These positions are located within the Sensory and Physical Rehabilitation Service Line at the VA Central Western Massachusetts Healthcare System in Leeds, MA. These positions plan, develop, provide, and/or coordinate both individual and group activities for ambulatory and non-ambulatory inpatients, outpatients, Hospice, Geriatric Short Stays, Mental Health programming, and Long Term Care residents under the guidance of a Therapeutic Recreation Therapist.

Duties

***THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION, YOU MUST LIVE WITHIN OR BE WILLING TO RELOCATE WITHIN A COMMUTABLE DISTANCE OF THE DUTY LOCATION*** Duties include, but are not limited to, the following: Consults with a broad spectrum of professional, technical, and lay personnel to ensure that patient activities are diverse, highly specialized to meet individual needs, and consistent with the objectives of the interdisciplinary treatment plan; Assists patients, families, unit and/or Recreation Therapy staff in the conduction of exercise groups, indoor sports, arts and crafts, current events, reality orientation, music, games, domestic activities (gardening, cooking), and special events; Meets regularly with the Recreation Therapists to discuss and review programs offered; Develops individualized therapeutic activity programs; Assists in the organization and supervision of volunteers working within a variety of specialized activities; Maintains program-related records and statistical reports, including Quality Assurance data, and completes supply inventories and requests; Performs other duties as assigned Work Schedule: Full Time; Sunday-Thursday; Sunday & Monday- 9:00 AM -5:30 PM; Tuesday- 10:00 AM- 7:30 PM; Wednesday- 7:30 AM- 4:00 PM; Thursday- 9:00 AM- 4:30 PM OR Tuesday-Saturday; Tuesday- 9:00 AM- 5:30 PM; Wednesday- 10:00 AM 7:30 PM; Thursday- 7:30 AM- 4:00 PM Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not approved Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required

Requirements

Qualifications

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~ In order to qualify for this position at the GS-5 level, you must meet one of the following requirements: Specialized Experience: You must have at least one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-4) in Federal service that has equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of this Recreation Assistant position, and that is typically in or related to the work of this position. Qualifying experience include working as a 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; a teacher's aid in elementary school recreation or physical education program, with emphasis on development of general recreational skills and abilities; an aid or assistant assignments in recreation while on active military service; an 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; a 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); a sales or stock clerk in a recreation supplies and equipment shop; an 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; or an 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. NOTE: Experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title; duties; month and year start/end dates AND hours worked per week. ~OR~ Education: Successful completion of a 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree with major study or at least 24 semester hours in courses related to recreation or physical education. This education must have been obtained in an accredited business or technical school, junior college, college or university for which high school graduation or the equivalent is the normal prerequisite. NOTE: Transcripts must be submitted with application. Education cannot be credited without documentation. ~OR~ Combination: Equivalent combinations of specialized experience and higher-level education as described above, that demonstrates your ability to perform the duties of this position. NOTE: Transcripts must be submitted with application. Education cannot be credited without documentation. You will be rated on the following Competencies as part of the assessment questionnaire for this position: Clinical Data Collection/DocumentationPlanning and EvaluatingVulnerabilities Assessment 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 involves a good deal of standing, bending, kneeling, and walking. Moderate lifting is required for positioning patients, assisting with transfers, moving activity equipment and procuring supplies. Most activities are rendered on the unit to which employee is assigned. Occasionally activities are conducted outside on hospital grounds or during outings into the community. 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: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

Contacts

• Address Northampton VA Medical Center 421 North Main Street Leeds, MA 01053 US
• Name: VHA National Recruitment Center
• Phone: (844)456-5208
• Email: [email protected]