Clarification from the agency

US Citizens, VA Employees, Federal Employees of other agencies and Veterans, First area of consideration facility employees. Note: Veterans preference will be applied to the US Citizen Referral list.

The primary function is direct patient care. The PTA will deliver care to individuals and groups of Veterans in the inpatient (rehab and acute) and outpatient care settings.

CLINICAL:

• Provide direct patient care under the supervision of a physical therapist to provide services that promote prevention, remediation and rehab of acute and chronic physical dysfunction
• Conduct preliminary review/exam of patient data; developing progressive types of physical therapy treatment programs done in consultation with a physical therapist or physician
• Collect data, deliver physical therapy treatments and plan and implement appropriate treatment
• Additional responsibilities as required

• Attend seminars, workshops, lectures and in-service meetings
• Conduct in-service programs for the physical therapy section and other disciplines and shares knowledge of new or improved techniques with staff
• Act as a clinical instructor to physical therapist assistant students to fulfill their educational and professional requirements

• Insure proper supply levels are maintained for patient treatment
• Complete notes within required time lines
• He/she is responsible for program and clinics to which he/she is assigned and confers with the supervisor at periodic intervals for the purpose of keeping him/her informed of problematic cases, workload and progress reports
• Works with patients and their families along with the supervisor, clinical manager, or chief of Rehabilitation Medicine when appropriate to resolve any patient concerns.

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• Designated and/or random drug testing may be required
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• You may be required to serve a probationary period
• Subject to a background/security investigation
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process

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. Successful completion of an associate's degree from an accredited community college, junior college, college, or university in a physical therapy assistant education program accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE).
• English Language Proficiency. PTAs must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with chapter 2, section D, paragraph 5a, this part.

• One year of outpatient clinical experience and/or experience managing groups and have additional training in yoga and/or tai chi.
• Preferred candidate will meet the GS 6 or GS 7 requirements listed below.
• BLS certification

1. Ability to perform chart review
2. Ability to obtain subjective history
3. Ability to interpret information gained through subjective history
4. Ability to communicate verbally and in writing with the patient, the physical therapist, health care providers, and others.

1. Ability to assess changes in physical, mental, and/or medical status
2. Knowledge of treatment techniques needed to assess changes in physical, mental, and/or medical status
3. Ability to recognize individual and cultural differences and respond appropriately in all aspects of physical therapy services.

1. Knowledge of evidence based physical therapy practice
2. Knowledge of physical therapy data collection and ongoing assessment techniques in order to perform specified aspects of patient evaluation and interventions
3. Knowledge of basic biological and medical science to assess patient data; make a preliminary determination of their needs; develop treatment goals and objectives; and implement patient treatment plans.

1. Ability to organize data, format that data into a presentation, and present information pertinent to patient care in formal or informal settings. Examples may include providing in-service training to staff or formal presentations to the treatment team
2. Knowledge of contemporary physical therapy practice. This may be demonstrated through continuing education courses, in-service training, or journal article reviews
3. Ability to independently implement selected components of interventions identified in the plan of care established by the physical therapist

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Your application, résumé, C.V., and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment.

NOTE: The Professional Standards Board (a peer-review group) will review the selected candidate's education and experience and recommend the grade and salary at which the candidate will be placed. For internal selectees eligible for promotion, the board will recommend grade and HR will determine step in accordance with policy.

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.