This position is located within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Veterans Health Administration (VHA), VA Mid-Atlantic Health Care Network (VISN 6), Hampton Veterans Affairs Medical Center (HVAMC), under the Mental Health and Behavioral Sciences Service Line (MHBS). This position is aligned with the Serious Mental Illness Programs.

Duties

This position is an advanced practice recreation therapist and has overall responsibility for planning, assessing, and evaluating programs to ensure proper coordination between care delivered by the program and overall delivery of healthcare within the facility. They are responsible for daily program operations, developing policies and procedures, and preparing reports and statistics for facility, Veterans Integrated Service Networks (VISNs), and national use. This assignment requires administrative direction and decision-making skills, interagency coordination of care, program evaluation and analysis, budgetary controls, and planning. Receives referrals and conducts, analyzes, interprets, and reports assessment data based upon functional domains (cognitive, sensory, social, affective, physical, and leisure). Incorporate the four-step process of: assessment, planning, implementation, and evaluation of services delivered, the therapist constructs appropriate and evidence-based recreation therapy interventions for treating patients with complex medical or mental health issues. Employs the knowledge and understanding of physical and mental illness, psychology, and other appropriate physical, social, and biological sciences, and skill in recreation therapy, therapists plan and carry out treatment programs which are directed to such goals that include but are not limited to: (1) sensory integration; (2) ambulation; (3) diminishing emotional stress; (4) community reentry; (5) reality orientation; (6) muscular dysfunction reorientation; (7) treatment of psychosocial dysfunction; (8) providing a sense of achievement and progress; and/or (9) channeling energies into acceptable forms of behavior. Conducts ongoing evaluations of therapy results and modify, redirect, adjust, and augment treatment plans as indicated by each patient's response and progress in the light of each patient's physical, emotional, mental, and social needs, skills, aptitudes, abilities, and interests. Determines effectiveness of protocols, modalities, and programs for targeted groups through quantitative analysis and identifies potential risks and need for adaptive interventions with cases to facilitate improved bio-psychosocial wellbeing. Conducts discharge analysis for community needs. Plans and develops the implementation and facilitation of individual and/or group therapeutic sessions. Independently applies evidence-based and best practice therapeutic techniques and interventions. Independently utilizes appropriate screening and evaluation techniques required to appropriately provide direct patient care in areas such as, but not limited to recommendations for recreation therapy assistive devices, including fit and function in coordination with outpatient rehabilitation services. Responsible for the overall technical and administrative oversight for operations within their program area, including coordination of clinical assignments for multiple professionals comprising of an interdisciplinary team. Maintains data and statistical compilations to comply with Joint Commission, CARF, VHA and Medical Center policy and procedures. Work Schedule: 8:00AM - 6:30PM, Wednesday - Saturday Compressed/Flexible:Available Telework: Not available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Qualifications

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: The following education requirements apply to the recreation therapist: 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, 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: Recreation Therapist: Applicants must be certified in recreation therapy as a CTRS by the NCTRC. May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria). Grandfathering Provision: All persons employed in VHA as a recreation or creative arts therapist, on the effective date of this qualification standard, are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title, series, and grade held, including positive education, and registration and/or certification that are part of the basic requirements of the occupation. For employees who do not meet all the basic requirements in this standard, but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed, the following provisions apply: Such employees may be reassigned, promoted up to, and including, the full performance Journeyman) level, or changed to lower grade within the occupation, but may not be promoted beyond the journeyman level, or placed in supervisory or managerial positions. Employees who were appointed on a temporary basis, prior to the effective date of the qualification standard, may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed, on a temporary or permanent basis, until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standard. Employees initially grandfathered into this occupation, who subsequently obtain additional education and/or licensure/registration/certification, that meet all the basic requirements of this qualification standard must maintain the required credentials as a condition of employment in the occupation. Recreation and creative arts therapists who are converted to title 38 hybrid status under this provision and subsequently leave the occupation lose protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements, in effect at the time of reentry, as a recreation or creative arts therapist. Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates: Recreation Therapist, GS-12 Experience: In addition to meeting the basic requirements, completion of two years of progressively complex experience, which includes one year equivalent to the next lower grade directly related to the position being filled. AND, Certification: Additional certification in a specialty treatment area in recreation therapy, such as, but not limited to: Physical Medicine/Rehabilitation, Geriatrics, Developmental Disabilities, Behavioral Health, Community Inclusion Services, Aquatic Exercise Therapy/Aquatic Therapy, Adapted Sports, Assisted Technology, Social Skills, etc., or in a directly related field such as, but not limited to: acceptance and commitment therapy, cognitive behavior therapy, dementia, dialectical behavioral therapy, gambling disorder, motivational interviewing, and/or wellness recovery action plan facilitator. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: Knowledge of best practice and evidence-based recreation therapy across multiple areas of practice. Ability to perform clinical services and balance organizational responsibilities while developing and implementing effective strategies with great autonomy, at a level compatible with the critical necessity for accuracy and completion. Ability to adapt assessment tools and treatment to the complexity of the diagnosis or disability and demonstrate the clinical reasoning necessary to identify the need for further in- depth specific assessment. Skill in developing, implementing, and modifying recreation therapy treatment plans in response to changing medical, physical, mental, psychological and/or psychosocial conditions, as well as comorbidities. Ability to provide clinical guidance using the advanced knowledge of best practice and evidence-based recreation therapy implementation across multiple areas of practice. Knowledge of how recreation therapy impacts revenue resource allocation, as it relates to complex diagnosis, treatment, and diagnostic coding. 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. At this level, recreation therapists use independent judgment of clinical information to administer specialized, complex, and extensive recreation therapy treatment theories, techniques, and evaluation methodologies in the provision of care to a diverse patient population with varying diagnoses, functional impairments, and cultural backgrounds. They also provide clinical practice guidance for other recreation therapy staff. Individuals in this assignment engage in a high level of decision­ making for independent care. With great autonomy, they employ specialty recreation therapy treatment modalities requiring cutting edge, sophisticated and complex skills and apply clinical expertise to a full range of patient populations. They apply advanced clinical skills to address: sensory motor, including sensory integration; neuromuscular and motor cognitive integration and cognitive components; and psychosocial skills and psychological components. The individuals in this assignment serve as the sole recreation therapist member of a multidisciplinary or specialty care treatment team. They mentor therapists who are at the full performance level or below and may coordinate clinical training programs, to include student supervision, administration and oversight, assignments, and evaluations. They may evaluate current research and coordinate or support research projects to conduct evidence-based initiatives. They assist in quality assurance efforts and strategic planning for recreation therapy programs. References: VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Appendix G60; dated June 7, 2019 The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-12. Physical Requirements: The work involves regular and recurring physical exertion such as prolonged walking or standing, bending, moderately heavy lifting or moving equipment, positioning severely disabled patients, and assisting patients in ambulation with wheelchair mobility. The work requires specific, common physical characteristics and abilities, such as average agility and dexterity, as well as skill and ability in leisure activities, maneuvering wheelchairs, and driving wheelchairs accessible vehicles. The work is primarily very active in nature with some sedentary work involved when performing administrate tasks. Work is conducted on an inpatient acute psychiatric unit and with any patients who suffer with mental illness, there is occasional risk of violence requiring the use of good judgment and safety precautions. Ability for rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously.

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 Hampton VA Medical Center 100 Emancipation Drive Hampton, VA 23667 US
• Name: Vanessa Winn
• Phone: 804-675-5000 X7359
• Email: [email protected]