Biomedical Engineer

• Department: Department of Veterans Affairs

Biomedical Engineer The incumbent will provide professional engineering support to a complex, highly technical, and service oriented Biomedical Engineering Program. The Biomedical Program includes medical technology assessment, strategic planning, acquisition support, implementation, coordination, equipment management, and ongoing maintenance support.

Duties include, but are not limited to:
Program Involvement and Management:
The Biomedical Engineer reports directly to the Supervisory Biomedical Engineer. They receive administrative direction with assignments in terms of broadly defined missions and functions. They exercise authority to oversee the overall planning, direction, and timely execution of assigned Biomedical Program activities.

They have responsibility for planning, designing and implementing programs, projects, studies, and other work to support healthcare technology at the Medical Center. Successful execution of these responsibilities has major impact upon the outcome of patient care delivery. Presentations may require written and oral communication as well as preparation of technical, informational, and graphical documentation.

Technical Expertise:
The Biomedical Engineer is recognized as the technical expert and advisor on Biomedical Engineering issues and aids in the Biomedical Engineering support provided by Biomedical staff at the medical center. They are responsible for providing assistance to the clinical staff in selection and utilization of medical equipment.

The Biomedical Engineer advises the management staff in the areas of high-cost and high-volume medical technology, a wide array of general biomedical technology, as well as certain medical-related technology issues.

Medical Technology Assessment, Acquisition, and Implementation:
The Biomedical Engineer participates in technology assessment of medical equipment systems by working collaboratively with medical staff to evaluate market offerings, determine medical center requirements, design system configurations, and develop specifications. They work collaboratively with the Contracting staff to procure medical equipment that best meets clinical needs while containing resources.

The Biomedical Engineer coordinates implementation of medical technology including assessing installation and site preparation requirements, managing project timelines, monitoring installation, and facilitating training of equipment operators and maintainers. While the Biomedical Engineer supports healthcare technology management primarily at the Medical Center, they occasionally support VISN initiatives as well.

Medical Equipment Management:
The Biomedical Program has direct impact on all clinical services provided by the Medical Center. The program must ensure the provision of safe, reliably maintained, and clinically appropriate medical equipment for the delivery of quality healthcare in a cost-effective manner.

The Biomedical Engineer facilitates service support of medical equipment, identifying opportunities and recommending actions to improve service delivery, and cost containment. The Biomedical Engineer supports the Medical Equipment Management component of the Environment of Care for the Medical Center. Patient Safety:
The Biomedical Engineer contributes to VHA, VISN, and Medical Center patient safety goals.

They assure that medical device recalls and hazard alerts are managed and acted upon as appropriate and that equipment related safety enhancements are implemented in the Medical Center. The Biomedical Engineer supports implementation of effective education programs for medical equipment users.

Budgetary and Financial Management: A high degree of technical judgment, initiative, originality, and resourcefulness is required to efficiently and effectively anticipate, identify, and solve unique challenges in the dynamic Medical Center environment.

Participation in medical technology management and equipment procurement processes include "right-sizing" equipment functionality, actively participating in the development of technical specifications, evaluating technical proposals, and contributing to price negotiations. The Biomedical Engineer analyzes maintenance strategies including review of out-sourcing versus in-house support.

They analyze and recommend optimal maintenance strategies for medical instrumentation systems. The Biomedical Engineer participates in financial management of the Biomedical…