Orthotist-Prosthetist – Advanced Practitioner

***This is an OPEN CONTINUOUS ANNOUNCEMENT and will remain open until February 24,2025 The initial cut-off date for referral of eligible applications will be September 9th, 2024, with subsequent cut-off dates on the 1st of each month. Eligible applications received after that date will be referred at regular intervals or as additional vacancies occur on an as-needed basis until positions are filled.*** 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.: Orthotists, prosthetists, or orthotist/prosthetists must be proficient in spoken and written as required by 38 U.S.C. 7402(d). Education: must have a bachelor’s degree or higher in orthotics and prosthetics from a Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) accredited program; OR, a bachelor’s degree or higher in any major along with a post-graduate orthotics or prosthetics certificate from a CAAHEP accredited program. Foreign Graduates: Graduates of foreign degree programs must have proof of a minimum of a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university (or foreign equivalent, as verified through an independent credential evaluation company), with a specialization in orthotics and prosthetics. Board Certification: Candidates must be board certified by the American Board for Certification in Orthotics and Prosthetics (ABC) or the Board for Orthotist/Prosthetist Certification (BOC) as an orthotist, prosthetist, or orthotist/prosthetist. The board certificate must be current and the applicant must abide by the certifying body’s requirements for continuing education. Certification as a technician, pedorthist, assistant or fitter does not meet this requirement. May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria). Grade Determinations for GS-12: must have one (1 ) year of experience equivalent to GS-11 level as an orthotist/prosthetist functioning as a full member of the clinical team which includes significant involvement in treatment plan development for the most complex types of conditions. The experience must demonstrate advanced knowledge of medical terminology, anatomy, physiology, biomechanics, kinesiology, physics, etiology of diseases, psychology and age-related competencies as well as conducting clinical patient analyses such as gait, range of motion, life style, etc., for patients with a wide range of complex medical conditions which include unusual problems or complications, and designing unique or innovative devices to accommodate those conditions, also the experience must demonstrate recognizing physical abnormalities, deviations, and complicating conditions with potentially life-threatening implications. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSA and demonstrate the potential to acquire the assignment-specific KSAs designated by an asterisk (*): Knowledge of regulatory requirements established by the ABC, BOC, the National Committee for Orthotic/Prosthetic Education (NCOPE), the International Association of Orthotists and Prosthetists (IAOP), the American Academy of Orthotists and Prosthetists (AAOP), Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO), etc. *Knowledge of administrative functions including budget development and management, inventory management, space and workload planning, as well as knowledge of the National Prosthetic Patient Database (NPPD), knowledge of the Prosthetic National Software (PNS) package, Decision. *Support System (DSS), and knowledge of accreditation requirements for orthotic and prosthetic laboratories and certification requirements for individuals. *Ability to analyze data and provide reports using CPRS, Vista, DSS, HCPCS codes and other patient database information. *Ability to provide training to orthotists/prosthetists in new technologies and innovations in devices. *Ability to manage and supervise employees. Assignments. For all assignments above the full performance level, the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope, complexity (difficulty) and range of variety and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time. Candidates at this grade level are in one of the following assignments: Advanced Practitioner. The orthotist/prosthetist assignment at this level is intended for smaller, independent laboratories. In addition to functions typical of the GS-11 grade level, the assignment involves responsibility for assuring the accreditation of the laboratory, regulation compliance, and a variety of administrative duties such as developing a budget; managing inventory and resources; overseeing contract employees; planning the orthotics and prosthetics clinical schedule; conducting site surveys of commercial vendors; devising short and long range goals in accordance with local, VISN, and VHA Central Office direction; and conducting quality assurance activities; etc. The orthotist/prosthetist communicates and interacts with physicians, allied health professionals, patients, and caregivers in various interdisciplinary clinical settings, rehabilitation medicine, orthopedics, neurosurgery, vascular care, podiatry, oncology, etc., as a subject matter expert to develop the orthotic and/or prosthetic treatment plan. The work includes complex patient analyses in accordance with established procedures for patients with unusual conditions, multiple complex conditions, interrelated conditions, etc.; assessment of the patient for indications/contra-indications and discussion of the assessment with the physician/requesting provider for the purpose of developing the overall treatment plan with considerable influence in the development of that plan; consideration of new and emerging technologies in designing unique or innovative devices to accommodate or treat a wide range of complex medical conditions which include unusual problems or complications. The orthotist/prosthetist at this level is expected to recognize physical abnormalities, deviations, and complicating conditions with potentially life threatening implications. Preferred experience: Three or more years of experience as a certified Orthotist-Prosthetist. References: VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Appendix G32 Orthotist/Prosthetist Qualification Standard GS-0667 VHA. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12 Physical Requirements: (1) Ability to lift patients using biomedical techniques frequently throughout the course of a workday/shift; must be capable of easily lifting fifty (50) pounds of weight alone (2) Ability to walk, bend, stand, and reach constantly during a workday (3) Visual acuity (near and distant) sufficient to maintain accurate records, recognize people, and understand written direction (4) Ability to speak and hear sufficiently to understand and give directions (5) Ability to push wheeled equipment throughout the facility (6) Fine motor skills adequate for scheduling and preparing patients, equipment, and supplies for treatment (7) Ability to participate in sustained activities for many hours in duration in accordance with state labor laws.
The general responsibility of the Orthotist/Prosthetist is to provide the most complex clinical and laboratory prosthetic and orthotic services to disabled patients. Included in this series is such work as: Treatment of all amputation levels including upper limb, hip disarticulation levels.