Prosthetist-Orthotist Clinical Director (Regional Amputee Center)

Summary

The Prosthetist-Orthotist Regional Clinical Director provides leadership for regional O&P Services and works under the supervision of the Regional Amputation Center Medical Director in collaboration with the VISN Prosthetic Representative (VPR) in the VISN where the Regional Amputation Center (RAC) resides.

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Duties

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VA Careers - Prosthetics :

The P&O Regional Clinical Director is responsible for planning, development, and implementation of a region-wide delivery system for prosthetic and orthotic appliances and related services in coordination with the Medical Director of the RAC, the Amputation Rehabilitation Coordinator and prosthetic and orthotic providers in the region. The assignment involves clinical care and program development in the areas of business operations, regulatory issues, education, and research. The incumbent will act as a subject matter expert to Regional and National Workgroups in orthotic and prosthetic clinical services and other services. ABC or BOC must certify incumbent at the practitioner level in both prosthetics and orthotics.

The tasks performed by the Orthotist-Prosthetist Regional Clinical Director include, but are not limited to:

Clinical Care:

1. Acts as a Regional and National resource in the care of Veterans with amputations
2. Provides expert level direct clinical skills in the evaluation, prescription formulation, fitting, alignment, and delivery of orthotic and prosthetic devices.
3. Considers new and emerging technologies in designing unique or innovative devices to accommodate or treat a wide range of complex medical conditions.
4. Utilizes effective communication skills at all levels to enhance team functioning and clinical care.
5. Develops, implements and documents in CPRS the evaluation and treatment plan for an assigned caseload of patients.
6. Manages the efficient use and ownership of diagnostic equipment such as CAD/CAM and gait analysis equipment.
7. Utilizes telehealth practices to enhance the regional care of Veterans with amputations.
8. Participates in the development of team processes in the RAC program as well as resource/consultant with significant multidisciplinary involvement.

Business Operations:

1. Provides leadership for the RAC, the Amputee System of Care (AScC), and Prosthetics and Sensory Aids, to develop and implement a strategic plan to accomplish the goals of the VA National Amputation System of Care.
2. The incumbent ensures that Prosthetic and Orthotic laboratories meet industry standards and provide quality products and services to patients.
3. Assists to access VA Orthotist/Prosthetist certification and accreditation of VA Orthotic/Prosthetic clinical services within PM&R to include practitioners located at the Fredericksburg health care center location.
4. Monitors and implements regional compliance for accreditation of Orthotic/Prosthetic clinical services with all relative credentialing organizations, e.g. JC, CARF, NCOPE, ABC, BOC, etc., and certification/registration, competency assessments, peer reviews, and National Provider Identifier registration of all clinical staff within the region.
5. Incumbent will have duties as VA orthotic and prosthetic laboratory representative on prosthetic clinical management workgroups.
6. Serves as a member of the Prosthetics Leadership Board and its committees.
7. Assesses and reports on the functional level and current resources of the Orthotic and Prosthetic Laboratories within respective regions. This role can also involve intermittent visits to other VA facilities to evaluate and ensure quality of patient care and best practices, in alignment with the role as described in this document.

Regulatory issues:

1. Serves as a subject matter expert for O&P related CMS issues.
2. May serve as a member of the O&P L-code committee.
3. Responsible for compliance of national VA handbooks.

Education:

1. Monitors and implements regional education including via videoconference in compliance of electronic workload capture, coding, pricing, recording of patient encounters, quality control and quality assurance measures, check out procedures, competency assessments, scope of practice reviews and progress notes of all clinical staff within the region.
2. Serves as liaison between existing prosthetic and orthotic schools and medical school affiliations as they relate to student training at Richmond.
3. Coordinates and develops continuing education programs with academic affiliates.
4. Participates in planning committees for the annual VA O&P breakout session.
5. Participates in planning for ASoC educational conferences.
6. Participates in the Prosthetic Leadership Board Education Committee

Research:

1. Supports or conducts, coordinates and facilitates Prosthetic and Orthotic Research on a local, regional and/or national level.
2. Collaborates with research institutions, both government and non-government, to advance the state of knowledge within the prosthetic and orthotic profession.

Work Schedule : Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm

Telework : Ad Hoc

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement # : 000000

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives : Not Authorized.

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized.

Requirements

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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.
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
• 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.
• Must pass pre-employment physical examination.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).

Qualifications

Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met.

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.
• 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.
  • 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).

GS-14 VHA Central Office National Clinical Manager/ National Director

Grade Determinations:

• Experience: Completion of 1 (one) year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level, (GS-13)

AND,

• Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs and demonstrate the potential to acquire the assignment-specific KSAs designated by an asterisk (*):

*1. Ability to manage and supervise prosthetic and orthotic laboratories, conduct site visits, and review the functional level of each lab.

2. Knowledge of ABC, BOC, OSHA, and JCAHO standards and Prosthetic and Sensory Aids Service policies and ability to apply these in the daily operations of orthotic and prosthetic laboratories.

*3. Ability to provide training in new technologies involving CAD/CAM systems and devices such as computerized foot orthoses, myoelectric prostheses, and energy storing components, neuro and brain machine interface systems.

4. Ability to apply knowledge of the theories and principles used in orthotics and prosthetics to teach custom design and fabrication of devices that are innovative, complex, and/or unusual in nature.

*5. Ability to function as a team member or leader with orthotists, prosthetists, and other professionals on committees to review local and national agenda items and to make recommendations based on the review.

6. Ability to develop reports and present at the national level to VHA leadership, Congressional members, and organizations such as AAOP, AOPA, and VSOs.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit

The full performance level of this vacancy is, GS-14 .

Physical Requirements: Please see VA Handbook 5019 for full details not covered in the above referenced qualification standard.

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: 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:

Additional information

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.

During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status.

VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority.

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.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

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