The principal duties of the incumbent are within the Orthopedic Section of the Surgical Service. They perform special duties related to the field of Orthopedics surgery involving retrieval of historical & diagnostic data from the computer or medical records, preparing the patient for examination, recording appropriate clinical data, application of casts & traction, maintenance of casting/splinting equipment, surgical assisting & instruction of patients & selected healthcare personnel.

Duties

The VA has adopted Core Values and Characteristics that apply universally across the Department. The five Core Values define "who we are," our culture, and how we care for Veterans, their families and other beneficiaries. The Values are Integrity, Commitment, Advocacy, Respect and Excellence ("I CARE"). As a VA professional, your opportunities are endless. With many openings in the multiple functions of VA, you will have a wide range of opportunities and leadership positions at your fingertips. Major Duties: Application and removal of various casts and splints. Application and removal of multiple types of dressings utilizing various materials. The technician will use electric-powered cast cutters to split, mono-valve, bivalve, and remove cast from patients. Maintains an adequate level of supplies, drugs and equipment commonly used in the Orthopedic Clinic. Wound preparation and cleansing. The incumbent inspects traction set-up daily and assembles materials for traction set-ups. Molding and casting for orthotics and or insoles Application of devices. The incumbent understands and assures proper positioning of the patient for each examination, application of casts, injections and other minor procedures. Scrubs and prepares the patient for procedure. Keeps the surgical field free of blood for proper visualization. Cuts sutures, holds retractors and sets up equipment. Places patient in proper position for outpatient surgical procedure to be performed. Performs immediate postoperative/procedure care. Maintains an adequate level of supplies, drugs and equipment commonly used in the Orthopedic and Podiatry Clinics. Assist with patient flow within the clinic by helping with the movement of patients in and out of clinic. Maintains of instruments and equipment used in the podiatric clinics. Answers inquiries received from other services and provides patients information concerning their current condition and treatments. Ensures coding is correct and complete for reimbursement purposes. Labels cultures and specimen's, i.e., for sensitivity, anaerobic, etc. and insures that they go to the laboratory. Work Schedule: 7:30 AM - 4:00 PM. Monday - Friday Position Description Title/PD#: Health Technician (Orthopedics)/PD00507A Physical Requirements: The work is sedentary. Some work may require movement between offices, hospitals, warehouses, and similar areas for meetings and to conduct work. Work may also require walking/standing, in conjunctions with travel to and attendance at meetings and/or conferences away from the work site. Incumbent may carry and lift light items weighing less than 15 pounds.

Requirements

• You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this job
• Subject to a background/suitability investigation
• May serve a probationary period
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• A complete application package; Resume, Transcripts, etc
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process
• 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.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement.10/30/2024 Individual Occupational Requirement: 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. You may qualify based on your experience as described below: GS-07 grade level: 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: applications of casts and traction, maintenance of casting/splinting equipment, surgical assisting, and instruction on patients and selected healthcare personnel. OR Applicants may substitute education for the experience required for the GS-07 level. Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have Applicants may substitute one full year of graduate level education for the specialized experience required for the GS-07 level. Degree must be directly related to the work of the position. (Transcript Required). OR Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at the GS-07 level. Combination: (Transcript Required): Combination of successfully completed graduate education and experience may be used to meet total. To calculate, first identify the percentage of required education you have earned (when substituting, you cannot use the first 60 semester hours that you earned). Then identify the percentage of required experience you possess. Add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100 percent to qualify at the GS-07. For example, an applicant who has 9 semester hours of graduate level education (i.e. 50% of graduate education required) and 6 months of creditable specialized experience (i.e. 50% of the required experience) would equal 100% of the required experience for the position A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on 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.

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. 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 (TJO). Please visit the Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP), va.gov/EMPLOYEE/docs/The-Fair-Chance-to-Compete-Act.pdf for more information.

NOTE: If your school has changed names, or is no longer in existence, you must provide this information in your application.

Contacts

• Address Audie L Murphy Memorial Veterans Hospital 7400 Merton Minter Boulevard San Antonio, TX 78229 US
• Name: VISN 17 SSU USAS Group
• Email: [email protected]