Orthopedic Technician
The Orthopedic Health Technician (OHT) is assigned to the Orthopedic Outpatient Clinics which is organizationally responsible to the Orthopedic Division of the Department of Surgery. This position is that of a journeyman technician who provides direct patient care to a select population of patients requiring casts, braces, splints, and traction in the Sacramento VAMC treating locations (Outpatient, ED, Operating room, and inpatient areas) outlined above.
Major duties
The Orthopedic Health Technician also provides staffing support for the Podiatry clinic as workload permits. In addition, the incumbent is responsible for the operation and maintenance of all equipment used in the application and removal of casts Major duties include, but are not limited to the following: Demonstration knowledge of OSHA safety standards for blood borne pathogens and universal precaution techniques to protect patient and self from infections. Knowledge of sterilization procedures used to clean instruments to prevent the spread of infectious and contagious diseases. Maintains/cleans reusable medical equipment (RME) according to manufacturer's instructions. Thorough knowledge of methods, techniques and the sequence undertaken in the development of casts and braces, a thorough knowledge of materials and their applications and a high level of skill in the use of tools and equipment. Knowledge of normal and abnormal results to recognize and report obvious abnormalities during procedures. Knowledge of proper body mechanics to ensure safety of self and patients. Basic knowledge of Vista, Windows NT and the use of compatible personal computer systems and specific knowledge of the architecture and full use of the CPRS EMR. Work Schedule: Full-time; Monday-Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Orthopedic Technician/PD11739O Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
Qualifications
To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 10/16/2026. TIME-IN-GRADE REQUIREMENT: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-7 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-6. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade. Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment. INDIVIDUAL OCCUPATIONAL REQUIREMENT: 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 - Orthopedic Technician. MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: You may qualify based on your experience as described below: Orthopedic Technician, GS-7 Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-6 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: includes assists physician in application of special casts, i.e., body casts, spicas, etc;Sets up and maintains a sterile field for minor orthopedic procedures such as intra-articular injections, aspirations, and subcutaneous hardware removal.; Reviews and compares clinic schedule with availability of bone films to ensure patient and films are available for clinic appointment; makes daily rounds on inpatient units. Checks orthopedic equipment, performs safety checks, and provides direct feedback to nurses and area leadership, when needed. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Interpersonal Effectiveness Medical Information Reading Writing 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. Physical Requirements: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/ Hold patient's extremity steadily for up to one hour. Works at computer terminal. Involves prolonged standing and holding of surgical instrumentation when working in the operating room/treatment room. 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.
Requirements
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 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 Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP) Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details.