Summary The incumbent communicates and interacts with physicians, allied health professionals, patients, and caregivers in various interdisciplinary clinical settings as a subject matter expert to develop the treatment plan for various orthotic soft- good devices, off-the-shelf braces, custom arch supports, and therapeutic/customfootwear. The incumbent at this level is expected to recognize physical abnormalities, deviations, and complicating conditions with potentially life-threatening implications. Responsibilities Assists in the evaluation of patients' potential for fitting orthotic devices, fitting therapeutic footwear, and evaluates the adequacy of these methods from the point of view of the all team members as well as the patients. Provides treatment and care of seriously disabled veterans to include amputees, spinal cord injury patients, and those with related disabilities requiring the use of orthotic, prosthetic, and footwear devices to take the place of, or assist a part, or function of the body which is lost or impaired. Prepares molds, arch supports custom made/repaired devices and any @type of modification required ensuring proper fit and function of devices. Takes measurements and makes impressions/casting of feet and submits them to the current contracting company when ordering custom made orthopedic and other special fitting shoes/orthotics. Assists in the evaluation of the final product as to the specifications of the prescriptions, fit and alignment and patient comfort. Responsible for fabrication, repair, and adjustment of all levels of custom prosthetic and orthotic appliances utilizing clinical and technical knowledge. Selects materials that are appropriate for patient diagnosis and evaluates the final product as to the specifications of the prescription. Carries out responsibilities of submitting, packing and shipping necessary items as related to work. Performs appropriate documentation of workload, procedure coding, and progress notes in electronic medical record, appointments and encounters. Communicates and interacts with physicians, allied health professionals, patients, and caregivers in various interdisciplinary clinical settings, rehabilitation medicine, orthopedics, neurosurgery, vascular care, podiatry, oncology, etc., as a subject matter expert to develop the treatment plan for various orthotic soft- good devices, off-the-shelf braces, custom arch supports, and therapeutic/custom footwear. Considers new and emerging technologies in designing unique or innovative devices to accommodate or treat a wide range of complex medical conditions which include unusual problems or complications. Utilizes complex patient analyses in accordance with established procedures for patients with unusual conditions, multiple complex conditions, interrelated conditions, etc.; assessment of the patient for indications/contra- indications and discussion the assessment with the physician or requesting provider for the purpose of developing the overall treatment plan with considerable influence in the development of that plan. Work Schedule: Monday through Friday 8:00 am to 4:30 pm. Tour of duty subject to change by supervisor based on facility needs. Subject to change based upon facility needs. Position Description Title/PD#: Health Technician/PD03549A Requirements Conditions of Employment Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement. Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR): 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 required application of the knowledge, methods, and techniques of the position to be filled. In addition to meeting the above Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR), applicants must also meet the experience requirements relevant to this position. For this Health Technician, GS-07 position: To qualify at the GS-07 grade, you must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-06 level or higher. Specialized Experience to include, but not limited to: Specialized experience: Locates Manuals and Directives for the department. Expert knowledge of medical terminology, human anatomy, and physiology. Identifies standardized orthotic patient care and sills in performing procedures, such as fitting footwear, slings, compression garments, braces, splints, and additional supporting procedures such as patient charting and patient/family teaching. Independently reads and understand prescriptions. Expedites safety issues required in orthotic machine operation and of all potential health hazards involving the use of plastics and chemicals in the fabrication of orthotic items. Addresses all areas of the laboratory to include orthosis, prosthesis, orthopedic shoes plus the technical knowledge and practical application of the equipment necessary to construct these items. Provides care based upon age related factors as specified on the competence assessment checklist. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Human Factors Manages and Organizes Information Product Evaluation Production and Processing 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: Duties require extensive periods of standing and walking. Duties require regular and recurring bending, lifting, stooping, stretching, pushing, reaching, carrying supplies and similar activities. Duties require incumbent to be able to lift. Occasionally it may be necessary to lift supplies and objects weighing as much as 50 pounds. Requires use of proper body mechanics. Incumbent must be able to work in stressful situations. The Lab is busy with patients, phones ringing and sometimes very irate patients who need to be subdued. 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 There is no educational substitution at this grade level. Additional Information 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 (TJO). Please visit the Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP), va.gov/EMPLOYEE/docs/The-Fair-Chance-to-Compete-Act.pdf for more information. Participation in the seasonal influenza program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). It is a requirement that all HCP to receive annual seasonal influenza vaccination or obtain an exemption for medical or religious reasons. Wearing a face mask is required when an exemption to the influenza vaccination has been granted. HCP in violation of this directive may face disciplinary action up to and including removal from federal service. HCP are individuals who, during the influenza season, work in VHA locations or who come into contact with VA patients or other HCP as part of their duties. VHA locations include, but are not limited to, VA hospitals and associated clinics, community living centers (CLCs), community-based outpatient clinics (CBOCs), domiciliary units, Vet centers and VA-leased medical facilities. HCP include all VA licensed and unlicensed, clinical and administrative, remote and onsite, paid and without compensation, full- and part-time employees, intermittent employees, fee basis employees, VA contractors, researchers, volunteers and health professions trainees (HPTs) who are expected to perform any or all of their work at these facilities. HPTs may be paid or unpaid and include residents, interns, fellows and students. HCP also includes VHA personnel providing home-based care to Veterans and drivers and other personnel whose duties put them in contact with patients outside VA medical facilities. The following will be communicated to applicants for VA employment in a testing designated position and will also be included in all VA vacancy announcements for such positions: All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drugs use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA. The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be well-qualified, applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors if applicable, and must be proficient in most of the requirements of the job. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website which can be found at https://www.opm.gov/. Receiving Service Credit for 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. VA may offer newly-appointed Federal employee's credit for their job-related non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service. 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.
