Summary This Health Technician position is located in the Podiatry Clinic within the Surgical Service at the VA Manchester Healthcare System location. This position is full-time at 40 hours per week. Recruitment Incentive up to $15,000 may be authorized for highly qualified candidates. Responsibilities The incumbent works under the general supervision of the Chief, Podiatry Section, which has in-excess of 12,000 patient encounters per year, to include direct and indirect support. Incumbent is delegated authority to provide patient care and support to routine cases and for a variety of specialized procedures for a staff of three Podiatrists. Incumbent receives guidance or direction from practitioners directly in unique cases. Performs a wide range of podiatric treatment procedures and related technician tasks in support of Podiatrists and their assigned functions. Some of the duties of this position will include: Performs a variety of standardized and routine foot care procedures on low risk patients including, but not limited to, nail reduction, debridement of fungal nails, corns and calluses. Provides prophylactic instruction on nail and blister care. Fits multiple @types of orthoses and impression casts feet for orthoses. Develops a variety of accommodative devices to correct or alleviate injury or pathologic foot conditions. Performs prep and variety of ankle/foot tapings in treatment for injuries. Writes history, findings, and treatments in outpatient records in the appropriate format. Assists podiatrists in arranging for and obtaining results of x-rays, labs, wound cultures and other diagnostic studies. Assists podiatrists in obtaining pathology specimens and pathology reports. Receives and prepares patient for examination and treatment. Prepares treatment room for appropriate foot procedures, ensures necessary supplies, instruments and materials are present, establishes required instrument field and assists as the podiatrist as directed. Sets up instrument trays, finalizes preparation of sterile field, skin prep and draping of patients. Instructs patients in self-care specific to treatment involved. Assures proper stock levels and care of all instruments used in the Podiatry clinic. Ensures proper cleanup and disposal after contaminated procedures. Performs various routine and general clinic administrative functions including ordering and stocking of supply items and ensuring quality control stock rotation. Makes regular inventory and revision of stock to insure current stocking of high demand and readily required items. Coordinates communication/correspondent interaction between patient, provider and other medical and non-medical professionals. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00am to 4:30pm Telework: Not Authorized Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Health Technician (Podiatry Clinic) - Recruitment Incentive/PD02536A and PD608-02536-A Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Recruitment Incentive up to $15,000 may be authorized for highly qualified candidates. Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 You may be required to serve a probationary/trial period 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 dentification 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) Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 08/18/2025. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: Individualized Occupational Requirement (IOR): Specialized Experience (for positions as GS-04 and above): IOR are requirements, e.g., experience or education, for particular occupational series or positions within a series and are used in conjunction with a group coverage standard and must be met in addition to the minimum qualification standards. Positions in this series range widely in @type and include support duties to medical or health personnel such as audiologists, speech pathologists, medical officers, and optometrists. Therefore, technician experience is experience that require application of the knowledge, methods, and techniques of the position to be filled. OR Education and Training (GS-05): Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree, with major study or at least 24 semester hours in subjects directly related to the position. Basic Minimum Requirements: Experience and Education Requirements: Specialized Experience GS-5: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-4) in the Federal service. Specialized experience is: Performs a variety of standardized and routine foot care procedures on low risk patients including, but not limited to, nail reduction, debridement of fungal nails, corns and calluses. OR EDUCATION: Successful completion of a full four (4) year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree, with a major study or at least 24 semester hours in subjects directly related to this position (i.e. biology, chemistry, biochemistry, anatomy & physiology, medical practices, biological or medical research, physics, mathematics, etc.). This education must have been obtained in an accredited business or technical school, junior college, college or university for which high school graduation or the equivalent is the normal prerequisite. NOTE: Transcripts (unofficial or official) must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation. OR COMBINATION: Equivalent combination of successfully completed post-high school education (beyond the second year) and specialized experience, as listed above. The education portion must include courses directly related to the work of the position (i.e. biology, chemistry, biochemistry, anatomy & physiology, medical practices, biological or medical research, physics, mathematics, etc.). This education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university. NOTE: Transcripts (unofficial or official) must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation. Note: Experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates AND hour worked per week. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Client Orientation Computer Skills Customer Service (Clerical/Technical) Eye-Hand Coordination Patient Care Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. Physical Requirements: Work may involve frequent bending, stooping, stretching, etc., as well as repositioning patients. Manual dexterity in handling instruments is required For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/. Education A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/. Additional Information Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement. Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.
