Health Technician (Podiatry) Job in El Paso, TX

Vacancy No. CAZM-12603857-25-JG Department Veterans Health Administration
Salary $44,117.00 to $57,354.00 Grade 6 to 6
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 11/12/2024 Close Date 11/22/2024
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Public
Locations:
El Paso, TX


Summary

The Health Technician (Podiatry) performs a large number of routine and advanced technical procedures to provide the podiatric surgeons with information and data necessary for patient care and to assist him/her in such care.

This job is open to

Clarification from the agency

ALL US CITIZENS. DIRECT HIRE AUTHORITY: This position is being filled using Direct-Hire Authority (5 CFR 337.201) for this occupation.

Duties

*** Bargaining Position ***

Duties will be performed under the direct supervision of a Podiatric surgeon. These responsibilities require a high degree of manual dexterity and accuracy. An understanding of the anatomy of the musculoskeletal system, basic podiatric terminology, and basic medical science is needed.

Patient Care Responsibilities include:

  • Obtaining patient history with emphasis on self-care abilities, availability of assistance from family members, allergies to systemic and topical medications, and current medical conditions and medications.
  • Under the supervision of the Podiatric staff the technician will be involved in direct patient care by performing and documenting the following procedures and tasks.
  • Application and removal and/or fiberglass casts, splints, orthotic devices, strapping, braces, therapeutic devices and compression dressings.
  • Application and removal of surgical dressings, to include Unna paste, Gel casts and performance of wound irrigations as needed.
  • Removal of sutures from surgical wounds.
  • Application of a variety of traction devices. Patient instruction is the care of casts and splints. Patient instruction in the use of canes, crutches, cam-walkers and walkers. The technician will fill requests for scheduling surgery and send them to the operating room.
  • The technician assists the podiatrist in a variety of specialized treatments, surgical procedures and clinic procedures to include nail care, nail trimming, corn and callous care and wound care under supervision.
  • The technician receives and prepares patient for examinations and treatment, prepares the outpatient procedure room for appropriate foot clinical procedures, ensures necessary supplies, instruments and materials are present, establishes required instruments, field and assists as scrub technician or as circulator.

Clinical Supervision:
  • The individual will assist in the daily operations of the clinic including:
  • Acting as the podiatry receptionist by greeting patients, checking patients in, obtaining medical records, and ensuring smooth patient flow.
  • The technician assures proper stock levels and care of all instruments used in Podiatry Clinic. The technician ensures proper cleanup and disposal after contaminated procedures.
  • The technician assists in training and orientation of podiatric medical personnel in clinic procedures, techniques and tests. The technician answers inquiries of other personnel in clinic when possible to reduce the need for interrupting the podiatrists.
  • The technician performs various routine and general clinic administrative functions including ordering and stocking of supply items, medications accountability ensuring quality control stock rotation.
  • The technician makes regular inventory and revision of stock to ensure current stocking of high demand and readily required items.
  • The technician obtains special order items and coordinates communication and correspondent interaction between patient, provider and other medical and non-medical professions. The technician performs other duties as assigned.
  • Performance of minor repairs and routine maintenance, cleaning and sterilization of all podiatric equipment. Arrangements for major repairs of equipment when necessary.
  • Assuring that all temporary personnel assigned to the podiatric clinics are properly incorporated into the daily functioning of the clinic.
  • Maintaining podiatric clinic files. Recording and retrieving laboratory data, xrays and medical media slides and photos.

Surgical Assistance:
  • The individual will be expected to be familiar with sterile surgical instruments and with the usual outpatient operations done within the Podiatry clinic.
  • The Health Technician would be capable of preparing the patient for the about procedure, arranging the needed sterile instruments for use by the surgeon and assisting the surgeon in the procedure.
  • The technician should be familiar with the proper methods of identifying, handling, and care of surgical instruments.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00 a.m. - 4:45 p.m.
Position Description Title/PD#: Health Technician (Podiatry) / PD756-01245-A
Recruitment/Relocation Incentive: Not Authorized

Physical Requirements: Individuals must be able to work for sustained periods of time. Heavy clinics will occasionally require long hours with no regular breaks and sometimes hectic conditions. Overtime may occasionally be required on short notice, and the ability to be flexible in regards to patient need is critical. The position requires the operation of multiple devices for the treatment of patients. Excellent manual dexterity and hand, eye coordination is essential. Considerable stooping, kneeling, or bending in the normal course of duties required. Frequent moving or lifting of patients is necessary. The technician needs to have excellent strength and dexterity in both hands and upper limbs to perform his/her complex duties.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

  • You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this job
  • Subject to a background/suitability investigation
  • Designated and/or random drug testing may be required
  • 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

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 11/22/2024.

