The position is for a Health Technician and is located at the Columba VA Health Care System or in the Community Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC) of the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Service (PM&R). The mission of PM&R is to provide therapeutic intervention that will assist patients to gain their fullest functional potential. The purpose of the health technician is to provide support to therapists during encounters with patients referred to PM&R for various services.

Duties

Major duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to: Receives requests for procedures from therapists in the Rehabilitation sections and physiatrists, where applicable. Sets up equipment and assist the patient in getting prepared for procedure. Understands and carries out requests made by the health care professionals or seeks assistance for new procedures. Secures patients' confidence and cooperation during procedures Operates and maintains medical instruments and equipment to ensure proper working conditions for diagnostic and treatment procedures. Understands the physical, emotional, and social characteristics of adult and geriatric adult populations, and adapts his/her behavior in order to communicate effectively with all segments of the patient population. Sets up equipment technical factors for a variety of tests or procedures. Sets up and adjusts accessory equipment required under the supervision of a therapist or physiatrist. Locates and sets up equipment and all accessories and understands proper positioning; adjust equipment placement for patients' comfort. Schedules procedures, while coordinating with others. Cleans mats, chairs and tables in clinic areas each morning. Monitors temperatures of hydrocollators and paraffin baths and keeps monthly daily logs. Cleans hydrocollators and defrosts freezer at prescribed intervals and document quality assurance/quality control. Performs range of diagnostic duties, arranges and passes medical instruments and materials to health care professionals for a variety of diagnostic tests and procedures. Receives and directs patients; receives and responds to routine inquiries from patients concerning a variety of medical, personnel and administrative matters and makes referrals. Performs other related duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Varies 7:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m -OR- 8:00am-4:30pm, Monday - Friday Telework: Not Authorized Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Health Technician (Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation)/PD01429A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 08/25/2023. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: Individual Occupational Requirements (IOQ)- In order to meet the basic requirement of the Health Technician, 0640 Occupational series, you must meet the following: Specialized Experience: 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. Clear examples of this specialized experience MUST be documented within your resume. -OR- Education: 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 (transcript required if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education). -AND- In addition to the above IOR, applicant must meet the following experience/education : Specialized Experience (GS-5): You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-4) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Clear examples of this specialized experience MUST be documented within your resume. Examples of specialized experience would include, but are not limited to: Cleans clinic areas according to approved medical center procedures. Ensures appropriate and adequate supplies are available to provide therapeutic procedures. Receives requests for procedures from health care professionals. Operates and maintains medical instruments and equipment. Skill in the operation and use of specialized equipment and materials under the supervision of a staff therapist. -OR- Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have successfully completed a full 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree, with a major of study or at least 24 semester hours in subjects directly related to the position (transcript required if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education). -OR- Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education. Only education in excess of the first 60 semester hours of a course of study leading to a bachelor's degree is creditable toward meeting the specialized experience requirements. At least 8 of the excess semester hours must be directly related to the work of the position (transcript required if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education). You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Customer Service Oral Communication First Response Technology Application Patient Care Hazardous Materials 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: The work is primarily active and requires some standing, walking, bending, lifting, squatting and carrying of light items. The work requires above average agility and dexterity, and may require heavy lifting of equipment or patients. Work Environment: The work environment involves risks typically associated with performance facility work. Work involves regular and recurring exposure to moderate risks or discomforts that require special safety precautions. 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: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

Contacts

• Address Columbia VA Health Care System 6439 Garners Ferry Road Columbia, SC 29209 US
• Name: VHA National Recruitment Center
• Phone: (844)456-5208
• Email: [email protected]