AddressSummary The Northport VAMC Healthcare System is seeking a Rehabilitation Therapy Assistant. This position will perform duties for the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Service department; and may be assigned to any of the clinical areas of Cardiac Rehabilitation, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy and Kinesiotherapy. Responsibilities Major Program Specialist duties include, but not limited too: The responsibilities are to assist Physical Therapists, Occupational Therapists and Kinesiotherapist with the treatments below: Physical Exercise for the treatment and rehabilitation of patients to develop strength, dexterity and coordination in limbs and muscles. Instructing patients in muscle re-education and ambulation, and in the use of crutches and other prosthetic or orthotic devices. The use of physical agents (heat, cold, water, light) and therapeutic exercises to treat disabilities, injury or disease. Creative or vocational treatment activities such as ceramics, art, etc., and activities of daily living which involve self care. Exploring the rehabilitation potential of patients and/or maintaining or improving skills or learning new skills. Teaching, programmed instruction, visual aids, and other instructional methods and equipment in treatment of patients. The incumbent works with the therapists or physiologist in administering the treatment plan. The Therapist or Physiologist along with input from the incumbent determines procedures and techniques to be used and/or modifies existing methods. The incumbent explains the treatment activity and guides the patient in the techniques to be used; motivates and stimulates the patient's interest and participation in the treatment activity. Performs other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday, Wednesday and Friday - 7:00am-12:00pm Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Rehabilitation Therapy Assistant/PDPD2966A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job 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. Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 04/09/2024. 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-06 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-05. 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. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: Individual Occupational Requirements: Specialized Experience (for positions at GS-4 and above): Examples of qualifying specialized experience include work as an assistant to one of the specialized therapies such as occupational, physical, manual arts, corrective, or educational therapy; or experience gained as an assistant or aid in patient care, social work, or psychology where the duties involved actual participation in physical medicine and activities of a hospital or clinic. Rehabilitation Therapy Assistant GS-0636-06: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-05 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Knowledge of diagnosis and treatment of physical and mental ailments, and career guidance, Knowledge of direct patient care techniques, including activities of daily living (ADLs), ambulating patients, infection control, and emergency response; uses appropriate safety precautions OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have 6 months of graduate education or an internship meets the specialized experience required above GS-5 only in those instances where it is directly related to the work of the position. NOTE: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Patient Care Technical Competence Therapy and Counseling 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: Work includes regular recurring physical exertion in standing, bending, kneeling, reaching, gripping, and walking. Moderate to heavy lifting is required to assist patient and operate equipment. Sitting is required in meetings and for conducting administrative work. Above average agility may be desirable in defending oneself (or others) against physical attack/abuse. Work may require physical health, normal use of arms and legs, and good visual and auditory acuity. 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 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: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. 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: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/. 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. The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced Federal/VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well-qualified: applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in most of the required competencies of the job. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. 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.
