- Position Title
- Biomedical Equipment Support Specialist
- Agency
- Veterans Health Administration
- Announcement Number
- CBSY-12732991-25-BH Opens in new window
- Open Period
- Monday, May 5, 2025 to Tuesday, May 13, 2025
For preview purposes only. To apply, please return to the USAJOBS announcement and click the Apply button.
Eligibilities
1.
Do you claim Veterans’ Preference?
2.
Are you currently employed by the Department of Veterans Affairs?
This includes: Career/Career Conditional or Excepted Service (i.e. Canteen, Hybrid, Title 38, etc. and meets interchange agreement requirements). This does not include temporary, term or temporary intermittent.
To verify your eligibility, you must submit a copy of your most recent Notification of Personnel Action, Standard Form 50 (SF-50). Your SF-50 must include enough information to be able to determine that time-in-grade requirements have been met (if applicable) and include your position title, pay plan/series/grade, tenure and the type of appointment (i.e. Competitive or Excepted). Please be aware that award SF-50's do not always include this pertinent information.
This includes: Career/Career Conditional or Excepted Service (i.e. Canteen, Hybrid, Title 38, etc. and meets interchange agreement requirements). This does not include temporary, term or temporary intermittent.
To verify your eligibility, you must submit a copy of your most recent Notification of Personnel Action, Standard Form 50 (SF-50). Your SF-50 must include enough information to be able to determine that time-in-grade requirements have been met (if applicable) and include your position title, pay plan/series/grade, tenure and the type of appointment (i.e. Competitive or Excepted). Please be aware that award SF-50's do not always include this pertinent information.
3.
Are you an employee of the facility indicated for this position?
This includes: Career/Career Conditional or Excepted Service (i.e. Canteen, Hybrid, Title 38, etc. and meets interchange agreement requirements). This does not include temporary, term or temporary intermittent.
To verify your eligibility, you must submit a copy of your most recent Notification of Personnel Action, Standard Form 50 (SF-50). Your SF-50 must include enough information to be able to determine that time-in-grade requirements have been met (if applicable) and include your position title, pay plan/series/grade, tenure and the type of appointment (i.e. Competitive or Excepted). Please be aware that award SF-50's do not always include this pertinent information.
This includes: Career/Career Conditional or Excepted Service (i.e. Canteen, Hybrid, Title 38, etc. and meets interchange agreement requirements). This does not include temporary, term or temporary intermittent.
To verify your eligibility, you must submit a copy of your most recent Notification of Personnel Action, Standard Form 50 (SF-50). Your SF-50 must include enough information to be able to determine that time-in-grade requirements have been met (if applicable) and include your position title, pay plan/series/grade, tenure and the type of appointment (i.e. Competitive or Excepted). Please be aware that award SF-50's do not always include this pertinent information.
4.
Are you a current permanent Federal employee from an agency other than Department of Veterans Affairs?
To verify your eligibility, you must submit a copy of your latest Notification of Personnel Action, Standard Form 50 (SF-50) or equivalent personnel action form.
To verify your eligibility, you must submit a copy of your latest Notification of Personnel Action, Standard Form 50 (SF-50) or equivalent personnel action form.
5.
Are you a Veterans Health Administration employee?
This includes: Career/Career Conditional or Excepted Service (i.e. Canteen, Hybrid, Title 38, etc. and meets interchange agreement requirements). This does not include temporary, term or temporary intermittent.
This includes: Career/Career Conditional or Excepted Service (i.e. Canteen, Hybrid, Title 38, etc. and meets interchange agreement requirements). This does not include temporary, term or temporary intermittent.
Preferences
1.
Which of the following items describes your current or recent (within the last five years) political appointee service?
If you responded yes to any of the items below, you will need to include a SF-50 specifying your prior service.
If you responded yes to any of the items below, you will need to include a SF-50 specifying your prior service.
By submitting your application, you are certifying, to the best of your knowledge and belief, all the information submitted by you with your application for employment is true, complete, and made in good faith, and that you have truthfully and accurately represented your work experience, knowledge, skills, abilities and education (degrees, accomplishments, etc.). The information you provide as part of your application may be investigated. You are also certifying, and acknowledging, that misrepresenting your experience or education, or providing false or fraudulent information in, or with your application, may affect your eligibility for appointment and/or continued employment. False or fraudulent statements may be punishable by fine or imprisonment (18 U.S.C. 1001).
2.
Applicants are required to undergo and successfully pass a pre-employment drug screening test and must submit to random drug testing after employment. Will you comply with this requirement?
3.
Are you willing to undergo a pre-employment physical?
4.
In accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), No person shall serve in direct patient care positions unless they are proficient in basic written and spoken English. Are you proficient in basic written and spoken English?
In order to receive appropriate consideration, you should submit proper documentation if you are claiming eligibility for Veterans' Preference, which includes a copy of your DD-214 (member copy 4 or earlier version that shows character of service). Applicant's claiming 10-Point preference should also submit an SF-15, Application for 10-Point Veterans' Preference along with the required documentation listed on the form (such as verification of service-connected disability percentage).
5.
A current, valid state-issued Driver's License is required for this position. NOTE: We cannot accept photographs, therefore; please do not submit a copy of your license with your application package. If an interview is requested, you will be required to provide a copy of your current, valid state-issued Driver's License.
Do you possess a current and valid state-issued driver's license?
Do you possess a current and valid state-issued driver's license?
6.
Please provide your driver's license number, issuing state and expiration date. Reminder - Do not include a copy of your license; if referred for interview it may be requested at that time.
If you are basing your qualifications on education (or a combination of education and experience) or if the position requires a college education to qualify, you must submit a copy of your transcripts with your application.
7.
Resume Reminder - Your resume must include the following information for each job listed:
Recommended: Even though we do not require a specific resume format, your resume must be clear so that we are able to fully evaluate your qualifications. To ensure you receive appropriate consideration, please list the duties you performed under each individual job title. If we are unable to match your experiences with the positions held, you may lose consideration for this vacancy. We cannot make assumptions regarding your qualifications.
Do you confirm that the above information is clearly stated for each work entry you are claiming experience for, and that each entry is full time unless otherwise annotated with part-time hours?
- Name and Contact Information
- Job title
- Duties (be as detailed as possible)
- Month & year start/end dates (e.g. June 2019 to April 2021)
- Full-time or part-time status (include hours worked per week if part-time)
- Series and Grade, if applicable, for all Federal positions you have held.
Recommended: Even though we do not require a specific resume format, your resume must be clear so that we are able to fully evaluate your qualifications. To ensure you receive appropriate consideration, please list the duties you performed under each individual job title. If we are unable to match your experiences with the positions held, you may lose consideration for this vacancy. We cannot make assumptions regarding your qualifications.
Do you confirm that the above information is clearly stated for each work entry you are claiming experience for, and that each entry is full time unless otherwise annotated with part-time hours?
If applying as an internal or status candidate with current or former Federal Service, you must provide a copy of your most recent non-award SF-50, "Notification of Personnel Action", showing the highest grade or promotion potential held, dated within the last year.
All qualifying experience you possess must be clearly described in your application package. We will not make assumptions when reviewing applications. Failure to demonstrate your experience and knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) in your application may result in disqualification. It is strongly recommended that you write to each KSA to demonstrate how you have gained each one in your application package or on a supplemental document. Please see the announcement for KSA requirements.
Assessment 1
Thank you for your interest in a Biomedical Equipment Support Specialist (BESS) position with the VA.
Select the appropriate answer to the following questions based on your level of education and experience that demonstrates you meet the basic requirements for this position. Please select "Yes" or "No" to the following questions.
Grandfathering Provision. Employees in VHA in this occupation, under a permanent, appropriate, and legal placement on the effective date of the qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the grade and assignment held including positive education and certification. For employees who do not meet all the basic or assignment-specific requirements in this standard, but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed, the following provisions apply:
- Employees may be reassigned, promoted up to and including the full performance (journey) level, or be changed to a lower grade within the occupation, but they may not be promoted beyond the journey level or be newly placed in supervisory or managerial positions.
- 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.
- Employees retained in this occupation under this provision who subsequently leave the occupation lose protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of re-entry to the occupation.
BASIC REQUIREMENTS:
Select “Yes” or “No” to the following question(s).
1.
Education, Experience, or Certification.
Do you meet one of the education, experience, or certification requirements above? (DOCUMENTATION REQUIRED)
- Associates or higher degree in the biomedical technology or biomedical engineering field; OR
- Associates or higher degree in electronics, a field of information technology, or engineering (other than biomedical engineering) AND 1 year of creditable experience; OR
- Completion of the Department of Defense (DOD) biomedical equipment technician training program; OR
- Completion of a DOD training program in repair and maintenance of electronic systems or information technology AND 1 year of creditable experience; OR
- Completion of a biomedical engineering technician or Healthcare Technology Management (HTM) certificate program that included an internship or apprenticeship; OR
- Completion of biomedical engineering technician or HTM certificate program that did not include an internship AND 1 year of creditable experience; OR
- Hold or having ever held certification as a Certified Biomedical Equipment Technician (CBET), Certified Radiology Equipment Specialist (CRES), Certified Laboratory Equipment Specialist (CLES), or Certified Healthcare Technology Manager (CHTM). Continuous maintenance of certification is not required throughout VHA employment.
