The Supervisory Recreation Therapist is responsible for the management of therapeutic recreation services in Social Work Service. The recreation therapy program provides therapeutic and self-directed programs for a variety of patient populations, including but not limited to, Geriatrics and Extended Care, Inpatient Mental Health, and Residential Rehabilitation Therapy Programming. All areas are served with the intensity of services based on the intensity of the patients' needs.

Duties

The Supervisory Recreation Therapist directly supervises a multi-disciplinary staff assigned to the Recreation Therapy Department including Recreation Therapists, Creative Arts Therapists, Therapy Assistants, and Program Support staff. The Supervisory Recreation Therapist is responsible for planning, organizing and directing the administrative, operational, patient and personnel activities for the Recreation Therapy program and is available for consultation and coverage for other SWS Programs. The Supervisory Recreation Therapist is capable of practicing at an advanced level and has specialized knowledge of practice in the field of Recreation Therapy. In addition, the following are required: 1. Ability to provide treatment in complex cases and work with great independence. 2. Ability to balance multiple responsibilities, set priorities, delegate tasks, meet multiple deadlines, analyze organizational problems, and develop and implement effective solutions. 3. Ability to analyze organizational and operational problems to develop and implement solutions that result in efficient operations and use data effectively to manage workload, quality, performance, and productivity within the service. 4. Skill in interpersonal relationships in dealing with employees, team leaders, and managers. 5. Ability to use evidence-based practices, clinical practice guidelines in a professional area, and to guide the staff in applying these tools. 6. Knowledge of organizational theories and strategies to positively impact the overall goals and objectives within the service. 7. Knowledge related to administrative functions such as fiscal, material supply, equipment management, and clinical and program management. The Supervisory Recreation Therapist assists in planning, establishing, and implementing policies and procedures; developing individual or group goals and objectives as well as monitoring, operating, evaluating, coordinating and overseeing the staff of the assigned program. The Supervisory Recreation Therapist will assure the staff whom they supervise are aware of, adhere to all current directives of VHA, and meet current Joint Commission (JC) standards, Long-term Care Institute, Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) standards, State licensure standards, and VA-OIG expectations. The Supervisory Recreation Therapist will conduct ongoing intensive reviews and appraisals to ensure the accomplishment of objectives and adherence to standards set by governing bodies. As applicable, the Supervisory Recreation Therapist is responsible for accreditation activities, performance improvement and implementation of all directives related to the Recreation Therapy Program, specifically, but not limited to VHA Directive 1172.05 Recreation Therapy Service. The Supervisory Recreation Therapist will represent the Battle Creek Healthcare System in collaborations with many Community Partners (i.e., federal/state/county governments, municipalities, providers of homeless services and other stakeholders). The Supervisory Recreation Therapist must be flexible with their time, which is often dedicated to committees, working groups, event planning, conference calls, developing communication/ briefing materials and power point presentations. The Supervisory Recreation Therapist takes a leadership role in ongoing system improvements, both within the VA and in partnership with community partners within the Battle Creek Healthcare Delivery System. The Supervisory Recreation Therapist will develop individual, group and program goals, priorities and objectives. They will be responsible for overseeing all aspects of data management and reporting, with the capacity to report out on Recreation Therapy services, therapeutic interventions and activities with little notice. As a subject matter expert, the Supervisory Recreation Therapist must be prepared to provide information and briefings to others in many professional forums, to include panels, conference presentations and workshops. The Supervisory Recreation Therapist is responsible for maintaining appropriate community partnerships and the development of new community partnerships that can meet the clinical needs of Veterans served and support Veterans in becoming independent in their own recreation and leisure. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8:00am-4:30pm Telework: Yes, limited to ad-hoc agreement Virtual: This is not a virtual position Functional Statement #: 91226-0 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): 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, 11/02/2023. Basic Requirements: United States Citizenship. Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy. Education. A bachelor's degree or higher, from an accredited college or university, with a major in therapeutic recreation or recreation/leisure, with an option and/or emphasis in therapeutic recreation. The degree must be approved by the National Council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification (NCTRC); OR, (b) A bachelor's degree or higher in any field from an accredited college or university and must be a certified therapeutic recreation specialist (CTRS). The degree must be approved by the NCTRC. If hired under this education, the certification cannot be waived. Certification. Applicants must be certified in recreation therapy as a CTRS by the NCTRC. If hired under paragraph 3b(1)(b), certification cannot be waived. Physical Requirements. See VA Directive and Handbook 5019. English Language Proficiency. Must be proficient in spoken and written English, as required by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f). Grade Determinations. In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates: Creditable Experience. Knowledge of Current Professional Recreation Therapy Practices.To be creditable, the experience must have required the use of knowledge, skills, and abilities (also referred to as "clinical competencies") associated with current professional recreation practices. Evidence of such experience includes private practice, U.S. military services, local/state/federal government organizations, for profit/non-profit organizations, health care, or educational facilities. Quality of Experience. Qualifying experience must be at a level comparable to the next lower grade level. Experience satisfying this requirement must be active professional practice, which may be paid or non-paid employment as a recreation or creative arts therapist. Supervisory Recreation Therapist, GS-12 Experience. At least one year of creditable experience at the next lower grade level. Assignment. For all assignments above the full-performance level, the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope, complexity (difficulty), range of variety, and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time. Supervisors at this level are typically found in complexity level 2 or level 3 medical centers, if needed. They are responsible for the supervision, administrative management, and direction of program services. They evaluate programs to ensure proper coordination with the overall delivery of health care. The incumbent has full administrative oversight for planning and directing the staff assignments in a variety of clinical settings. They have responsibility for general or technical supervision of key clinical and training programs. Typical duties include: assigning work, monitoring clinical performances of staff, resolving staff conflicts which may interfere with the delivery of services, identifying continuing education and training needs, preparing performance standards and ratings. They interview candidates for positions and recommend appointments, advancements, or administer disciplinary actions, when appropriate. The supervisor accepts, amends, or rejects completed work, and ensures that performance requirements are met. They ensure compliance with the accrediting agency and regulatory requirements, establish and monitor the quality of the pre-analytical processes as part of the overall service's quality management program and take corrective action, as needed. The supervisor ensures orientation and competency assessment of assigned staff. The supervisor develops policies and procedures, manages document control, develops performance standards, position descriptions, and functional statements and is responsible for professional and administrative management of an assigned area, to include time and attendance and leave management. The supervisor conducts department meetings at regular intervals to convey information to staff. The supervisor maintains interdepartmental relations with other services/departments, individuals, and community partners to accomplish medical center goals and may provide clinical treatment in the most complex of cases. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: Ability to provide treatment in complex cases and work with great independence. Ability to balance multiple responsibilities, set priorities, delegate tasks, meet multiple deadlines, analyze organizational problems, and develop and implement effective solutions. Ability to analyze organizational and operational problems to develop and implement solutions that result in efficient operations and use data effectively to manage workload, quality, performance, and productivity within the service. Skill in interpersonal relationships in dealing with employees, team leaders, and managers. Ability to use evidence-based practices, clinical practice guidelines in a professional area, and to guide the staff in applying these tools. Knowledge of organizational theories and strategies to positively impact the overall goals and objectives within the service. Knowledge related to administrative functions such as fiscal, material supply, equipment management, and clinical and program management. References: VA Handbook 5005/111 PART II APPENDIX G60 The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-11. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-12. Physical Requirements: Must be in overall good health, able to sit at a desk working at a computer, engage in light to moderate physical activity including sitting, walking, bending, and carrying supplies. The Coordinator must be able to perform primarily light and sedentary duties with occasionally moderate physical demands, exercise patience, and control emotions, with reasonable accommodation if necessary, without endangering the health and safety of self or others. Position requires driving to sites of care, standing for extended periods of time, and involves sitting at a computer, in a car, and in counsel and consultation with Veterans, community partners and interdisciplinary teams. This position requires close visual acuity to perform an activity such as: viewing a computer terminal; extensive reading; and repetitive motions of the wrists, hands, and/or fingers.

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: 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: Richard Bloomberg
• Phone: 269-217-1410
• Email: [email protected]