This position functions as a Health Technician in the Prosthetics Service at either the John Cochran or Jefferson Barracks Division of the VA St. Louis Health Care System (VASTLHCS). The position's primary responsibilities are to fit and dispense non-custom orthotic soft goods, review, and fulfill incoming consult requests, post items to patient records, and provide customer service to Veterans and clinicians.

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 09/01/2023. 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 grade level. 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. For a GS-7 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-6. 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. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: GS-6 Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-05 grade level in the federal service); experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities (KSA's) and other characteristics to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled, in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Demonstrating basic knowledge of orthotic materials and their applications, safety standers and infection control practices to fit and apply a variety of orthotic and prosthetic devices. Reading and understanding prescriptions as they pertain to orthotics and prosthetics. Demonstrating knowledge of physiology, anatomy, kinesiology, and tissue characteristics to make appropriate applications of orthopedic soft goods. Utilizing originality, resourcefulness, ingenuity, and sound judgement in the resolution of the wide variety of problems encountered in the performance of duties involving a full-service orthotic-prosthetic laboratory. Communicating to others the fundamentals of current orthotics. Following HIPPA and OSHA guidelines and accessing web sites via the computer to locate guidelines governing both. Effectively communicating with all levels of staff, both clinical and administrative, as well as with patients and their families, to discuss all aspects of orthotic restoration. GS-7 Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-06 grade level in the federal service); experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities (KSA's) and other characteristics to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled, in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Assisting with the repair, engineering, fitting, and dispensing of orthotic appliances, interpreting clinician submitted consults and ensures legal requirements governing eligibility and entitlement are met, contacting provider with questions regarding requested item and documents all clinical information in the electronic medical record (CPRS), posting stock issues for the items issued to patients and packaging/mailing items to patient's home, performs patient screenings related to fittings and prosthetics program matters, providing appropriate non-custom orthotic appliance and instructs patients on correct use and care, applying prefabricated orthopedic devices (lumbo-sacral supports, abdominal binders, cervical collars, wrist splits, arm slings, knee brace, knee sleeves, compression hose, ankle supports, trusses, non-custom in-depth shoes, over-the-counter foot orthotics, etc.) with limited supervision, take measurements of body and limb segments to appropriately select, size, and fit device to the patient. Provides information on alternative (non-VA) contract providers based on patient need and preference, constructs/shapes and repairs common orthotic/prosthetic devices from case and/or documents provided by clinician, using a wide variety of materials - adheres to specifications, and conforms to models and tracings provided by the certified practitioner requesting the service, repairs leather, metal, plastic and fabric components to items such as orthotic soft goods, shoes, and shoe inserts, monitors incoming consult requests to ensure completeness, appropriateness of request, proper documentation, patient eligibility criteria, compliance with mandates and timely completion. OR, Education: Graduate education may be used to substitute for specialized experience. You must have successfully completed one (1) full year of graduate education (or 18 semester hours) or internship directly related to the position with a major that included courses directly related to the work of this position. Such graduate education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. This education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university. (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED) You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: CommunicationCustomer Service (Clerical/Technical)Interpersonal EffectivenessMedical InformationTechnical Competence 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 position demands a moderate degree of exertion and a high degree of dexterity, long periods of standing and long-distance walking from clinic to clinic is required. Other physical demands will include but is not limited to; bending, kneeling, some lifting (not to exceed 50 pounds) and work with some power tools. 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

You may substitute the above specialized experience for the GS-07 grade level with the below education. If substituting the specialized experience with the below education you must upload your transcripts.

One full year of graduate education, where it is directly related to the work of the position. (One year of full-time graduate education is considered to be the number of credit hours that the school attended has determined to represent 1 year of full-time study. If that information cannot be obtained from the school, 18 semester hours should be considered as satisfying the 1 year of full-time study requirement. Part-time graduate education is creditable in accordance with its relationship to a year of full-time study at the school attended.)

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 VA St Louis Health Care System 1 Jefferson Barracks Drive St. Louis, MO 63125 US
• Name: Nicole Cyrus
• Email: [email protected]