Do you meet one of the education, experience, or certification requirements above? (DOCUMENTATION REQUIRED)
GRADE REQUIREMENTS:
Definitions:
Experience.
Definitions:
Experience.
- Creditable Experience. To be creditable, the experience must have required the use of knowledge, skills, and abilities associated with current health care industry and required using knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) directly applicable to the assignment and associated within the scope of the BESS profession. Experience is only creditable if it was acquired in the health care industry and is either directly related to the position to be filled or a related field (for example, Biomedical Equipment Support Specialist, Biomedical Equipment Technician, Field Service Engineer, Medical Equipment Repairer, or Information Technology (IT) Specialist). Experience satisfying this requirement may be paid or non-paid employment as a BESS.
- Part-Time Experience. Part-time experience is creditable according to its relationship to the full-time work week. For example, a BESS employed 20 hours per week, or on a half-time basis, would receive 1 full-time work week of credit for each 2 weeks of service.
- Quality of Experience. Qualifying experience must be at a level comparable to BESS experience at the next lower level and have been in the health care industry.
GS-5 Biomedical Equipment Support Specialist (Entry Level)
Experience or Education: None beyond basic requirements.
Experience or Education: None beyond basic requirements.
Select “Yes” or “No” to the following question(s).
2.
GS-7 Biomedical Equipment Support Specialist
Experience: At least one year of creditable experience equivalent to the GS-5 grade level.
AND
Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs): In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:
Experience: At least one year of creditable experience equivalent to the GS-5 grade level.
AND
Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs): In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:
- Knowledge of physics, anatomy, and physiology.
- Knowledge of electronics such as analog, digital, and microprocessor theory.
- Knowledge of the use of standard level test equipment such as multimeters, electrical safety analyzers, patient simulators, storage oscilloscopes, manometers, and tachometers.
- Knowledge of basic networking concepts, such as computer and server hardware and software functionality, information technologies and computer virus protection software, available software patches and upgrades, and information security tools (for example, Microsoft Office, Windows operating systems, and McAfee).
- Skill in documenting all services provided in support of medical equipment and clinical systems in a computerized maintenance management system.
- Ability to learn equipment operating and maintenance procedures.
3.
GS-9 Biomedical Equipment Support Specialist
Experience: At least one year of creditable experience equivalent to the GS-7 grade level.
AND
Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs): In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:
Do you meet the requirements above?
Experience: At least one year of creditable experience equivalent to the GS-7 grade level.
AND
Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs): In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:
- Knowledge of basic networking concepts including Access Control List (ACL), Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), and Virtual Local Area Networks (VLAN).
- Knowledge of computer and server hardware and software functionality including virus protection, operating system patches and upgrades, and information security tools.
- Ability to interpret a variety of technical data such as schematic drawings, wiring diagrams, table charts, mathematical expressions, and formulas.
- Ability to use standard level test equipment including multi-meters, electrical safety analyzers, patient simulators, storage oscilloscopes, manometers, and tachometers.
- Ability to perform equipment maintenance and operating procedures.
Do you meet the requirements above?
4.
GS-11 Biomedical Equipment Support Specialist
Experience: One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade.
AND
Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs). In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:
Do you meet the requirements above?
Experience: One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade.
AND
Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs). In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:
- Knowledge of standards including National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Joint Commission (TJC), and the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI) for safe operation of medical equipment and clinical systems.
- Skill in using test and calibration equipment including digital multimeters, electrical safety analyzers, defibrillator analyzers, patient simulators, manometers, tachometers, and Local Area Network (LAN) analyzers. Skill in interpreting a variety of technical data including schematic drawings and wiring diagrams.
- Skill in applying networking principles, such as Access Control List (ACL), Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), and Virtual Local Area Networks (VLAN).
- Ability to perform advanced testing to troubleshoot medical equipment and clinical system interfaces.
- Ability to maintain medical computers and software.
- Ability to manage projects involving medical equipment and clinical systems.
Do you meet the requirements above?
All qualifying experience you possess must be clearly described in your application package. We will not make assumptions when reviewing applications. Failure to demonstrate your experience in your resume may result in disqualification. It is strongly recommended that you write to each KSA in your application package.