AddressSummary This position is located in the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Service (PM&RS) at VA Northport Health Care System - Northport VA Medical Center in Northport, NY. The Therapy Assistant works with Veterans/patients who have a variety of illnesses, diseases, and/or disabling conditions within clinical areas of Cardiac Rehabilitation, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy and Kinesiotherapy. Responsibilities THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION, YOU MUST LIVE WITHIN OR BE WILLING TO RELOCATE WITHIN A COMMUTABLE DISTANCE OF THE DUTY LOCATION The Therapy Assistant is responsible for working with the Therapist, Licensed Assistant or Physiologist in carrying out the following: Physical exercise for the treatment and rehabilitation of patients; instructing patients in muscle re-education and ambulation; the use of physical agents and therapeutic exercises; creative or vocational treatment activities; exploring the rehabilitation potential of patients and/or maintaining or improving skills; teaching, programmed instruction, visual aids and other instructional methods. Major duties and responsibilities include but not limited to: Planning and carrying graduated therapy treatment plans and procedures Working with the therapists or physiologist in administering the treatment plan Explaining the treatment activity and guiding the patient in the techniques to be used and motivating and stimulating the patient's interest and participation in the treatment activity Recognizing the patient's reactions, adjustments and work habits as well as gross physical or mental changes Making recommendations to the therapist/physiologist, for change or discontinuance in treatment or activities Responsible for the materials, supplies, and equipment needed in his/her area, requesting replacement or repair of same, and maintaining stock levels Carrying out duties to assure the continuity of patient care and overall efficiency of the service Cleaning and maintaining therapeutic equipment and clinic treatment areas Scheduling outpatient clinic appointments using VistA scheduling options Using established business rules to schedule appointments for veterans Serving as timekeeper as required and performing other related duties as assigned Work Schedule: Part Time - Monday, Wednesday and Friday; 07:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved 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 Minimum Requirement: The following are minimum requirements for appointment as a Therapy Assistant in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), which all applicants must met. Specialized Experience (GS-06): You must have one (1) year of specialized experience that equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA's) to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (i.e., GS-05). 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. (CLEAR DETAILS OF EXPERIENCE REQUIRED: Your resume must show complete information for each job entry, such as beginning and ending dates of employment, duties performed, and/or total hours worked per week.) OR, Education (GS-06): Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have six months of graduate education (i.e., 9 semester hours) in those instances where it is directly related to the work of the position. NOTE: One year of full-time graduate education is considered to be the number of credit hours that the school attended has determined to represent 1 year of full-time study. If that information cannot be obtained from the school, 18 semester hours should be considered as satisfying the 1 year of full-time study requirement. Part-time graduate education is creditable in accordance with its relationship to a year of full-time study at the school attended. (UNOFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED: If you do not submit your transcript, your application may not be reviewed.) OR, Combination (GS-06): Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have a combination of specialized experience and education as described above. If education is used to meet specialized experience requirements, then such education must include courses directly related to the work of the position. (UNOFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED: If you do not submit your transcript, your application may not be reviewed.) AND ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY: In accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), No person shall serve in direct patient care positions unless they are proficient in basic written and spoken English. You must be proficient in basic written and spoken English in order to meet the requirements of this position. AND SELECTIVE PLACEMENT FACTOR: This position includes a Selective Placement Factor (skill, knowledge, ability, or other worker characteristic basic to - and essential for - satisfactory performance of the job). Selective Placement Factors are a prerequisite to appointment and represent minimum requirement for a position. Applicants who do not meet it are ineligible for further consideration. The Selective Placement Factor for this position is: A broad practical knowledge of treatment principles and techniques in rehabilitation therapy (Your specialty knowledge must be in one of the following: Cardiac Rehabilitation, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy and Kinesiotherapy) and their impact on physical/mental conditions.(CLEAR DETAILS OF KNOWLEDGE REQUIRED: If your resume doesn't show this specific knowledge, your application will not be reviewed.) You will be rated on the following Competencies as part of the assessment questionnaire for this position: Patient Care Planning and Evaluating Technical Competence Therapy and Counseling IMPORTANT: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. All experience listed on your resume must include the month and year start/end dates. 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. 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; religious; 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. Physical Requirements: The work includes regular recurring physical exertion in standing, bending, kneeling, reaching, gripping, and walking. Moderate to heavy lifting is required to assist patients 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 attach/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 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: 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: Recognition of Foreign Qualifications | International Affairs Office (ed.gov). Additional Information Receiving Service Credit for 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. Special Employment Consideration: VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply, including those eligible for hiring under 5 CFR 213.3102(u), Schedule A, Appointment of persons with disabilities (i.e., intellectual disabilities, severe physical disabilities, or psychiatric disabilities), and/or disabled veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30% or more. For more information on how to apply using this appointment authority via the Selective Placement Coordinator within the office, contact the facility Human Resources Department at (631) 261-4400. The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation and be found well-qualified (have a final rating of 85 or more before any Veterans preference points) for this vacancy. 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.