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.

AND

GS-6 Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-5 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 the skills for use of common podiatric instrumentations; an understanding of the anatomy of the spine and limbs, musculoskeletal terminology, and the basic biomechanics; knowledge of the spectrum of musculoskeletal disease and the ability to recognize this wide range of pathology; working knowledge of common medications orthotics, lab test, and x-rays, and the ability to determine the best application of these to patients on a consistent basis; knowledge as to the proper operation and maintenance of podiatric equipment used during patient examinations and treatment situations; knowledge and skills of aseptic practices in order to clean, package, and sterilize instruments, and to disinfect the area and equipment with strict adherence to aseptic technique; knowledge areas of patient scheduling, patient referrals, and ordering of supplies and equipment; basis computer skills to maintain and develop a diagnostic coding system for records and in the operation of the health care center computer system, and knowledge in computer and use of electronic medical records; advanced skill levels sufficient to evaluate common podiatric pathologies and perform common podiatric procedures that require considerable training and experience to carry out such as skin and toenail debridement; ability to apply and remove strappings, casts, braces, therapy devices and compression dressings.

Your resume will be reviewed for the following Competencies:
  • Attention to Detail
  • Integrity / Honesty
  • Interpersonal Skills
  • Teamwork
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.

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

There is no educational substitution at this grade level.

Additional information

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.

The following will be communicated to applicants for VA employment in a testing designated position and will also be included in all VA vacancy announcements for such positions: All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drugs use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.

The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be well-qualified, applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors if applicable, and must be proficient in most of the requirements of the job. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website which can be found at https://www.opm.gov/.

Receiving Service Credit for 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. VA may offer newly-appointed Federal employee's credit for their job-related non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service. 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.

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.

Benefits

A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

Review our benefits

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Applicants will be referred in the order in which they were received.

Required Documents

Documents Accepted:

  • Cover Letter
  • Other
  • Performance Appraisal
  • Professional Certification
  • Resume
  • Separation Notice (RIF)
  • SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
  • Transcript

Documents Required:
  • Resume

Please review the above list(s) to ensure you have included all necessary documents required for your application. Not every applicant will require the same documents, therefore it is the applicants responsibility to ensure that their application package includes all necessary documents to determine qualifications and eligibility for appointment, such as a copy of your SF-50, transcript, ICTAP/CTAP documentation (for displaced Federal employees).You will not be contacted for additional information. Applicants will be deemed ineligible if supporting documentation is not submitted.

Veterans' Preference: Since the Direct-Hire Recruitment Authority is being used, traditional Veterans' Preference rules do not apply. Qualified veterans will, however, be given full consideration for this position.

Applications are accepted online. Applying online will allow you to review and track the status of your application.

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

How to Apply

All applicants are encouraged to apply online.

To apply for this position, you must complete the occupational questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 11/22/2024 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12603857.

1. To begin, click Apply Online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USAJOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire.

2. Click Submit My Answers to submit your application package.

NOTE: It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date. To verify your application is complete, log into your USAJOBS account, https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login, select the Application Status link and then select the More Information link for this position. The Details page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and any correspondence the agency has sent related to this application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.

To return to an incomplete application, log into your USAJOBS account and click Update Application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.

Agency contact information

VISN 17 SSU USAS Group
Address
El Paso VA Clinic
5001 North Piedras Street
El Paso, TX 79930
US
Learn more about this agency

Next steps

After the vacancy announcement closes, applicants are evaluated to ensure qualification and eligibility requirements are met. After the review is complete, a referral certificate(s) is issued and applicants will be notified of their status by email.


Note: We cannot accept applications on behalf of Federal Agencies. Application instructions are listed within the Job Description.