Summary

The Clinical Perfusionist's main responsibility is to manage the physiologic and metabolic needs of the surgical patient while on Cardiopulmonary Bypass or Extra Corporeal Membrane Oxygenation. He/she is independently responsible for the conduct of perfusion and ensuring the safe management of cardio-respiratory function of the patient during those procedures so deemed by the Cardiac Surgeon.

Duties

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Clinical Perfusionist Duties:

• Perform clinical perfusion practice independently and with varying levels of complexity and/or difficulty, utilizing perfusion principles and techniques to maintain best practices.
• Assesses and creates a pre-surgical evaluation and plan, presents his/her findings and recommendations to the surgeon and/or the anesthesiologist of the patient before surgery to ensure proper quality and timeliness of care for the patient. This may require instant and continuous modification to limit and alleviate surgical side effects and complications.
• Operates, manages, troubleshoots, and evaluates parameters of the heart lung machine to ensure best practices of perfusion for patient care.
• Manages life support systems other than the heart lung machine, including, but not limited to LVAD, RVAD, and ECMO.
• Instructs/aids other perfusionists, students, and other medical professionals on perfusion related equipment, perfusion principles and techniques by providing educational programs and material.
• After concurrence with the plan by the cardiothoracic surgeon, initiation of the planned clinical perfusion support and technique(s) which may require instant and continuous modification to limit and alleviate surgical side effects and complications.
• Induction of complete perfusion support ensuring circulatory and ventilator support are adequate.
• Adjustment of anesthetic drugs, anticoagulation therapy, pressor support and techniques utilized during the cardiothoracic surgical procedure.
• Manages emergence from complete circulatory support after discussion and concurrence from cardiothoracic surgeon and anesthesiologist.- May provide emergency perfusion case management throughout the facility, i.e. ER, Cath Lab, SICU.
• Participation in staff meetings, cardiothoracic multi-disciplinary conferences and other committees as assigned by the Chief Cardiothoracic Surgeon or Chief Anesthesiologist.
• Maintains perfusion equipment in constant readiness and cleans equipment in accordance with hospital guidelines, SOPs, manufacturer's recommendations and CDC guidelines.
• Prepares pharmacologic agents properly for use in clinical perfusion casework administration.
• Attends in-service and continuing education programs. Assists in in-service educational programs regarding perfusion care.
• Precepts students
• Adheres to OR/clinical perfusion safety regulations/procedures and infection control policies.
• Complies with Joint Commission National Patient Safety Goals- Fully complies with medical center Correct Site/Universal Protocol requirements, including pausing activities during pre-operative time-out.
• Complies with VA and Joint Commission documentation requirements.
• Performs all aspects of perfusion documentation, both paper and electronic, to include creation, update, implementation, and maintenance of perfusion records, charts, databases, policies/procedures, preference cards and storage of documents according to established guidelines, requirements and protocols.
• Instructs/aids other perfusionists, students, and other medical professionals on perfusion related equipment, perfusion principles and techniques by providing educational programs and material.
• Provide in-service and didactic teaching to ensure competency of staff.
• Aptitude of operation of all perfusion equipment, including quality control and troubleshooting as needed.
• Support, maintain and share evidence-based and goal directed perfusion to improve clinical practice and utilize pertinent medical literature to enhance patient care to the cardiothoracic team.
• Expert level of knowledge of current perfusion best practices and familiar with standard of care in the perfusion field.
• Perform quality control and internal reviews as required on all lab equipment utilized by the perfusion team.
• Perform improvement studies on all perfusion equipment as needed. This shall be done by collecting metrics in databases and analysis with software for quality performance of perfusion devices.
• Participation in staff meetings, cardiothoracic multi-disciplinary conferences and other committees as assigned by the Chief Cardiothoracic Surgeon.
• Maintains perfusion equipment in constant readiness and cleans equipment in accordance with hospital guidelines, SOPs, manufacturer's recommendations and CDC guidelines.
• Prepares pharmacologic agents properly for use in clinical perfusion casework administration.

