Qualifications

Basic Requirements:

• Citizenship
• Be a citizen of the United States (U.S.)
• Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7407(a)
• English Language Proficiency
• Healthcare Engineer candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7403(f)
• Education
• Bachelor's degree or higher in Engineering or Architecture
• 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
• OR Evidence of passing the Fundamentals of Engineering Examination with a bachelor's degree
• Evidence can be 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
• OR Evidence of current professional registration or licensure as a Professional Engineer or Architect
• Evidence of current professional registration or licensure can be from any State, the District of Columbia, Guam or Puerto Rico
• Foreign Education
• 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 in paragraph 3.b
• of this appendix
• Grade Determinations: GS-07 Healthcare Engineer (Developmental): Experience
• None beyond the basic requirements
• Assignment
• At the entry level, Healthcare Engineers serve in a career development position, performing under close supervision of a supervisor or qualified individual who reviews and ensures the employee meets competency requirements
• At the entry level, they perform general healthcare engineering assignments to gain knowledge and experience necessary to support engineering operations, project management and compliance
• Developmental assignments include, but are not limited to, assessing healthcare facility programs and making recommendations to assure compliance with relevant regulations, guidelines and standards
• applying engineering and code related knowledge to support the operational engineering requirements of the healthcare system
• and preparing material on current technical topics and trends for presentation to the supervisor
• GS-09 Healthcare Engineer (Developmental) Experience/Education Requirement: In addition to meeting the basic requirements, to qualify for the GS-09 you meet one of the following: at least 1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-7) (Example of GS-07 experience: Perform general healthcare engineering assignments to gain knowledge and experience necessary to support engineering operations, project management and compliance.) OR a Master of Engineering degree or Master of Architecture degree or Master of Science degree in Engineering or a related field of study
• OR possess a Bachelor's degree, 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
• Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs)
• In addition to the experience or education above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: Knowledge of the principles, theories, concepts and practices of the engineering profession
• Ability to interpret relevant codes, regulations, guidelines and standards to make recommendations to assure compliance with healthcare facility programs
• Ability to understand the operational professional engineering needs of clinical services in the healthcare system
• Ability to prepare material on current technical topics and trends for presentation to other technical staff and mid-level hospital management and to keep abreast of changes in engineering technology related to a healthcare facility
• Assignment
• At the developmental level 1, Healthcare Engineers receive guidance from more experienced staff members and require frequent and direct supervision
• Employees complete technical assignments in the engineering field as assigned by senior Healthcare Engineers and may be required to rotate through, and participate in, the operations of other hospital services
• At the GS-9 grade level, employees function in a developmental capacity with oversight by a supervisor for more complex assignments
• GS-11 Healthcare Engineer (Developmental) Experience/Education Requirement: In addition to meeting the basic requirements, to qualify for the GS-11 you meet one of the following: at least 1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-9) (Example of GS-09 experience: Employees function in a developmental capacity with oversight by a supervisor for more complex assignments.) OR possess a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree in Engineering or a related field of engineering
• OR a Master of Engineering degree, Master of Architecture degree, Master of Science degree in Engineering or a related field of study, plus 1 full year of progressively higher level graduate education in a related field of study, provided the applicant's total background demonstrates the knowledge, skills and abilities for GS-11 level assignment, OR a Bachelor's degree, plus 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education in a related field of study, provided the applicant's total background demonstrates the knowledge, skills and abilities for GS-11 level assignment
• Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs)
• In addition to the experience or education above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: Knowledge of either mechanical, electrical, structural, civil or other engineering/architectural principles, practices and their applications in the healthcare environment
• Knowledge of basic project management principles as applied to the healthcare setting
• Ability to apply healthcare engineering related standards, codes, policies and regulations, inclusive of, state and local codes
• Ability to communicate effective orally and in writing with internal and external customers with tact and diplomacy
• Ability to develop material for clinical or administrative staff that addresses the principles and application of engineering technology and/or theory used in healthcare
• Ability to advise staff on emerging engineering technology related to a healthcare facility, while keeping abreast of changes in such technology and utilizing the information to solve healthcare facility engineering challenges
• Assignment
• At developmental level 2, Healthcare Engineers function on a semi-independent basis with limited oversight by senior Healthcare Engineers
• They conduct audits and inspections of worksites to assure compliance, prepare reports and findings, devise solutions and implement corrective actions with limited oversight
• They perform project management related to the healthcare setting with limited oversight.