The Battle Creek VA Medical Center is recruiting for a Therapy Assistant. The selected Therapy Assistant will function under Specialty Service.

Duties

Assisting with Therapeutic Exercise Implementation- 65 percent The Therapy Assistant works as an integral member of the Physical Rehabilitation (PR) Department, providing regular, recurring, diversified treatment to maintain or improve the Veterans general state of physical and /or mental health, following a treatment plan completed by a Physical Therapist (PT), Occupational Therapist (OT) or Kinesiotherapist (KT). The Therapy Assistant will supervise activity and exercise programs, adjusting approach and technique to enable safe Veteran participation with direct and/or indirect supervision from a rehab professional. Incumbent must recognize negative or adverse effects that lead to modification of treatment plan and provide feedback to the evaluating clinician, supervisor and / or team member as appropriate. The TA may work together or co-treat with professional clinical staff for Veterans with complex presentation. Assists with Issuing and Instructing is Safe Use of DME / Wheelchair Maintenance- 10 percent The Therapy Assistant will assist the clinicians with issuing durable medical equipment (DME) and assist with educating Veterans, family, medical team members on safe use of DME. Assisting the seating and mobility team with wheelchair and cushion maintenance checks for residents of the CLC will occur. Provision simple repairs of equipment (tighten footrests or arm rests- tighten brakes) under the supervision of the seating and mobility specialist, may be expected. Varied or Recurring Tasks - 25 percent The Therapy Assistant will assist with transporting or escorting Veterans to and from PR departments and must be prepared to provide intervention, observe for, and adapt to unpredictable behavior. Physically assisting Veterans in and out of bed, cars, restrooms, treatment areas and vehicles. Incumbent needs to rotate Therapy Assistants to the pool deck to function as a lifeguard. Monitoring activities in the aquatic environment to prevent accidents and aid Veterans/swimmers and clinical staff. Provide caution related to unsafe conditions. Incumbent may be required to rescue swimmers in danger of drowning and administer first aid. Responsible for maintaining order in the aquatic environment. The female Therapy Assistant assigned to chaperone duties will be expected to be in the exam room with the physical therapists during examination or treatment addressing pelvic floor therapy. The Therapy Assistant, who is a chaperone, will help with set up of equipment and assist Veteran with dressing and undressing, provide gowns and other dressing apparel to the Veteran. The incumbent filling the chaperone responsibilities must be female. Per VHA Handbook 1330.01 Health Care Services for Women Veterans: A female chaperone must be in the examination room during examinations, procedures, or treatments involving the breast and genitalia, regardless of the gender of the provider. The Therapy Assistant works with patients who have a variety of illnesses, diseases and /or disabling conditions with varying degrees of impairment.The Therapy Assistant will demonstrate flexibility, adapting to a varied clinical schedule. Utilization in various sections of physical rehabilitation for coverage may occur routinely and may consist of recurring duties of a routine nature such as disinfecting equipment, inventory of supplies, data collection, and other related duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8am-430pm Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: 91752-0 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 10/23/2023. 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-6 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-5. 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: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-5 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: 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. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Customer Service (Clerical/Technical)SecurityTeaches OthersTeam BuildingTechnical Competence 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: In many assignments, the work involves regular and recurring physical exertion, prolonged standing, or walking, bending, moderately heavy lifting or moving equipment, pushing wheelchairs, positioning, transferring Veterans, and assisting with ambulation. The position requires physical fitness and swimming skills necessary to maintain certification as a Lifeguard. 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.

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: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

Contacts

• Address Battle Creek VA Medical Center 5500 Armstrong Road Battle Creek, MI 49037 US
• Name: Shawn Hinen
• Phone: (260) 258-4168
• Email: [email protected]