The incumbent will serve as the Recreation Assistant for the assigned patient care area/program (s). He/She will provide non-clinical recreation therapy and diversional programming in the Community Living Centers. Responsible for developing specific activities and routines to maintain or improve patient's general state of physical and/or mental health.

Duties

Duties include but are not limited to: Independently develops and implements programs. Works with patients who have a variety of illnesses, diseases and/or disabling conditions. Independent implementation of general recreation (diversional) activities to achieve rehabilitation, prevention and/or maintenance goals. Collaborates with professional CTRS/RTS to select, adapt, and/or adjust recreation therapy modalities in accordance with treatment goals. Records patient participation in electronic recording system, Supervise and assist with activities sponsored by volunteer groups for the service and will complete forms. Orient all new service volunteers, to the service facilities and services. Plans and assists the details of special events and federal holidays. Schedules and publicizes recreation activities. Arranges for supplies and services needed to accomplish scheduled recreation activities. Work Schedule: Rotating shifts to include weekends and holidays Compressed/Flexible: not available Telework: not available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Recreation Assistant/PD016490 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• Designated and/or random drug testing may be required
• 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

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 08/17/2023. 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. You may qualify based on your experience as described below: 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: daily planning and implementation of recreation programs, services and activity interventions on specific units and areas with coverage needs including: rehabilitation, inpatient and outpatient mental health, extended care, and activity centers. Documents observations, participation levels, needs, barriers, interests, and variables Independent implementation of general recreation (diversional) activities to achieve goals; Developing specific activities and routines to maintain or improve patient's general state of physical and/or mental health based on the therapeutic recreation assessment completed by the Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist/Therapeutic Recreation Specialist (CTRS/TRS). SPF (Selective Placement Factor) Valid Driver's License is required. Individual Occupational Requirements Group leader, counselor, or similar work in public and private recreation programs for adults or children such as summer camps, local playgrounds, YWCA and YMCA clubs, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, urban community centers, or resort recreational activities. Teacher's aid in elementary school recreation or physical education program, with emphasis on development of general recreational skills and abilities. Aid or assistant assignments in recreation while on active military service. Aid or assistant in the organization and administration of recreation activities, such as preparing activities calendars, maintaining attendance records, and providing information concerning schedules and activities. Summer aid in a State or national park, with duties related to the recreational activities of visitors to campsites, trails, picnic areas, nature and raft centers, and boating and fishing areas (e.g., demonstrating camping techniques and park safety, conducting nature tours, and overseeing farm animal areas provided for children). Sales or stock clerk in a recreation supplies and equipment shop. Aid or assistant in the issuance of authorized property, and in the maintenance of inventory control and accountability for such property in a recreation facility. Aid or assistant in a hotel or resort recreation service, with duties such as setting up areas for games, tournaments, and other organized group recreational activities. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Attention to DetailPatient CarePlanning and EvaluatingTherapy and CounselingWritten Communication 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: The work requires regular and recurring physical exertion such as extended periods of standing or walking for prolonged periods of time and over rough, uneven, or rocky surfaces; frequent bending, crouching, reaching, stooping, and stretching or similar activities to set up and take apart equipment and apparatus; recurring lifting of moderately heavy items such as bowling and sports equipment and repositioning patients; and pushing or pulling heavy objects. The work may require specific physical characteristics and abilities such as above-average agility and dexterity to perform intricate therapeutic procedures. Must be able to push wheelchair patients on level and inclined ground and physically able to drive the station vehicles and complete all requirements for operating VHA vehicle. 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.

Contacts

• Address Lebanon VA Medical Center 1700 South Lincoln Avenue Lebanon, PA 17042 US
• Name: Tessy Wigfield
• Phone: 570-550-2889
• Email: [email protected]