This position is located within the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Service at the VA Medical Center in Battle Creek, MI. The Therapy Assistant is responsible for providing regular, recurring, diversified treatment to maintain or improve 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).

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: Works with patients who have a variety of illnesses, diseases, disabling conditions, and varying degrees of impairment. Oversees activity and exercise programs, adjusting approach and technique to enable safe Veteran participation, with direct and/or indirect supervision from a rehabilitation professional. Recognizes negative or adverse effects that lead to modification of treatment plan and provides feedback to the evaluating clinician. Assists clinicians with issuing durable medical equipment (DME) and assists with educating Veterans, family, medical team members on safe use of DME. Assists mobility team with wheelchair maintenance checks for residents of the Community Living Center (CLC), to include tightening foot/arm-rests, tightening brakes. Assists with transporting, escorting Veterans to and from Physical Rehabilitation (PR) departments. Monitors activities in the aquatic environment to prevent accidents and aid swimmers and clinical staff. Responds to patients in stress and administers first aid, when necessary. Assists physical therapists during examination or treatment addressing pelvic floor therapy Disinfects equipment and supplies. Performs data collection and tracking duties, as assigned Participates in departmental meetings, huddles, interdisciplinary team meetings, committees, and/or projects. Performs other related duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Full Time, Monday - Friday 8:00am - 4:30pm Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, you must meet the following criteria: 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. In addition to the English Proficiency requirement, you must also meet one of the following: SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Applicants must possess at least one (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade in Federal service (GS-5). This experience must be close to the work of this position and given you the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities required to successfully perform the duties of a Therapy Assistant GS-6. Specialized experience includes 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. Additional specialized experience includes: planning and carrying out direct patient care, such as therapeutic activities; using recreational materials/equipment to provide therapeutic exercises; working knowledge of basic health care issues; skill in assessing the needs of patients; developing patient treatment goals/objectives; and documenting patient response and progress. NOTE: Your experience must be fully documented in your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates AND hours worked per week. OR Education Substitution: Successfully completed one-half year (9 semester hours) of graduate education or internship with course work that is directly related to the position of a Therapy Assistant. This education must have been obtained at an accredited college or university. NOTE: If you select this option, you must submit a copy of your transcript with your application. Education cannot be credited without documentation. OR Combination of Experience and Education: An equivalent combination of directly related graduate level education and specialized experience, as described above. NOTE: Your experience must be fully documented in your resume (job title, duties, employment dates, and hours worked per week) and you must submit a copy of your transcript. You will be rated on the following Competencies as part of the assessment questionnaire for this position: Customer Service (Clerical/Technical)SecurityTeaches OthersTeam BuildingTechnical Competence 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 regular, recurring physical exertion and prolonged standing, walking, bending, moderately heavy lifting of equipment, pushing wheelchairs, and assisting with the movement/positioning of patients. 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 Battle Creek VA Medical Center 5500 Armstrong Road Battle Creek, MI 49037 US
• Name: VHA National Recruitment Center
• Phone: (844)456-5208
• Email: [email protected]