Clarification from the agency

NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information, refer to Required Documents below. This announcement is only open to current permanent VHA employees only.

Videos

The Supervisory Recreation Therapist serves in an administrative position with full authority and responsibility for providing administrative oversight for the Recreation/Creative Arts Therapy Service at VA NY Harbor Healthcare System. The Supervisor reports to the Chief, Recreation/Creative Arts Therapy (Supervisory Creative Arts Therapist) at the VA New York Harbor Healthcare System.

Duties may include but are not limited to:

Supervisory

• The Supervisory Recreation Therapist provides daily clinical supervision for recreation and creative arts therapists, ensures staff supervised are planning and implementing treatment while evaluating staff's performance. Intervenes when a higher level is needed to address veterans care. The work includes monitoring the support of community resources, partnerships and effective use of fee basis employees, students, interns and volunteers for the delivery of care. Provides treatment in complex cases with independence.
• Analyzes organizational and operational problems to develop and implement solutions that result in efficient operations and use data effectively to manage workload, quality, performance, and productivity within the service.
• Uses evidence-based practices, clinical practice guidelines in a professional area, and to guide the staff in applying these tools.

Clinical

• Responsible for administrative functions such as fiscal, material supply, equipment management, and clinical and program management.
• Evaluates, establishes goals based on evaluation findings, and develops treatment interventions for patients across multiple types of clinical practice. Provides professional oversight and consultation for staff therapists.
• Uses Recreation Therapy expertise for direct service delivery to patients. Acts as a subject matter expert to staff, students, and other healthcare professionals.
  Serves as Recreation Therapy representative on interdisciplinary teams as assigned or needed.

Administrative

• Adheres to Medical Center policies and procedures. Utilizes Automated Data Processing (ADP) system in accordance with established procedures. Adheres to Medical Center ADP Security policy.
• Maintains professional competence and certification through participation in continuing education.
• The supervisor maintains interdepartmental relations with other services/departments, individuals, and community partners to accomplish medical center goals.

Education

• Assists in teaching and providing learning opportunities for Recreation, Art, and Music Therapists, Recreation Assistants, and Recreation/Art/Music Therapy clinical interns/trainees as required.
• Adheres to Medical Center policies and procedures. Utilizes Automated Data Processing (ADP) system in accordance with established procedures. Adheres to Medical Center ADP Security policy.
• Implements and modifies as necessary treatment plan and goals as needed throughout course of treatment to ensure optimum outcomes.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Work Schedule: 8:00am - 4:30pm, some weekends/evenings required
Telework: Not Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 14096F
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

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.
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
• Subject to background/security investigation.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Must pass pre-employment physical examination.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

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, creative arts therapist (art), creative arts therapist (dance/movement), creative arts therapist (drama), and creative arts therapist (music):
  • Recreation Therapist
    • (a) 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,
    • (b) 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. 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).
• Required Certification:
  • Recreation Therapist. Applicants must be certified in recreation therapy as a CTRS by the NCTRC. If hired under paragraph 4b(1)(b), certification cannot be waived.
• Loss of Credential: A recreation or creative arts therapist who fails to maintain the required registration and/or certification must be removed from the occupation, which may also result in termination of employment.

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).

Grade Requirements:

• Creditable Experience.
  • Knowledge of Current Professional Recreation Therapy or Creative Arts Therapy Practices. To be creditable, the experience must have required the use of knowledge, skills, and abilities (also referred to as "clinical competencies") associated with current professional recreation or creative arts therapy practices. Evidence of such experience includes private practice, U.S. military services, local/state/federal government organizations, for profit/non-profit organizations, health care, or educational facilities.
  • Quality of Experience. Qualifying experience must be at a level comparable to the next lower grade level. Experience satisfying this requirement must be active professional practice, which may be paid or non-paid employment 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:

Supervisory Recreation Therapist, GS-12

• Experience. At least one year of creditable experience at the next lower grade level.
• Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:
  1. Ability to provide treatment in complex cases and work with great independence.
  2. Ability to balance multiple responsibilities, set priorities, delegate tasks, meet multiple deadlines, analyze organizational problems, and develop and implement effective solutions.
  3. Ability to analyze organizational and operational problems to develop and implement solutions that result in efficient operations and use data effectively to manage workload, quality, performance, and productivity within the service.
  4. Skill in interpersonal relationships in dealing with employees, team leaders, and managers.
  5. Ability to use evidence-based practices, clinical practice guidelines in a professional area, and to guide the staff in applying these tools.
  6. Knowledge of organizational theories and strategies to positively impact the overall goals and objectives within the service.
  7. Knowledge related to administrative functions such as fiscal, material supply, equipment management, and clinical and program management.

Assignments. 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. Supervisors at this level are typically found in complexity level 2 or level 3 medical centers, if needed. They are responsible for the supervision, administrative management, and direction of program services. They evaluate programs to ensure proper coordination with the overall delivery of health care. The incumbent has full administrative oversight for planning and directing the staff assignments in a variety of clinical settings. They have responsibility for general or technical supervision of key clinical and training programs. Typical duties include: assigning work, monitoring clinical performances of staff, resolving staff conflicts which may interfere with the delivery of services, identifying continuing education and training needs, preparing performance standards and ratings. They interview candidates for positions and recommend appointments, advancements, or administer disciplinary actions, when appropriate. The supervisor accepts, amends, or rejects completed work, and ensures that performance requirements are met. They ensure compliance with the accrediting agency and regulatory requirements, establish and monitor the quality of the pre-analytical processes as part of the overall service's quality management program and take corrective action, as needed. The supervisor ensures orientation and competency assessment of assigned staff. The supervisor develops policies and procedures, manages document control, develops performance standards, position descriptions, and functional statements and is responsible for professional and administrative management of an assigned area, to include time and attendance and leave management. The supervisor conducts department meetings at regular intervals to convey information to staff. The supervisor maintains interdepartmental relations with other services/departments, individuals, and community partners to accomplish medical center goals and may provide clinical treatment in the most complex of cases.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for is GS-12.

Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019.

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, resume, C.V., and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for 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; 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.

The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.