Qualifications

Basic Requirements:

• United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy
• English Language Proficiency: Healthcare Engineer candidates must be proficient in spoken &written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7403(f)
• 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 &such education must have been deemed at least equivalent to a Bachelor's degree as outlined in paragraph 3.b
• of this appendix
• 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 & Technology, Engineering Accreditation Commission (excludes engineering technology) OR National Council of Architectural Registration Boards curriculum
• Examples of acceptable engineering &architectural degrees include, but are not limited to: Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Architecture &Architectural Engineering
• Titles may vary from educational institutions & 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 & 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 Grandfathering Provision
• 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 03/18/2022 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
• Grade Determinations: GS-07 Experience
• None beyond the basic requirements
• GS-09 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 in paragraph 3.b.(1) OR Bachelor's degree as outlined in paragraph 3.b.(1) 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 & Abilities
• In addition to the experience or education above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: (a) Knowledge of the principles, theories, concepts & practices of the engineering profession
• (b) Ability to interpret relevant codes, regulations, guidelines & standards to make recommendations to assure compliance with healthcare facility programs
• (c) Ability to understand the operational professional engineering needs of clinical services in the healthcare system
• (d) Ability to prepare material on current technical topics & trends for presentation to other technical staff & mid-level hospital management & to keep abreast of changes in engineering technology related to a healthcare facility
• Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.