The Health Technician (Pedorthist) is located with the Orlando VA Medical Center. The Pedorthist Health Technician functions independently for all professional and technical aspects of pedorthic treatment. They are responsible for planning and organizing their own work, coordinating with staff and management personnel as appropriate. BASIC REQUIREMENTS: United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy. English Language Proficiency. Health Technician (Pedorthist) candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f). Credential. Candidates must possess one of the below credentials. Candidates must be board certified in pedorthics by the American Board for Certification in Orthotics, Prosthetics and Pedorthics (ABC). OR, Credentialed in pedorthics by the Board of Certification/Accreditation (BOC). OR, Exception for Non-Credentialed Health Aid (Pedorthist). Non-credentialed individuals who have successfully completed a Board for Certification in Pedorthics (BCP), Commission on Accreditation of Pedorthic Education (CAPE), National Commission on Orthotic and Prosthetic Education (NCOPE), Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) or American Board for Certification of Orthotics, Prosthetics and Pedorthics (ABC) approved pedorthic certificate program (see Pedorthist Programs) and otherwise meet ABC's eligibility requirements for certification (see Pedorthist Candidate Guide) may be given a temporary appointment as a graduate Health Aid (Pedorthist) under the authority of 38 U.S.C. § 7405(c)(2)(B). Non-credentialed individuals shall only provide care under the clinical oversight of a credentialed pedorthist, orthotist, or orthotist/prosthetist at or above the full performance level. Non-credentialed individuals may only be appointed at the entry level and may not be promoted/converted until certification is obtained. Temporary appointments of non-credentialed Health Aid (Pedorthist) may not be extended beyond two years or converted to a new temporary appointment. Failure to Obtain Certification. In all cases, Health Aid (Pedorthist) must actively pursue meeting requirements for certification starting from the date of their appointment. At the time of appointment, the supervisor will provide the Health Aid (Pedorthist) with the written requirements for certification, including the time by which the certification must be obtained and the consequences for not becoming certified by the deadline. Failure to obtain certification during this time period may result in termination of employment. Loss of Credential. Management officials, in collaboration with HR Office staff must immediately relieve employees, who fail to maintain the required certification, of the duties and responsibilities associated with this occupation, which may also result in separation from employment. GRADE REQUIREMENTS for Health Technician (Pedorthist), GS-07 Experience. One year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade (GS-06). Examples of experience at the GS-06 grade level include, but are not limited to: (1) possess a broad working knowledge of simple and complex device types; (2) independently takes scans and measurements; (3) prepares and modifies casts and repairs and fabricates complex devices in accordance with the input of the individual providing clinical oversight; (4) with minimal clinical oversight and direction of a credentialed pedorthist, orthotist, or CPO, they provide complex devices and deliver patient/caregiver education for them; (5) assess simple and complex devices for quality including structural soundness, compliance with the prescription, fit, and patient comfort; (6) assists with advanced device types to include quality assurance assessment; (7) assists with development of a follow up treatment plan for atypical conditions; and (8) assists with administrative activities including, but not limited to, assigning Healthcare Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) coding of pedorthic devices to facilitate procurement, preparing documentation for Veterans being sent to vendors, participating in interdisciplinary teams, processing consults and generating administrative orders for procurement of pedorthic devices. Knowledge, Skills and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: Skill in designing advanced pedorthic devices. Skill in assessing device types for structural soundness and meeting the specifications of the prescription. Skill in written communication. Skill in oral communication. Skill in fabrication of all pedorthic device types. Skill in designing innovative pedorthic devices to include new and emerging technology. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-07. Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Service for requirements ["Functions of the Pedorthist Health Technician include, but are not limited to: Communicates and interacts with physicians, allied health professionals, patients and caregivers in various interdisciplinary clinical settings as a subject matter expert to develop the pedorthic treatment plan. Provides complex patient analyses in accordance with established procedures for patients with unusual conditions, multiple complex conditions and interrelated conditions. Assesses patients for indications/contraindications. Discusses the assessment with the physician/requesting provider for the purpose of developing the overall treatment plan with considerable influence in the development of the plan. Analyzes the potential use of new and emerging technologies in designing unique or innovative pedorthic devices to accommodate or treat a wide range of complex medical conditions which include unusual problems or complications. Completes scans and measurements for advanced devices, prepares and modifies casts for advanced devices, repairs and fabricates advanced devices and provides patient/caregiver education for advanced devices. Recognizes physical abnormalities, deviations and complicating conditions with potentially life-threatening implications. Privileges (Individual Scope of Practice) other credentialed clinicians to provide pedorthic care based on ABC privileging requirements. Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 8:00am to 4:30pm Telework: Not suitable for telework. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 82068F, Health Technician (Pedorthist) Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized. Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authroized"]
The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is the largest integrated health care system in the United States, providing care at 1,321 health care facilities, including 172 VA Medical Centers and 1,138 outpatient sites of care of varying complexity (VHA outpatient clinics) to over 9 million Veterans enrolled in the VA health care program. VHA Medical Centers provide a wide range of services including traditional hospital-based services such as surgery, critical care, mental health, orthopedics, pharmacy, radiology and physical therapy. In addition, most of our medical centers offer additional medical and surgical specialty services including audiology & speech pathology, dermatology, dental, geriatrics, neurology, oncology, podiatry, prosthetics, urology, and vision care. Some medical centers also offer advanced services such as organ transplants and plastic surgery.