The above list is not all inclusive

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 7am-3:30pm with some evening/ weekend call coverage

Telework: Not Available

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
• To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
• Subject to background/security investigation.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

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.

Basic Requirements:

• Citizenship. Be a Citizen 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 3.g., this part.) See 38 U.S.C. a7 7401(3); 38 U.S.C. a7 7405(a)(1)(B); 38 U.S.C. a7 7407(a).
• Education. Candidates must hold a degree in perfusion as described below in paragraphs (1) and (2) that has been accredited by either CAAHEP or EQualTM Canada at the time the program was completed.

1. Bachelor's or master's degree in perfusion from a program in the United States or Canada accredited by the CAAHEP or EQualTM Canada. OR,
2. Bachelor's or master's degree in addition to a post-baccalaureate certificate in perfusion from a program accredited by CAAHEP or the EQualTM Canada.

NOTE: The degree must have been obtained from an institution whose accreditation was in place for the year in which the course of study was completed. The degree is to be verified by submitting a request to [redacted]. The request must include the name of the school, city, state, and graduation date of individual.

• Board Certification. Persons hired or reassigned to CP positions in VHA must be board-certified in the field of clinical perfusion as a Certified Clinical Perfusionist by the ABCP. The board certification must be current, and the applicant must abide by the certifying body's requirements for continuing education.

1. Loss of Board Certification. Once board certified, a CP must maintain a full, valid and unrestricted board certification to remain qualified for employment. Loss of licensure, credential, or required certification will result in removal from the GS-0601CP occupation and may result in termination of employment.

• Licensure. None required, but a license or license eligibility or State required credential is strongly preferred.
• English Language Proficiency. Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. a7 7403(f).

GRADE REQUIREMENTS. Grade Determination. In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates.

• Clinical Perfusionist, GS-12 Experience, Certification and Education. In addition to the basic requirements, candidates must have at least one year of CP experience equivalent to the next lower grade level and have obtained their ABCP certification as a CCP. License is preferred, but not required.
• Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all the following KSAs:

1. Ability to apply the principles of program management and oversight required to develop program goals and objectives, administer and monitor programs, evaluate program outcomes/accomplishments, set, and redefine priorities and implement effective solutions as needed to present findings and recommendations to the appropriate management officials.
2. Ability to provide oversight, judgement, and management of the application of clinical perfusion to patient care, organization processes and/or systems and long/short range goals, with a focus on delivering patient care and achieving program outcomes.
3. Expert level of knowledge of best practice in the perfusion profession.
4. Ability to validate or identify barriers to safe effective care, and manage all aspects of clinical perfusion, technical, fiscal, and administrative including daily assignments and call schedule preparation.
5. Ability to serve as a liaison, interfacing with other departments to incorporate the expertise of all disciplines in a comprehensive, integrated approach to patient care.
6. Ability to develop, coordinate, review organizations and accrediting agencies, and manage a perfusion regulatory program including follow-up actions to ensure departmental compliance with regulatory agencies as required. 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 persons employed in VHA as a CP or Medical Instrument Technician (Perfusion), GS-0649 on the effective date of this qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title, series and grade held, including education and/or certification that are part of the basic requirements of the occupation. For employees who do not meet all the basic requirements in this standard, but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it, the following apply:

(1) Such employees may be reassigned, promoted up to and including the full performance (journey) level or changed to lower grade within the occupation, but may not be promoted beyond the journey level or placed in supervisory or managerial positions.

(2) 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.

(3) CPs 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.

(4) Employees initially grandfathered into this occupation, who subsequently obtain additional education and/or certification that meet all the basic requirements of the qualification standard must maintain the required credentials as a condition of employment in the occupation.

(5) CPs who are converted to the occupational series 0601 title 38 hybrid status under this policy and provision and subsequently leave the occupation lose protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of reentry as a CP.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

The full performance level of this vacancy is 12.

Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Service.

Education

IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your quali