Healthcare Engineer

Overview

The Technical Career Field (TCF) is a national workforce development program within VHA that was designed to replenish technical staff in critically identified positions. The TCF career fields represent those technical fields where VA-specific knowledge and experience is required for success in the field. Selected individuals complete a 1-2 year development plan with guidance from a Healthcare Engineer preceptor in Healthcare Engineering.

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. Your degree must be conferred no later than September 4, 2026.

United States Citizenship:
Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.

• Bachelors degree or higher in Engineering or Architecture (degree must be conferred by September 4, 2026). To be acceptable, the curriculum must be from a school with at least one curriculum accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, Engineering Accreditation Commission (excludes engineering technology) or National Council of Architectural Registration Boards curriculum. Examples of acceptable engineering and architectural degrees include, but are not limited to:
  Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Architecture and Architectural Engineering. Titles may vary from educational institutions and change over time.
• Evidence of passing the Fundamentals of Engineering Examination with a bachelor's degree in the form of an Engineering in Training certificate issued from any State, the District of Columbia, Guam or Puerto Rico, or test results from the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES) identifying a passing score. (
  
  Note:
  
  Supporting documentation must be provided at the time of application.)
• Evidence of current professional registration or licensure as a Professional Engineer or Architect from any State, the District of Columbia, Guam or Puerto Rico. (
  
  Note:
  
  Supporting documentation must be provided at the time of application.)

Mechanical, Electrical or Civil Engineering graduates are preferred.

All individuals employed in VHA in this occupational series or in another occupational series performing the duties as described in the qualification standard on the effective date (March 18, 2022) of this qualification standard, are considered to have met all the qualification requirements for the grade held including positive education that is part of the basic requirements of the occupation.

To be creditable, engineering, architecture or related education completed outside the U.S. must be submitted to a private organization that specializes in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials and such education must have been deemed at least equivalent to a Bachelor's degree as outlined above.

Healthcare Engineer candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).

In addition to the basic requirements outlined above, you must meet the following criteria.

Experience:

None beyond the basic requirements.

Experience or Education. Candidates at this level must meet one of the following:

• One year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade;
  OR
• Master of Engineering degree or Master of Architecture degree or Master of Science degree in Engineering or a related field of study as outlined above (degree must be conferred by September 4, 2026);
  OR
• Bachelor's degree as outlined above plus two full years of progressively higher-level graduate education in a related field of study, provided the applicant's total background demonstrates the core competencies for GS-09 level assignment.

AND

In addition to the experience or education above, you must demonstrate the following…