Duties

Summary

This is a Direct Hire Authority (DHA) solicitation utilizing the DHA for certain personnel of the Department of Defense to recruit and appoint qualified candidates to positions in the competitive service.

About the Position: This position is located at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, in Bethesda, MD, under the Director for Surgery, Department of Rehabilitation, Orthotics and Prosthetics. Working in an outpatient clinic setting with a modern, fully equipped fabrication lab.
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Responsibilities

• Interpret prescriptions, measure patients, and fabricate custom orthotics.
• Fabricate and fit custom braces for the trunk and cervical spine, leg, leg-thigh, as well as, foot-ankle braces from common and/or complex disabilities.
• Make patterns, impressions, and molds to fabricate orthotic devices, utilizing a variety of materials.
• Operate all shop machines associated with fabricating orthotic appliances, alterations, and repair of orthosis.
• Participate as a member of the professional health care team in discussion to relate the technical and anatomical, features of the cases involving problems of individual patients.
• Measure patients, make tracing of extremities, takes plaster of paris wraps, and marks bony prominences and sensitive areas.
• Make patterns, templates, and position molds to spot check for procedural step, together with drawing and charts.
• Rework old appliances or fabricates new appliances utilizing lighter materials and more modern designs.
• Consult and participate with physicians in development of prescriptions for new orthotic/prosthetic devices. Instruct orthotic students.

Travel Required

Not required

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
None

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• This position requires the incumbent be able to obtain and maintain a determination of eligibility for a Tier 3 security investigation or access for the duration of employment. A background investigation and credit check are required.
• This position requires the incumbent to have tuberculosis testing.
• Appointment may be subject to a suitability or fitness determination, as determined by a completed background investigation.
• Male applicants born after December 31, 1959 must complete a Pre-Employment Certification Statement for Selective Service Registration.
• Two year trial/probationary period may be required.
• This position has mandatory seasonal influenza vaccination requirements and is subject to annual seasonal influenza vaccinations unless otherwise exempted for medical or religious reasons (documentation of exemption must be provided upon hire).
• This position requires the completion of a pre-employment Physical Examination and an annual examination thereafter to ensure the continued, required level of physical health and ability or fitness to perform the duties of the position.

Qualifications

Who May Apply: US Citizens

In order to qualify, you must meet the experience requirements described below. 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; religious; spiritual; community; student; social). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience; if qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application. Additional information about transcripts is in this document .

Basic Requirements for Orthotist:

Experience and Education/Training Requirements: Qualifying experience and training may have been acquired in automotive, electronic, furniture, garment, or woodworking shops or factories, in a hospital or clinical setting, or in the Armed Forces as a medic or mechanic. All applicants must have the ability to: Deal with patients' orthotic or prosthetic needs while recognizing their emotional and mental outlook and attitudes; Accept responsibility as participating members of the health care team, be aware of the ethical considerations present and the need to adhere to medical ethical practices in all their relationships; and Work with professionals and nonprofessionals, and recognize the contribution of each in attaining the objectives of the treatment plan prescribed by a physician or developed by a clinical team.

Experience for GS-5 and above: Applicants must have 1 year of experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level that provided a solid background of: The theories and principles of orthotics or prosthetics; the use of hand and power tools for the development or fabrication of orthotic or prosthetic devices and appliances; the technology of materials commonly used in orthotic or prosthetic appliances; and the measurement of patients, the fabrication and fitting of orthoses or prostheses from prescriptions according to recognized and accepted techniques.

In addition to meeting the basic requirement above, to qualify for this position you must also meet the qualification requirements listed below:

Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience which includes measuring and fitting patients for a variety of orthotic devices; adjusting and modifying standard prefabricated devices and custom made orthotic devices; and operating a variety of equipment associated with the fabrication process of devices. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the next lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-07).

Although not required a certified Orthotist license is Highly Preferred.

Some federal jobs allow you to substitute your education for the required experience in order to qualify. For this job, you must meet the qualification requirement using experience alone--no substitution of education for experience is permitted.

Education

This job does not have an education qualification requirement.

Additional information

• You will be required to provide proof of U.S. Citizenship.
• Direct Deposit of Pay is required.
• Selection is subject to restrictions resulting from Department of Defense referral system for displaced employees.
• If you have retired from federal service and you are interested in employment as a reemployed annuitant, see the information in the Reemployed Annuitant information sheet.
• Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement.
• Salary includes applicable locality pay or Local Market Supplement.
• When you perform a Civilian Permanent Change of Station (PCS) with the government, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) considers the majority of your entitlements to be taxable. Visit https://www.dfas.mil/civilianemployees/civrelo/Civilian-Moving-Expenses-Tax-Deduction/ for more information.
• If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document you do not have in electronic form, view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application .
• Permanent Change of Station (PCS) allowances may be authorized, subject to the provisions of the Joint Travel Regulations and an agency determination that a PCS move is in the Government Interest.

How You Will Be Evaluated

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

Once the announcement has closed, a review of your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) will be used to determine whether you meet the qualification requirements listed on this announcement. If, after reviewing your résumé and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and/or experience, you may lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully when applying, errors or omissions may affect your eligibility.

You should list any relevant performance appraisals and incentive awards in your resume as that information may be taken into consideration during the selection process. If selected, you may be required to provide supporting documentation.

Veterans and Military Spouses will be considered along with all other candidates.

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Not Required

Drug test required
No

Required Documents

The documents you are required to submit vary based on whether or not you are eligible for preference in federal employment. A complete description of preference categories and the associated required documents is in the Applicant Checklist (External).

As described above, your complete application includes your resume, your responses to the online questionnaire, and documents which prove your eligibility to apply. If you fail to provide these documents, you will be marked as having an incomplete application package and you will not be considered any further.

1. Your resume:

• Your resume may be submitted in any format and must support the specialized experience described in this announcement.
• If your resume includes a photograph or other inappropriate material or content, it will not be used to make eligibility and qualification determinations and you may not be considered for this vacancy.
• For qualifications determinations your resume must contain hours worked per week and the dates of employment (i.e., HRS per week and month/year to month/year or month/year to present). If your resume does not contain this information, your application may be marked as incomplete and you may not receive consideration for this position.
• For additional information see: What to include in your resume .

2. Other supporting documents:

• Cover Letter, optional
• Most recent Performance Appraisal, if applicable

NOTE: Documents submitted as part of the application package, to include supplemental documents, may be shared beyond the Human Resources Office. Some supplemental documents such as military orders and marriage certificates may contain personal information for someone other than you. You may sanitize these documents to remove another person's personal information before you submit your application. You may be asked to provide an un-sanitized version of the documents if you are selected to confirm your eligibility.