Health Educator

Who May Apply:  Current, Permanent Army Medicine Employees – Health Educator GS-1701-09

Landstuhl Regional Medical Center (LRMC) is located in the German State of Rhineland-Pfalz about 11 kilometers west of Kaiserslautern and five kilometers south of Ramstein Air Base. It is approximately 1.5 hours south of Frankfurt Airport by car. LRMC is a fully accredited health-care facility with 140 beds and neonatal bassinets. It also has 230 beds at its Medical Transient Detachment serving outpatients from Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. It operates nine outpatient clinics in the surrounding area. LRMC is located in USAG Rheinland-Pfalz. For information on the community, see the USAG Rheinland-Pfalz community page. Visit the LRMC homepage.

As the largest American hospital outside of the United States and the only U.S. Medical Center in Europe, it provides primary care, tertiary care, hospitalization and treatment for more than 245,000 U.S. military personnel and their families within the European command and is also the evacuation and treatment center for all injured U.S. Service Members and contractors as well as members of 44 coalition forces serving in Afghanistan, Iraq, Africa Command, Central Command, European Command and Pacific Command. With a staff composed of more than 2,000 military and civilians, LRMC has approximately 150 physicians, 250 nurses and 40 Medical Service Corps officers. 

Position serves as a Health Educator, providing health education to improve health behaviors and using evaluation tools to measure changes in support of the Army Wellness Center (AWC) program. The AWC program operates in accordance with published guidelines and standards for the Total Army, and in support of eligible beneficiaries in the MEDDAC Footprint. The elements of the AWC program are governed by AR 600-63, April 2015, MEDCOM OPORD 12-17, Implementation of Army Wellness Centers, Army Public Health Center Technical Guide 335, and Army Wellness Center Installation Implementation Guide, June 2015.

Position works under the direct supervision of the Director, Army Wellness Center to receive instruction, assignments, and objectives necessary to meet the AWC mission.

MAJOR DUTIES:

Conducts physical fitness testing and comprehensive health and wellness assessments (i.e. cardiorespiratory, body compositional analysis, muscular fitness, flexibility assessments, and tobacco education). Conducts health and wellness assessments using advanced technology to include direct gas exchange, ultrasound body fat, air displacement plethysmography, indirect calorimetry, heart rate variability, strength dynamometer, goniometer, and sphygmomanometer. Conducts biometric screening and utilizes appropriate screening tools to determine exercise testing readiness. Applies various behavior change theories to include trans-theoretical model of behavior change, health belief model, self-efficacy, social cognitive theory, relapse prevention, information processing paradigm, theory of reasoned action, theory of planned behavior, ecological approaches, organizational change theory, diffusion of innovations theory and community organizational model. Applies accepted health coaching strategies to include mindful listening, open-ended inquiry, motivational interviewing, identifying/creating goals, identifying strengths/motivators, and facilitation of wellness vision. Provides health coaching and health education including feedback in various group settings to the general population on health promotion programs such as physical fitness, healthy nutrition, general wellness education, and stress management. Maintains accurate, complete, current and confidential records where required.

Follows and maintains proficiency in approved Army Wellness Center standard operating procedures on health assessment review, healthy nutrition, physical fitness, stress management, general wellness education, tobacco education, cleaning and calibration procedures on advance testing equipment, data recording, tabulation, and analysis. Ensures, complete, and timely data collection and entry through approved Information Management Systems, the Electronic Medical Record (EMR), and the Army Wellness Center Health and Wellness Tracker (AWCHWT).

Incumbent must maintain high proficiency in established competency assessments of core programs. Incumbent is responsible for continuing education of current research relative to health promotion/education concepts, principles, techniques, and practices in order to perform assigned duties.

ABOUT THE POSITION:

Must be able to satisfy the requirements of the 26JUL12 DODI 1400.25 V1230, DoD Civilian Personnel Management System: Employment in Foreign Areas and Employee Return Rights. Visit http://www.dtic.mil/whs/directives/corres/pdf/140025v1230.pdf.

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT:

RETURN RIGHTS:

• Return rights are granted to civilian employees hired from stateside DoD activities to overseas positions per 10 U.S. Code § 1586 - Rotation of career-conditional and career employees assigned to duty outside the United States
• Apply only to current employees recruited from non-foreign areas for employment outside of CONUS
• Employees have return rights to their original position for five years and must exercise those return rights unless forfeited or formally extended.
• Employees lose return rights when taking a new position outside of DOD or non-appropriated funds positions.
• When an employee exercises their return rights they will be placed in the position they held prior to their assignment outside of the United States.
• If the employee voluntarily stays overseas for longer than five years, they will forfeit their return rights.
• If the employee voluntarily returns to a different position in CONUS, return rights are automatically forfeited.
• Any employee who leaves government service automatically forfeits their return rights. 

REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION:

Federal agencies must provide reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities where appropriate. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process should contact the hiring agency directly. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.

A reasonable accommodation is any change to a job, the work environment, or the way things are usually done that enables an individual with a disability to apply for a job, perform job duties or receive equal access to job benefits.

Under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, federal agencies must provide reasonable accommodations when:

◦An applicant with a disability needs an accommodation to have an equal opportunity to apply for a job.

◦An employee with a disability needs an accommodation to perform the essential job duties or to gain access to the workplace.

◦An employee with a disability needs an accommodation to receive equal access to benefits, such as details, training, and office-sponsored events.

You can request a reasonable accommodation at any time during the application or hiring process or while on the job. Requests are considered on a case-by-case basis.

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY:

The U.S. Army Medical Command does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service, or other non-merit factor.