This position is within the Prosthetic and Rehabilitation Service Veteran's Affairs Medical Center (MC) under the direct supervision of the Supervisory Therapist. The candidate will serve as a Recreation Assistant for assigned patient care program(s). You will play a crucial role in supporting the primary recreation or creative arts therapist in carrying out recreation services.

Duties

The incumbent will serve as the Recreation Assistant (RA) for the assigned patient care area/program(s). The recreation assistant creates, plans and facilitates a comprehensive and diverse activities program menu for assigned Veterans. The program must include all the five domains of recreation therapy (physical, cognitive, expressive, social, spiritual). Independently develops and implements programs after receiving approval from the Chief, RT & CAT or designee. Responsible for carrying out a full range of therapeutic recreation services inclusive of recreation therapeutic modalities and general recreation (diversional) activities. These interventions include both the clinical and community setting and address the assessed needs of the patients, utilizing appropriate motivational and leadership approaches. Provides services to Veterans who have a variety of illnesses, diseases and/or disabling conditions with varying degrees of impairment. Patient care areas include Sub-acute Rehabilitation, Behavioral Health, Community Living Center (memory care, long term care, hospice/palliative care), Veterans Recovery Center (Domiciliary, Psychosocial Residential Rehabilitation Treatment and Recovery, Center for the Treatment of Addictive Disorders), Adaptive Sports and outpatient services. Independent implementation of general recreation (diversional) activities to achieve goals as identified on the "Continuum of Goal-directed Therapeutic Recreation Interventions". Work Schedule: Sunday - Saturday, 8:00 am - 4:30 pm, rotating shifts, weekends and holidays required; evenings may be required depending on the needs of the department. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Recreation Assistant/PD02566A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): 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, 01/24/2024. 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. 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-06 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-05. 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. You may qualify based on your experience as described below: 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, but are not limited to: 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. Preferred Experience: Good communication skills, Alzheimer/dementia experience, behavioral health, self-directed group settings, exercise modalities, creativity, drug/alcohol cessation. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Customer Service (Clerical/Technical)Manages and Organizes InformationReasoning (Clerical/Technical)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. 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 regular and recurring physical exertion such as extended periods of standing or walking for prolonged periods of time and over rough, uneven, or rocky surfaces; frequent bending, crouching, reaching, stooping, and stretching or similar activities to set up and take apart equipment and apparatus; recurring lifting of moderately heavy items such as bowling and sports equipment and repositioning patients; and pushing or pulling heavy objects. 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/. ****All required documentation must be uploaded before the announcement closes, to support eligibility.**** Failure to submit documentation will constitute the application being categorized as incomplete and therefore ineligible for referral.

Education

There is no educational substitution at this grade level.

Contacts

• Address Wilkes-Barre VA Medical Center 1111 East End Boulevard Wilkes-Barre, PA 18711 US
• Name: Katrina Paul
• Phone: (412) 822-3584
• Email: [email protected]