As an Orthotic Fitter in the Orthotics & Prosthetics Services section of Prosthetics Service, at the Kansas City VA Medical Center. The KCVA O&P Lab is designated as a Polytrauma Support Clinic Team site for VISN15 VA Heartland Network. The Orthotic Lab supports all clinics at the Kansas City VA Medical Center, as well as the Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs). To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement. In addition to meeting the Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR) above, the following MUST be met: 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 at GS-7: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-6) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience include, but are not limited to:(1) Assisting with the repair, engineering, fitting and dispensing of orthotic appliances; (2) Interpreting prosthetics consults and performing patient screenings as submitted by clinicians; (3) Ensuring legal requirements governing eligibility and entitlement to prosthetic and orthotic devices are met. OR Applicants may substitute education for the experience required for the GS-07 level: One full year of graduate level education in a field directly related to the work of the position. A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. OR Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at the GS-07 level: A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. 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. 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. Preferred Qualification: American Board of Certification 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/. ["Kansas City VA Medical Center is committed to Diversity and Inclusion. Together, we strive to create and maintain a working and learning environment that promotes professional growth and teamwork. We offer an inclusive, equitable, and welcoming environment where we celebrate our individual differences and unite as a team toward a common goal of providing outstanding service to our Nation's Veterans. Duties of this position include, but are not limited to the following: Constructing/shapes and repairs common orthotic/prosthetic devices from casts and/ or documents provided by clinician, such as repairs to custom foot orthoses and shoes, using a wide variety of materials. Applying prefabricated orthopedic devices including, but not limited to: lumbo-sacral supports, abdominal binders, cervical collars, wrist splints, arm slings, knee braces, knee sleeves, compression hose, ankle supports, trusses, non-custom in- depth shoes, over-the- counter foot orthotics with limited supervision. Contacting manufacturers to ensure that new devices or procedures may be transferred to commercial production without compromise of the principles involved. 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. Fitting and applying a wide variety of orthotic and prosthetic devices utilizing established safety standards and infection control procedures. Selecting and interpreting the most appropriate guidelines in making minor adjustments to adapt the work to individual patients. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm- Full Time Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Health Technician-Orthotic Fitter/PD09118ARelocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized 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 not limited to; bending, kneeling, some lifting (not to exceed 50 lbs.) and work with some power tools."]
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.
