pittsburgh VA Medical Center performs vascular ultrasound procedures including the most complex and non-routine, making appropriate adjustments to obtain results required for clinical diagnosis and documentation and will perform examinations, as needed, in the cardiovascular lab, the inpatient bedside, or emergency department.Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

Medical Instrument Technician (Vascular) Duties:
This position encompasses primarily clinical duties related to the veteran patient with peripheral vascular disease. The incumbent in this position will independently perform standard diagnostic studies such as: Venous duplex, Arterial doppler, AAA screening, Carotid duplex studies.

The duties and responsibilities of the Vascular Technician including but are not limited to the following:
  • Assures the timely accomplishment of work assignments. Participates as a team member who has an integral role in providing the assigned services.
  • Maintains current knowledge and answers questions from team members on procedures, policies, and directives. Instructs new Vascular Technologists in specific tasks and job techniques, as assigned.
  • Collects and maintains patient records in the Vascular Lab.
  • Enters patient data into the computerized vascular data registry.
  • Monitors quality assurance programs.
  • Reports to the physician and documents on the patient's record the test results. Notifies the Vascular CRNP or physician of critical situations requiring emergent intervention.
  • Makes necessary referrals to appropriate disciplines, i.e., Vascular Surgery, Neurology Clinics or Emergency Department. Understands the various clinics and the distinct patient populations appropriate for each clinic to ensure that clinic slots are utilized appropriately and to ensure access metrics are met.
  • Awareness of contact persons in Biomed and/or equipment company technical support personnel to notify in case of equipment failure.
  • Awareness of work schedules for Vascular Lab personnel, taking into account planned leave and training requirements of entire staff.
  • Demonstrates good interpersonal relationships with patients and their families and multidisciplinary team members with whom the incumbent interacts.
  • Maintaining registration through a designated certifying body, preferably Registered Vascular Technologist (RVT).
  • Pulse volume recordings, segmental pressures, Doppler evaluation and reactive hyperemia for PAD (peripheral arterial disease).
  • Venous Duplex Imaging for venous thrombosis of the extremities, with knowledge of how impedance plethysmography is performed.
  • Venous reflux testing evaluation for venous insufficiency.
  • Duplex examination of the carotid arteries for cerebral arterial disease. o TCP02 (transcutaneous oximetry) testing for wound healing potential. o Thoracic Outlet Syndrome evaluation.
  • Arterial duplex imaging of vascular bypass grafts and hemodialysis access grafts.
  • Assists and/or performs pseudo aneurysm compression.
  • Assists the physician in treatment of a pseudo aneurysm with thrombin injection by providing continued duplex imaging throughout the procedure.
  • Renal artery imaging
  • Post-operative endovascular AAA follow-up with duplex scan
  • Independently modifies above examinations to provide appropriate diagnostic information as determined by incumbent's assessment of the patient's presenting signs and symptoms.
  • Obtains and documents patient's history.
  • Provides intraoperative assessment demonstrating an understanding of sterile techniques.
  • Is knowledgeable of the test findings and will provide a preliminary report to the requesting physician.
  • Participates in ongoing Vascular Lab research/studies.
  • Develops and maintains an updated filing system with pertinent articles, reviews, research, brochures and pamphlets directed to patient education.
  • Independently provides patient education regarding the nature of the disease and conservative management.
Work Schedule: 8:00AM to 4:30 PM Monday to Friday
Compressed/Flexible: None
Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases When setting pay, a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of higher or unique qualifications or special needs of the VA (Above Minimum Rate of the Grade).
Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year)
Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior [work experience] or military service experience.
Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment, up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child.
Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment, full time employees with a total family income below $144,000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66.
Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA
Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement)
Telework: Not Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met.

