Medical Instrument Technician (Polysomnography)

The Charleston VA Healthcare Network is seeking a Medical Instrument Technician (Polysomnography), GS-8, for the Anesthesiology Service. The Sleep Technician works under the general supervision of the Section Chief of Respiratory, the medical director, or their designee, and is responsible for providing comprehensive evaluation and treatment of sleep disorders. Basic Requirements :
a. Citizenship . Citizenship of the United States. (Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3g, this part.)
b. 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.
c. 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.

Grandfathering Provision. The following is the standard grandfathering policy for all Title 38 Hybrid qualification standards. Some of these provisions may not apply to this occupation. Please carefully review the qualification standard to determine the specific education and/or licensure/certification/ registration requirements that apply to this occupation.

All persons 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, including positive education and licensure/certification/registration that are part of the basic requirements of the occupation. 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:

Such employees in an occupation that does not require a licensure/certification/registration, may be reassigned, promoted, or demoted within the occupation.

Such employees in an occupation that requires a licensure/certification/registration, may be reassigned, promoted up to and including the full performance (journey) level, or demoted within the occupation, but may not be promoted beyond the journey level or placed in supervisory or managerial positions.

Such employees in an occupation that requires a licensure/certification/registration only at higher grade levels must meet the licensure/certification/registration requirement before they can be promoted to those higher grade levels.

Polysomnography Technicians operate the electroencephalograph and other devices to record the electrical activity of the brain during sleep. Registration is offered by the Board of Registered Polysomnographic Technologists (BRPT).

Grade Determination: GS-8 Experience . 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 knowledge of the more complex procedures as well as knowledge of the uncommon and/or rare sleep disorders.

In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs :
1. Advanced knowledge or the International Classification of Sleep Disorders and the ability to recognize uncommon and/or rare sleep disorders.
2. Ability to summarize and report polysomnographic data in narrative form.
3. Knowledge of event characteristics (e.g., respiratory, cardiac, sleep stage, seizures, etc.) and ability to take appropriate action.
4. Ability to provide briefings and orientation to hospital staff including physicians.

Certification . No certification is required; however, it is desirable that employees at this level have BCLS (Basic Cardiac Life Support) and ACLS (Advanced Cardiac Life Support) certifications.

Preferred Experience:

• Demonstrates ability to score sleep studies in real time.
• Proficiency in scoring and interpreting polysomnographic data, including sleep stages, sleep architecture, arousals, respiratory events, and periodic limb movements.
• Strong documentation skills, with the ability to maintain accurate, thorough records of polysomnographic and diagnostic evaluations, including patient histories and follow-up recommendations.
• Ability to accurately analyze, interpret, and troubleshoot complex clinical data.
• Experience with healthcare software systems, including Nikon Kohen, and related documentation platforms.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit .

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-08. The actual grade at which an applicant will be selected for this vacancy is GS-08.

Physical Requirements: See VA Handbook 5019.