This Recreation Therapy Assistant position is located at the Amarillo VA Health Services Center Community Living Center. The primary purpose of this position is to provide a variety of recreation activities based on resident's leisure needs and capabilities. The Recreation Therapy Assistant develops and implements programs and is responsible for carrying out a full range of general recreation services with residents with complex medical, physical, behavioral and/or mental deficits.

Duties

*** Bargaining Position *** Plans and implements general recreation activities based on resident's leisure interests and functional skills as assessed by Recreation/Creative Arts Therapist. Planning and carrying out individual and group activities for the rehabilitation of patients with physical and psychiatric conditions. Monitoring, ordering, and tracking inventories for recreational supplies and equipment. Independently carries out scheduled activities on weekends without direct supervision. Takes active role in planning daily general recreation program, developing calendar of varied activities designed to address social, cognitive, physical, and quality of life needs of residents in long term care. Educating patients on the effective use of the equipment to meet their treatment goals. Providing a positive impact on patient/client self-esteem, life satisfaction, confidence, and increased level of independence. Plans and carries out leisure activities to include, but not limited to activities such as Bingo, Exercise, Outings, Movies, Special Events, Crafts, and plans 1:1 leisure activities. Developing publicity for scheduled special events through using fliers, bulletins, and/or newspapers. Reporting patient progress and overall leisure functioning to the recreation therapist and treatment team members. Plans and assists in carrying out Holidays and Special Events. Plans decorations, and holiday-oriented events. Assists with outings in the community, maintaining safety of residents. Demonstrates ability to escort, load and secure residents on Recreation Van. Carrying out initial first aid response and/or alerting emergency services as needed. Maintains safety of residents through awareness of individual precautions, assessment of environmental safety and staffing needs. Participating in quality improvement and reporting infection control and hazard issues. Recommending changes or modifications to the treatment plan based on participant response. Documenting resident participation and response to activities in progress notes. Work Schedule: Tuesday - Friday 10:00 a.m. - 8:30 p.m. or Tuesday - Saturday 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.; with rotational holidays as assigned Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual/remote position. Position Description/PD#: Recreation Assistant / PDHA504-00639-0 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required Preferred Experience: At least 6 months experience working within a long term care facility with geriatric population. Knowledge of behavior management with dementia. Driver's license preferred.

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 11/08/2023. 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. GS-6 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: 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; Communication and interpersonal relations, including the ability to appropriately and courteously relate to internal and external customers; Maintenance of confidentiality of veteran/employee information, electronic and print and medical center performance improvement program; work and function in the medical center in a safe manner, including infection control and the correct operation of equipment; Practical knowledge of a variety of adaptive sports, crafts, hobbies, and games to plan outdoor and indoor recreation activities for medical facility veterans; and, skill in dealing with special populations with physical and mental illness. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Clinical Data Collection/Documentation Communication Patient Care Technical 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/participation in community, social service, and similar activities. 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 moderately heavy physical exertion on an intermittent basis such as assisting a Veteran in transfer activities; i.e., wheelchair to transport vehicle. There are also regular periods of standing and walking throughout the medical center and at offstation sites. Additional, at times the work requires lifting, moving, and carrying of moderately heavy items and equipment for set-up or use by Veterans during recreational activities. 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 Thomas E Creek VA Medical Center 6010 Amarillo Boulevard, West Amarillo, TX 79106 US
• Name: VISN 17 SSU USAS Group
• Email: [email protected]