Orthotist/Prosthetist- Advanced Practitioner

Job Title

Clinical Care

Duties and Responsibilities Include, But Are Not Limited To:

Clinical Care

Independently manages and operates a small mobile lab, traveling via a specialized vehicle (Ford Transit 350) equipped as a mobile orthotics and prosthetics workshop/laboratory to serve assigned Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs) three days per week, with one day reserved for administrative duties, fabrication, and occasional home visits

• Provides care for clinically complex cases, including at least 25% of caseload involving Veterans with multiple limb amputations and mobility disabilities from diagnoses such as traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, and stroke
• Conducts complex patient analyses, including gait, range of motion, and lifestyle assessments, discussing findings with physicians to develop treatment plans with considerable influence
• Recognizes complicating conditions with potentially life-threatening implications, and designs innovative devices for complex or unusual conditions
• Develops customized treatment plans with referring physicians, implements plans, and provides follow-up and periodic evaluation to maintain optimal device fit and function

Device Fabrication and Technical Procedures

• Performs procedures to provide custom devices as prescribed, including casting, digitizing, scanning, model preparation and modification, material selection, thermoforming, trimming, and assembling devices
• Evaluates workmanship from outside fabrication facilities, ensuring structural safety and manufacturer compliance prior to patient delivery

Interdisciplinary Collaboration

• Regularly attends interdisciplinary clinics virtually at American Lake VA Medical Center (VAMC) as a full treatment team member with considerable influence on complex treatment plans
• Serves as subject matter expert across settings including rehabilitation medicine, orthopedics, neurosurgery, vascular care, podiatry, and oncology

Accreditation, Compliance, and Regulatory Knowledge

• Assures CBOC accreditation per American Board for Certification in Orthotics, Prosthetics and Pedorthics (ABC) rules, maintaining knowledge of requirements from the Board of Certification/Accreditation (BOC), National Commission for Orthotic and Prosthetic Education (NCOPE), International Society for Prosthetics and Orthotics (ISPO), American Academy of Orthotists and Prosthetists (AAOP), and Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO)
• Complies with federal acquisition regulations for vendor referrals, conducts site surveys of vendors within 25 miles of served CBOCs, and oversees contracted employees' work when applicable

Administrative and Resource Management

• Oversees budget development, inventory and resource management, and scheduling; devises goals aligned with Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN) and Veterans Health Administration (VHA) direction; conducts quality assurance activities
• Reviews and triages prosthetics requests daily, coordinating in-house versus outside vendor care based on patient needs and resource availability
• Manages a patient caseload and completes documentation in systems including Veterans Health Information Systems and Technology Architecture (VistA), Computerized Patient Record System (CPRS), and Online Workload System (OWLS)
• Performs inventory stock-posting, manages mobile lab equipment, places patient-specific orders, and reviews vendor quotes
• Analyzes data and generates reports using CPRS, VistA, Decision Support System (DSS), and Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) codes
• May provide oversight of fitters and/or technicians as assigned

Education and Training

• Provides educational in-services to physician groups, including podiatry, primary care, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Service (PMRS), and orthopedics
• Trains other Orthotists-Prosthetists, including residents and trainees, in new technologies related to mobile care delivery

Certification and Professional Development

• Maintains certification as both an Orthotist and Prosthetist through ABC, including continuing education and VA-required Talent Management System (TMS) training

Work Schedule: Tuesday-Friday 6:00AM-4:30PM (subject to change dependent on services needs)

Compressed/Flexible: Yes

Telework: Ad-hoc, not on a reoccurring basis

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized.

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized.