The position is within the Prosthetics Service located at the Tomah VA Medical Center, Tomah, WI. The primary purpose of the position is to serve as an orthotic fitter by measuring and fitting veterans for appliance as prescribed by their physician.

Duties

Major duties: -Receives prosthetic consults from physicians, interpret and determine what appliance is needed. -Independently performs fitting of orthotic appliances. -Take measurements of body and limb segments appropriate to the item being fit, and select an off-the-shelf item, sized appropriately with appropriate model or design, to the patient. -Communicate and instruct patients in proper procedures for wearing and maintaining orthotic devices in order to achieve the maximum benefit. -Document any communication and instructions given to the patient using the electronic consult and progress notes Computerized Patient Records System (CPRS) utilized by this medical center. -Post stock issue, in VISTA system, under the veterans 2319 Prosthetics record. -Take appropriate action in the VISTA/GUI system on day of visit to create encounters related to the clinic visit. -Inspect the device to ensure that it is of high quality and matches the prescription requested by the clinician. -Receives and analyzes Prosthetic Requests and prescriptions for orthotic soft goods from physicians, therapists, medical center personnel, patients or their representatives. -Select the appropriate HCPCS code (which identifies the item) and ICD-10 code (which identifies the diagnosis) to use for the entry. -Examines clinical health records and claims folders to determine legal eligibility and medical entitlement for orthotic items and services based on adopted criteria. -Identifies priorities for requests to comply with VACO mandated five (5) day deadline for initial action as well as routine monitoring of all pending consults according to the Business Practice Guidelines for Consult Management. -Advises physicians and other professional staff as to the availability, selection, and acquisition of orthotic devices or services and furnished information concerning new developments in the orthotic field and sources of supply for such items. -Maintains continuous liaison with vendors, medical center professionals, and staff to ensure the timely acquisition and provision of item or service. -Uses office automation equipment such as a computer, fax machines, calculator, copier, and telephones, to effectively communicate with others, produce forms and complete correspondence. -Maintenance of current catalogs, brochures and vendor files will ensure the incumbent's ability to advise the professional staff regarding readily available items of lesser costs which will achieve the intended rehab goal. -Performs other related duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday; 8:00am - 4:30pm Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Health Technician/PD20203O 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, 04/01/2024. 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. 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: Positions in this series range widely in type and include support duties to medical or health personnel. Therefore, technician experience that requires the application of the knowledge, methods and techniques of the position to be filled. For this position this would include knowledge and skills in: Communication and interpersonal relations, including the ability to appropriately and courteously related to internal and external customers. Maintenance of confidentiality of patient/employee information, electronic and print. The medical center performance improvement program. How to work and function in the medical center in a safe manner, including infection control and the correct operation of equipment. Age/population-specific care, as identified in the age/population-Specific Competencies (see Competency Checklist), including knowledge of principles of growth and development relevant to the population(s) served and associated age-specific changes; ability to assess and interpret data about the patient's status; and ability to identify population-specific needs and provide the appropriate care based upon the population related factors noted. Knowledge of the mechanical function of prosthetic and sensory aids appliances. Basic knowledge of medical terminology, anatomy and physiology. Ability to read and understand prescriptions and orthotic procedures to undertake the fitting of orthotic appliances. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Biomedical Equipment TechnologyClinical Data Collection/DocumentationCompliance InspectionMedical InformationPatient Care 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. The work requires some physical exertion, some bending, stooping, and crouching to work on devices and fit them to the patient. Work involves some lifting and moving of moderately heavy supplies and equipment such as wheelchairs and durable medical equipment, up to 40 pounds. Job functions require prolonged periods of working at a computer terminal. 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.

Contacts

• Address Tomah VA Medical Center 500 East Veterans Street Tomah, WI 54660 US
• Name: Avian Wilkins
• Phone: (901) 522-5536
• Email: [email protected]