Summary Works under the general supervision of the Chief, Podiatry Section, which has in-excess of 14,000 patient encounters per year, to include direct and indirect support. Incumbent is delegated authority to provide patient care and support to routine cases and for a variety of specialized procedures for a staff of four Podiatric surgeons. Responsibilities Performs a variety of specialized clinic procedures such as preliminary examination and evaluation of patients. Prepares podiatric work-up, x-rays, laboratory or other requests, as required. Assesses the condition and determines if referral to a Podiatrist is required or if the condition is such that treatment may be initiated by the incumbent. Performs debridement of ingrown, elongated or fungal toenails with and without cautery. Debrides warts, diabetic ulcers and assesses for infection. Removes superficial foreign bodies. Performs a variety of standardized and routine procedures that are non-invasive. Provides prophylactic instruction on nail and blister care. Fits multiple types of orthoses, impression casts feet for orthoses, and measures feet for correct fit or special-order footwear. Develops a variety of accommodative devices to correct or alleviate injury or pathologic foot conditions. Assists Podiatrist in a variety of specialized treatments, surgical procedures and tests. Sets up instrument trays, finalizes preparation of sterile field, skin prep and draping of patients. Instructs patients in self-care specific to treatment involved. Accompanies/assists patients in wheelchairs, gurneys, crutches. Performs a variety of technical and administrative tasks in support of clinic operations. Assures proper stock levels and care of all instruments used in the Podiatry clinic. Assists in training and orientation of Podiatric Medical Students and other medical personnel in clinic procedures, techniques and tests. Answers inquiries of other personnel in clinic when possible to reduce the need for interrupting the Podiatrists. Makes regular inventory and revision of stock to insure current stocking of high demand and readily required items. Coordinates communication/correspondent interaction between patient, provider and other medical and non-medical professionals. Performs triage duties during peak patient loads, as necessary. Work Schedule: Monday through Friday 8am-4:30pm Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Health Technician - Podiatry/PD20E32A Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job 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. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 You may be required to serve a probationary period Subject to background/security investigation Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP) Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details. Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 11/07/2024. 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-06 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-05. 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. Individual Occupational Requirements 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. 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: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-05 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: The ability to standardized rules to teach these to clinic newcomers such as incoming podiatric medical student sand residents. Advanced skill levels sufficient to diagnose common podiatric pathologies and perform common podiatric procedures that require considerable training and experience to carry out such as skin and toenail debridement, High Risk Foot Clinic wound debridement with risk stratification according to updated PACT policy, application and removal of strappings, casts, braces, therapy devices and compression wraps and resolution of recurring problems. Have experience in the use of the common instruments used in podiatry treatment. Develop treatment objectives for general purposes and perform standard procedures. Modify intervention plans according to changing conditions or reactions. Possession of a working knowledge of common medications, orthotics, lab tests, and x-rays and the ability to determine the best application of these to patients on a consistent basis. Familiarity of supply ordering procedures and the ability to keep clinic stocks from falling to critical levels. Ability to train personnel including new podiatric medical students, residents and assigned learners. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Customer Service (Clerical/Technical) Diagnostic Medical Testing Technical Competence Technical Documentation 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: Work may involve frequent bending, stooping, stretching, etc., as well as repositioning patients. Manual dexterity in handling instruments is required. 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 Education: Graduate education or an internship meets the specialized experience required above GS-5 only in those instances where it is directly related to the work of the position. Additional Information This occupation is being considered for a Veterans Health Administration enterprise-wide Critical Skills Incentive (CSI). Candidates may be eligible for a lump sum CSI. The amount of lump sum CSI is determined based on appointment date and may be pro-rated as determined by the end date of the CSI. Eligible candidates will be required to sign a service agreement agreeing to an obligated service period and failure to complete the obligated service period may result in a debt for the unearned portion of the CSI. This occupation is currently approved for a Veterans Health Administration enterprise-wide Critical Skills Incentive through [insert date]. Candidates may be eligible for a lump sum CSI for a pro-rated amount if onboard prior to the CSI expiration date. Eligible candidates will be required to sign a service agreement agreeing to an obligated service period and failure to complete the obligated service period may result in a debt for the unearned portion of the CSI. Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. Pursuant to VHA Directive 1193.01, VHA health care personnel (HCP) are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 subject to such accommodations as required by law (i.e., medical, religious or pregnancy). VHA HCPs do not include remote workers who only infrequently enter VHA locations. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination before your start date. The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required accommodation from this requirement using the reasonable accommodation process. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement. 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. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.