Therapy Assistant

Summary This position is located within the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Service Line (PM&RS) at the Hampton VA Medical Center in Hampton, VA. The Therapy Assistant combines direct patient care activities with support functions for the Physical Therapist, Physical Therapy Assistant, Occupational Therapist, Occupational Therapist Assistant, Kinesiotherapist, and Chiropractor. The functions are characterized by both clinical and administrative duties. Responsibilities THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION, YOU MUST LIVE WITHIN OR BE WILLING TO RELOCATE WITHIN A COMMUTABLE DISTANCE OF THE DUTY LOCATION The major duties include but are not limited to: Performs a variety of clerical tasks including creating and maintaining logs, recording data, generating meeting agendas, coordinating departmental in-services, answering the telephone, and other office support tasks; Schedules appointments and records cancellations in electronic patient scheduling system; Checks in patients and notifies providers of patient arrival; Schedules virtual appointments and explains processes of how to connect to a virtual appointment – assists with troubleshooting to successfully connect; Generates various electronic documents including meeting agendas, monthly newsletters, emails, log sheets, memos, etc.; Creates educational programs and handouts for patients; Updates Safety Data Sheets (SDS) books throughout the service to ensure accuracy, etc.; Assists with adding employees to Vocera system (two-way communication system); Maintains cleanliness of equipment and tools by sanitizing with gloves and cleaners/sanitizers; Cleans hydrocollator per manufacturer recommendations and records cleaning; Records refrigerator, paraffin, and hydrocollator temperatures in daily log; Takes and records vital signs; Monitors patients while performing exercises and assists with counting repetitions and ensures accurate performance of the exercises; Explains treatment activity and guides patients in techniques to be used; Observes patients for changes in attitudes, behavior, and physical condition; Chaperones chiropractic and pelvic floor physical therapy rehabilitation; Develops, implements, and oversees exercise group for Veterans participating in virtual and face to face group exercise programs; Tracks inventory; Picks up and delivers adaptive equipment from prosthetics (i.e., walkers, canes, shower chairs, elevated commodes, etc.); Tracks wheelchair consult requests to support timely receipt of wheelchairs to Veterans; Requests quotes from various vendors to assist with procurement of equipment and clinic supplies; and, Performs other related duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 8:00 am – 4:30 pm. Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 You may be required to serve a probationary period Subject to background/security investigation Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP) Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) – See “Additional Information” below for details. 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 addition to the English Language Proficiency, to qualify for this position at the GS-5 level, you must meet one of the following: Experience: You must have at least one (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-4) in the Federal Service that has given you the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities required to successfully perform the duties of a Therapy Assistant, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. Qualifying specialized experience include 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. 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: Successfully completed a four (4) year course of study above high school leading to a bachelors degree with courses directly related to the specialized field of therapy for the Therapy Assistant position. 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. One year of full-time undergraduate study is defined as 30 semester hours, 45 quarter hours, or the equivalent in a college or university or at least 20 hours of classroom instruction per week for approximately 36 weeks in a business or technical school. NOTE: Transcripts (unofficial or official) must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation. ~OR~ Combination: Equivalent combinations of successfully completed post-high school education (beyond the second year) and specialized experience, as listed above, may be used to meet total experience requirements. The education portion must include courses directly related to the specialized field of therapy for the Therapy Assistant position. 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 (unofficial or official) must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation. You will be rated on the following Competencies as part of the assessment questionnaire for this position: CLIENT ORIENTATION CLERICAL SELF MANAGEMENT DATABASE ADMINISTRATION CLINICAL DATA COLLECTION/DOCUMENTATION 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 of this position requires bending, stooping, lifting, pushing, pulling, standing, and walking on a daily basis. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Managements 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: Recognition of Foreign Qualifications | International Affairs Office (ed.gov). Additional Information This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. Pursuant to VHA Directive 1193.01, VHA health care personnel (HCP) are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 subject to such accommodations as required by law (i.e., medical, religious or pregnancy). VHA HCPs do not include remote workers who only infrequently enter VHA locations. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination before your start date. The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required accommodation from this requirement using the reasonable accommodation process. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement. Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicants criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.