SUMMARY

The Orthotist/Prosthetist Advanced Practitioner is a member of the Salt Lake City VA Medical Center, Prosthetics and Sensory Aids Department. This position is responsible for providing complex clinical and laboratory prosthetic and orthotic services to disabled patients.

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.

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
OR
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

EDUCATION

IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.
Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. YOUR APPLICATION, RESUME, C.V., AND/OR SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION WILL BE VERIFIED. PLEASE FOLLOW ALL INSTRUCTIONS CAREFULLY. ERRORS OR OMISSIONS MAY AFFECT CONSIDERATION FOR EMPLOYMENT.

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.
The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate’s abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.
It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.
Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.

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.

DUTIES

VA Careers - Prosthetics: https://youtube.com/embed/3NUvF5jjErQ

• Treatment of all amputation levels including upper limb, hip disarticulation levels.
• Serves as an advisor to physicians, therapists and other medical professionals with regard to indications and contraindications of prosthetic and orthotic componentry, prescription criteria
• Authorizes the purchase, fabrication or repair of prosthetic devices;
• Maintains continuous liaison with manufacturers and dealers of prosthetic supplies, inspecting their facilities and services and participating in the award of prosthetic appliance contracts;
• Participates in investigative/research project studies by selecting patients as pilot wearers of newly developed prosthetic items, evaluating the usefulness of such items and compiling of data;
• Gives technical and administrative advice and assistance on prosthetic problems to other facilities.

Functional tasks for the a Orthotist Prosthetist Advanced Practitioner GS-12.

• Follows established regulations and procedures to insure patient privacy.
• Identifies biomechanical condition.
• Conducts gait analysis, range of motion, coordination and balance, motor skills, and clinical assessment studies in accordance with occupational principles for unusual conditions, multiple complex interrelated conditions, etc ..
• Interviews patients to determine expectations, lifestyle, home/work environment, ability to use the device.
• Takes necessary measurements, casts or scans to develop positive molds of the affected area of the body, which are used to create the orthosis and prosthesis.
• Recognizes physical abnormalities, deviations, and complicating conditions with potentially life threatening implications.
• Assesses patient for indications/contra-indications of appropriate treatment protocols and discusses the assessment with the physician/requesting provider for purposes of developing the overall treatment plan.
• Considers 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.
• Considering the information developed through the assessment as well as time management workload considerations, designs custom devices using standard components to optimize patient performance for difficult and complex conditions; may include CAD/CAM systems.
• Selects materials and components to be used in fabrication of the device and determines appropriate equipment to be used in fabrication of the device.
• Fabricates components, or selects and modifies components, and assembles these into the finished device. Uses CAD/CAM system as appropriate in this process and performs preliminary alignment.
• Fits the device on the patient, assures preliminary alignment, and performs subsequent dynamic alignment.
• Assesses and modifies fit and function of the device as fabricated and makes appropriate modifications to insure optimum patient outcome.
• Evaluates patient’s ability to don/doff the device, provides training to the patient and/or caregiver in its use and maintenance.
• Explains procedures and processes to the patient to reduce anxiety and gain support and cooperation in all stages of the process.
• Maintains the patient’s record, including the electronic record, in accordance with established JCAHO/ABC/BOC/Medical Center/VISN policies
• Attends professional and manufacturer’s training seminars.
• Completes mandatory training per hospital requirements.
• Maintains professional credentials and/or competency.
• Observes appropriate, established infection control guidelines.
• Follows environmental and occupational safety guidelines.
• Communicates and interacts with physicians, allied health professionals, patient and caregiver in various interdisciplinary clinical settings as a subject matter expert to develop the O/P treatment plan.
• Conducts in-service training for O/P staff, VSO’s, as well as staff in other disciplines regarding O/P technologies.
• Provides guidance and direction to lower graded O/P staff.
• Manages the daily operations of a small to medium Lab
• Plans clinical schedule for Orthotics and Prosthetics and assures appropriate staff coverage
• Conducts site surveys of commercial vendors to insure vendor regulatory compliance
• Evaluates the ability of a vendor to provide a product
• Responsible for accreditation compliance
• Develops short & long range plans/goals for the lab in accordance with local, VISN, Headquarters direction 31.
• Develops budget plan for lab
• Manages inventory of stock items, fabrication materials, and components 33. Assures safe workplace considering environmental concerns, OSHA/JCAHO regulations.
• Conducts quality assurance activities.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8:00 am- 4:30pm
Telework: Not available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 56986-A
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

The following documents are accepted, and may be required if applicable to your eligibility and/or qualifications for this position. Please ensure you have included all documents required for your application, such as a copy of your transcript (if using education to qualify), SF-50’s (current/former Federal employees), etc.

• Cover Letter
• DD-214/ Statement of Service
• Disability Letter (VA)
• License
• Other (1)
• Professional Certification
• Resume
• SF-15
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
• Transcrip

All applicants are encouraged to apply online. To apply for this position, you must complete the full questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 09/30/2025 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12779047.

• To begin, click Apply Online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USA JOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire.
• Click Submit My Answers to submit your application package