The Health Technician (Orthotic Fitter) will work in the Orthotic Lab at the Community-Based Outpatient Clinic in Wyoming, Michigan. The position involves measuring and fitting patients with orthotic devices to include the measuring and fitting of Therapeutic Footwear. The purpose is to assist in the restoration of function to patients who would not otherwise have it by means of prosthetics and sensory aid appliances which can have a significant effect on patient recovery and/or function.

Duties

The work of the Health Technician (Orthotic Fitter) position for the Prosthetics and Sensory Aids Service is to perform both administrative and patient care assistance work associated with dispensing, fitting, repairing of orthotic and prosthetic appliances and devices.The primary duties of the Health Technician (Orthotic Fitter) include, but are not limited to: Measures and fits off-the-shelf orthoses and therapeutic footwear. Assists in the Fabrication of custom molded and custom-made orthoses to specifications and conformance to models and tracings provided by the Certified Practitioner requesting the service. Performs necessary repairs to orthoses. Uses a variety of materials such as plastic, aluminum, leather, resins, synthetic fabrics and neoprene and operates all shop machines associated with fabricating prosthetic and orthotic appliances, alterations and repair of prostheses and orthoses. Performs work in thermoforming; grinding/sanding material; laminating, sewing; metal and leather work; operates hand saw cast cutter, electric and hand sanders, grinders, drill., shoe machine, stretcher, etc. Follows established procedures in performing preventive maintenance on shop equipment. Maintains assigned work schedule and keeps general shop areas in a clean and orderly manner. Performs a variety of related administrative tasks, e.g., prepares a variety of recurring and special reports; takes inventory of stock items, reorders supplies; maintains related files. Records all labor and materials costs in compliance with VA standards. Work Schedule: Monday to Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Health Technician Orthotic Fitter/PD91606 o, PD92777 0, and PD91778 0 Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 12/15/2023. This Health Technician, GS-640, occupational series has an Individual Occupational Requirement in addition to the Group Standard for Technical and Medical Positions. Individual Occupational Requirement Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS 04 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: 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. Technician experience is experience that required application of the knowledge, methods, and techniques of the position to be filled. OR For GS-5: 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. Group Standard for Technical and Medical Positions GS-05 Grade Level: Experience One year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-04 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. Specialized experience includes, but is not limited to: Fabricating or repairing items made of leather, plastic, aluminum, resins or neoprene; laminating, sewing, or thermoforming materials; using hand tools such as sanders, grinders, or drills; reading patient charts; understanding standard medical terminology; taking measurements for production of goods and materials; monitoring inventory levels and ordering lab supplies; retrieving data from a production or medical coding system; and following established sequences in a production environment. OR Applicants may substitute education for the experience required. Education Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have at least two full academic years of study beyond the second year. 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. (Transcripts must be provided.) OR Combination Applicants may also combine education and specialized experience to qualify at this level. Combinations of successfully completed post-high school education and experience may be used to meet total qualification requirements and may be computed by first determining the applicant's total qualifying experience as a percentage of the experience required for the grade level; then determining the applicant's education as a percentage of the education required for the grade level; and then adding the two percentages. The total percentages must equal at least 100 percent to qualify an applicant for that grade level. (Transcripts must be provided.) GS-06 Grade Level Experience 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. Specialized experience includes, but is not limited to: Fabricating, adjusting and repairing medical devices; reading patient charts; understanding standard medical terminology; taking patient measurements; monitoring inventory levels and ordering lab supplies; entering data into and retrieving data from a production or healthcare database; and following established techniques and sequences within a production or healthcare environment. OR Applicants may substitute education for the experience required. Education You may substitute graduate education or an internship for the required specialized experience only in those instances where it is directly related to the work of the position. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have at least one half (1/2) year of graduate education directly related to the work of the position. (Transcripts must be provided.) OR Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify. Combination of Experience and Education Applicants may also combine graduate education and specialized experience to qualify at this level. Combinations of successfully completed post-high school education and experience may be used to meet total qualification requirements and may be computed by first determining the applicant's total qualifying experience as a percentage of the experience required for the grade level; then determining the applicant's education as a percentage of the education required for the grade level; and then adding the two percentages. The total percentages must equal at least 100 percent to qualify an applicant for that grade level. (Transcripts must be provided.) GS-07 Grade Level Experience 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. Specialized experience includes, but is not limited to: Fabricating, adjusting and repairing orthotic/prosthetic appliances; reading patient charts; using standard medical terminology; taking patient measurements utilizing the appropriate equipment; monitoring inventory levels and ordering lab supplies; entering data using the Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System; and following established techniques and sequences in the development of orthotic/prosthetic appliances. OR Applicants may substitute education for the experience required. Education You may substitute graduate education or an internship for the required specialized experience only in those instances where it is directly related to the work of the position. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have at least one (1) full year of graduate education directly related to the work of the position. (Transcripts must be provided.) OR Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify. Combination of Experience and Education Applicants may also combine graduate education and specialized experience to qualify at this level. Combinations of successfully completed post-high school education and experience may be used to meet total qualification requirements and may be computed by first determining the applicant's total qualifying experience as a percentage of the experience required for the grade level; then determining the applicant's education as a percentage of the education required for the grade level; and then adding the two percentages. The total percentages must equal at least 100 percent to qualify an applicant for that grade level. (Transcripts must be provided.)

Education

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.
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/.
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.
There is no educational substitution at this grade level.
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 Battle Creek VA Medical Center 5500 Armstrong Road Battle Creek, MI 49037 US
• Name: Mary Ann Kalis Jordan
• Phone: (313) 917-7841
• Email: [email protected]