Basic Requirements:
  • United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
  • Education. There are no specific educational requirements for this occupation. Education may be substituted for experience only at the GS-4 and GS-5 levels. See the grade requirements part of this standard for information regarding educational substitutions.
  • Licensure or Certification. Licensure or Certification is not required for this occupation; however, it is strongly desirable at GS-6 or above as evidence of possession of the essential knowledge, skills, and abilities. For certain functional areas at the higher levels or supervisory assignments, specific certifications appropriate to the specialty are indicated in this standard under "Titles and Certification/Registrations".
  • For all specialties identified in this standard, Basic and Advanced Cardiac Life Support certifications are desirable. Training which does not result in official certification does not meet this definition.
  • Physical Requirements. See VA Directive and Handbook 5019.
  • 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.
  • Certification. Basic Cardiac Life Support (BCLS) and Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) certifications are desirable.
  • At the GS-7 level the medical instrument technician (vascular) is expected to perform complex noninvasive vascular testing for diagnostic purposes. These procedures are performed with a variety of testing equipment and modalities to include B mode scanning, duplex imaging, Doppler spectral analysis, photoplethysmography, and upper and lower extremity, digit, and pensile blood pressures. The technician must be able to deviate from normal technique when necessary.
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). If an employee who was retained in an occupation listed in 38 U.S.C. § 7401(3) 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 reentry to the occupation.
Grade Determinations:
In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the criteria discussed in the applicable headings, or that defined in the appendices, must be met when determining the grade of candidates.
Experience and Basic Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities - At least one year of experience comparable to the next lower grade level which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, abilities (KSAs), and other characteristics related to the duties of the positions to be filled. This would be experience which demonstrates that the technician has the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform complex procedures requiring the ability to select appropriate equipment based on symptomology and the objective of the examination and the ability to adapt procedures and techniques to enhance diagnostic results.
In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:
  1. Ability to perform noninvasive vascular ultrasound procedures or examinations of upper and lower extremity, abdominal, and extra-cranial cerebrovascular vessels which require adaptation of procedures or instruments.
  2. Knowledge of anatomy and physiology including location and function of major body organs and structures as they relate to vascular ultrasonography. This would also include knowledge of physiological influences on the hemodynamics of blood flow.
  3. Knowledge of pharmacology and chemistry to understand drug reactions, action, effects, and method of administration specifically related to vascular ultrasonography.
  4. Knowledge of disease entities that impact the vascular system and their influence on the test results to select the appropriate procedures.
  5. 5. Ability to obtain a patient history and perform and appropriate physical assessment based on patient presentation and type of exam to include observation, inspection, auscultation, and palpation.
GS-8 Experience. At least 1 year of experience comparable to the next lower grade level (GS-7) which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, abilities (KSAs), and other characteristics related to the duties of the position to be filled. This would be experience which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform noninvasive vascular ultrasound procedures as a senior technician.
Certification. Basic Cardiac Life Support (BCLS) and Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) certifications are desirable.
This represents the full performance level. At the GS-8 level the medical instrument technician (vascular) functions as a senior technician. They are expected to perform the full range of vascular ultrasound procedures including the most complex and non-routine and to make appropriate adjustments in established procedures and techniques to obtain the results required for clinical diagnosis and documentation. At this level the technician would also have the ability to perform intracranial (transcranial) vascular examinations
Vascular technicians or vascular sonographers operate diagnostic equipment using ultrasound to record vascular information such as vascular blood flow, blood pressure, limb volume changes, oxygen saturation, cerebral circulation, peripheral circulation, and abdominal circulation.
In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:
  • Knowledge of cross-sectional and longitudinal vascular anatomy in normal and abnormal vessels, anatomical planes and tissue structures, physiologic effects of disease entities that impact the vascular system, signs and symptoms of acute and chronic vascular disease, and the characteristic appearance of aneurysms, pseudoaneurysms, thromboses, stenoses, occlusions, AV fistulae, and morphology of atherosclerotic plaque formulation.
  • Ability to provide Doppler information of peripheral vessels; demonstrate characteristic differences related to the organs they supply; accurately quantify carotid artery stenoses; and identify and correlate specific waveform analysis, plethysmographic tracings, velocity changes, and pressure gradients characteristic of normal, obstructed, or occluded vessels or grafts.
  • Ability to perform intracranial (transcranial) vascular examinations.
  • Ability to operate the instruments to extract the highest quality image utilizing the appropriate transducer frequency, Doppler angle, focal zones, gain, depth, color map, wall filter, and sample volume.
  • Ability to provide objective data to document progression or regression of disease.
Preferred Experience: Two years of experience preferred. Registration is offered by Cardiovascular Credentialing International, (CCI) as a Registered Vascular Specialist (RVS) or by the American Registry of Diagnostic Medical Sonographers (ARDMS) as a Registered Vascular Technologist (RVT) and would be preferred.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-8. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-7.IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.
Salary51,654.00 - 74,372.00 Annual

Share this job