Health Technician - Telehealth Clinical

Position Overview

The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) supports patient care using telehealth technologies which increase a Veteran's access to care & support a Veteran's self-management. This includes developing & delivering virtual & digital technologies which help Veterans communicate with their health care teams & coordinate, track & manage their health care. The Health Technician-Telehealth Clinical serves in a generalist role to support & manage telehealth operations with duties that may require travel.

Major Duties & Responsibilities

• Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional The incumbent performs a full range of duties & is responsible for day-to-day operation of telehealth services at the assigned location & between the assigned location & remote sites of care. 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 & treatment Serving as a telepresenter within scope of practice during clinical video telehealth (CVT) & VA Video Connect (VVC) encounters including tasks such as establishing & maintaining video conferencing connections, making introductions between patient site & provider site Serving as an imager & clinical data manager for store & forward telehealth (SFT) clinical encounters including tasks such as capturing images, collecting data & 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 & the care environment while following all patient safety guidelines, protocols, & procedures Completing standardized clinical questionnaires & templates within scope of training & applicable guidelines Ensuring that patient privacy is protected by complying with all information security & patient privacy regulations Receiving & scheduling requests for simple & complex intra-facility, & inter-facility telehealth appointments using an electronic resource-based scheduling system Screening patients for Telehealth modality & referring patients that do not meet established criteria to appropriate care Monitoring & maintaining schedules of rooms, patients, technologies, clinical providers & presenters as needed to ensure efficient telehealth operations Providing patient education via approved materials Supporting the Veteran in completing patient satisfaction surveys Configuring, installing, troubleshooting, cleaning, & performing minor routine maintenance of assigned telehealth technology Ensuring assigned telehealth technologies are managed appropriately to include inventory, secure, ready for use, & accounted for by preparing & tracking maintenance work orders, information systems, inventory records, & communicating with the National Telehealth Technology Help Desk to facilitate troubleshooting, repair, & coordination of replacement equipment as necessary Providing established education & training to Veterans, staff & providers on the use of telehealth technologies & serving as a point of contact to answer questions & address concerns related to these technologies Maintaining knowledge of & skill in applying an extensive body of rules, procedures, & operations in telehealth-related technologies & a variety of computer hardware & software used for telecommunications, data entry & retrieval, record maintenance, document & report generation Maintaining regular contact with other staff members & the Facility Telehealth Coordinator to work out process issues, equipment needs, problems, data collection & any other logistical issues Arranging & completing test video calls with Veterans to prepare the Veterans for clinical encounters using telehealth technologies Ensuring information & resources are maintained for local & remote telehealth providers so they can effectively execute contingency & emergency plans Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 7AM to 3:30PM Recruitment/Relocation Incentives (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized 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. Functional Statement #: 58996A, 58997A Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Qualifications & Requirements

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. English Language Proficiency: A candidate will not be appointed under authority of 38 U.S.C. chapters 73 or 74, to serve in a direct patient-care capacity in VHA who is not proficient in written and spoken English. See chapter 2, section D, paragraph 5a, this part. Experience and/or Education: Must have 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~ Four academic years above high school leading to a bachelor's degree with courses related to the occupation. ~OR~ An 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; OR 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. Drivers License: A valid state drivers license is required as this position requires local travel between VA and/or Non-VA clinical care sites through the use of a government vehicle or other individual arrangements. 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 Health Technicians (Telehealth Clinical) employed in VHA in this occupation on the effective date of this qualification (2/7/2018) standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title, series, and grade held. Grade Determinations: GS-5 (Entry Level) 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 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 (Full Performance Level) Experience: One year of experience equivalent to the GS-5 grade level. GS-6 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 Preferred Experience: Technical Competence: Comfortable with telehealth platforms, peripherals, and clinical technology. Ability to troubleshoot basic technical issues for Veterans and clinicians. Accuracy in collecting, uploading, and documenting biometric/clinical data. Clinical Support Skills: Knowledge of clinical terminology and workflows to support providers remotely. Ability to follow protocols and standard operating procedures consistently. Competence supporting Remote Patient Monitoring-Home Telehealth (RPM-HT) functions, including disease-management technologies. Communication & Customer Service: Clear, compassionate communication with Veterans-especially those unfamiliar with technology. Professional and timely communication with interdisciplinary teams. Skilled at providing instructions, education, and reassurance during virtual care encounters. Attention to Detail: Thorough documentation accuracy. Strong situational awareness when assisting providers via telehealth modalities. Ensuring equipment readiness, quality checks, and safe telehealth operations. Adaptability & Problem-Solving: Ability to adjust quickly to workflow changes, evolving technologies, and multiple clinical settings. Proactive in identifying issues and escalating appropriately. Veteran-Centered Care Mindset: Commitment to VHA's I-CARE values (Integrity, Commitment, Advocacy, Respect, Excellence), which appear frequently in unit recognition materials such as the Bee Nomination 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-6. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-5 to GS-6. 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.