Summary Surgery Service provides an extremely active surgical program, outpatient services, and the inpatient services with a combined workload for procedures, telehealth, group services, and clinic appointments. Responsibilities The purpose of this position is to evaluate the quality of health care services and ensure they are provided promptly, courteously, and with a compassionate understanding of veterans needs and the needs of those responsible for their care. The employee will meet the needs of customers while supporting VA missions. Consistently communicates and treats customers (veterans, their representatives, visitors, and all VA staff) in a courteous, tactful, and respectful manner. Performs a variety of specialized clinic procedures such as preliminary examination and evaluation of patients. Prepares podiatric work up, x-rays, laboratory, or other requests as required. Performs a variety of standardized and routine procedures that are non-invasive. This includes debriding corns and calluses, trimming nails, and providing blister care. Assigned a daily clinic and performs routine foot care for at-risk patients under direct and indirect supervision of podiatry staff. Assesses the condition and determines if a referral to a Podiatrist is required or if the condition is such that the nail technician may initiate treatment, performs debridement of ingrown, elongated, or fungal toenails with and without cautery, debrides warts, diabetic ulcers and asses for infection, removes foreign bodies. Assists podiatrist in a variety of specialized treatments and tests. Receives and prepares the patient for examination and treatment. skin prep and preparation of patients. Instructs patients in self-care specific to treatment involved. Accompanies/assists patients in wheelchairs, gurneys, and crutches. The employee provides patient care/support which is appropriate to the cognitive, emotional, and chronological maturation of the young adult (18-44 years old), middle adult (45-64 years old) and older adult (65 and older). Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 7:30am-4:00pm, subject to change based on the needs of the facility. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Health Technician - Podiatry/PD07146A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized 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 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) As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period 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 probationary period or trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 01/29/2026. Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-6 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-5. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade. Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment Individual Occupational Requirement: Specialized Experience (for positions at GS-4 and above): 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 relevant to this position You may qualify based on your experience as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-5 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Conducts hands-on experience in clinical settings, assisting with patient assessments, wound care, and minor surgical procedures. Independently manages patients and supplies, while ensuring a clean and organized clinical environment. Experience maintaining accurate medical records and clerical skills in a clinical environment. Utilizes medical terminology Experience with direct patient care, such as a health technician, patient care technician, or nursing assistant. Preferred Experience Basic Foot Care Course Certificate, 98 hours of completion You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: 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 is both sedentary and mobile. Work may involve frequent bending, stooping, stretching; as well as repositioning patients. Manual dexterity in handling instruments is required. There is some physical effort involving bending. lifting, standing. may be required when carrying supplies, some equipment inventory, materials, and when providing presentations. In the event of a disaster, there are requirements for physical and mental endurance, involving extended hours and physical hardship. The incumbent would be expected to be available in the event of disaster/emergencies as part of the Activation Command. 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 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.
