Summary The primary function of this position is the development, administration, and supervision of all clinical affiliation training programs and fieldwork experiences for physical therapy students from doctoral level schools of Physical Therapy, and physical therapy assistant students. This position supports the HPT programs for Rehab Care and Spinal Cord Service Lines. Grades given for fieldwork by this facility will be accepted as final by the affiliated college or university. Responsibilities NOTE: THE 2-PAGE RESUME REQUIREMENT DOES NOT APPLY TO THIS OCCUPATIONAL SERIES. FOR MORE INFORMATION, REFER TO REQUIRED DOCUMENTS BELOW. Duties will include, but are not limited to: Physical Therapist will spend at least 25% of his/her time performing duties related the clinical education program coordinator position, and follow all facility and organizational guidelines related to clinical affiliations. The other major function of this position is direct patient care. Physical Therapists (PT's) will provide clinical services to address a vast array of problems that impact the health and function of a wide range of diverse patients. As independent practitioners, PT's embrace evidenced based practice standards in diagnosis, examination, management, intervention, treatment and outcome measurement. PT's collaborate across the continuum of care. PT's ensure services are coordinated, including ordering studies of value and being consumer-centered by referring, co-managing, engaging consultants, and independently supervising care. PT's are responsible for independently providing assessment and treatment interventions across the continuum of care at VA Puget Sound. Guided by differential and movement diagnoses, PT's perform examinations and evaluations of individuals who have or may develop impairments, activity limitations, and participation restrictions related to conditions of the musculoskeletal, neuromuscular, cardiovascular, pulmonary, and/or integumentary systems while considering the effects attributable to unique personal and environmental factors. PT's interpret findings from examination, diagnostic studies/medical tests and, during evaluation, select appropriate clinical tests and measures, and then integrate findings into the physical therapy plan of care for the full range of patient populations. PT's establish a diagnosis within the scope of physical therapy and identify the appropriate intervention to treat and/or refer to another provider for further consultation when needed. They determine physical therapy prognosis by incorporating examination findings with the patient's preferences for meaningful level of function to set clinically appropriate treatment goals and optimize outcomes. Physical therapists select appropriate equipment needed to substitute for loss of function or to substitute for limited function of individuals they treat. PT's practice autonomously, making recommendations and referrals to other medical specialties/services as clinically indicated during ongoing assessment of patients under their care. PT's will independently provide clinical oversight of Physical Therapy Assistants as well as students on clinical affiliations who are in Doctoral PT Programs or PTA Programs. PT's will develop and provide individualized clinical training experiences for physical therapy assistants and students. PT's may be given general assignments in any/all areas where physical therapy services are deemed necessary, and/or serve as the sole PT at a less complex facility. At VAPSHCS, the incumbent may be required to provide the described patient care elements in multiple different settings and across multiple different service lines, including but not limited to: RCS Outpatient PT, ANE Outpatient/Inpatient Pain program, Primary Care Outpatient PT, Emergency Department Outpatient PT, Acute Care, RCS Inpatient Rehab program, CLC, GEC Home Based Primary Care, GEC Gerofit program, and community based outpatient clinics. Individuals may perform ancillary assignments as deemed appropriate given the needs of the facility on an occasional basis, where the amount of work is not substantial (less than 25% of the duty time). Occasional weekend coverage for acute care also a requirement of this position. Work Schedule: Monday Thru Friday 7:30am-4:00pm Telework: AD-HOC Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 000000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job. All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA. 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 dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. Must pass pre-employment physical evaluation. 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 To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement. 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. English Language Proficiency: Individuals appointed under authority of 38 U.S.C. chapters 73 or 74, to serve in a direct patient-care capacity in VHA must be proficient in written and spoken English. See Chapter 2, section D, paragraph 5a, this part. Education and experience: The individual must meet at least one of the requirements below: Bachelor's degree in Physical Therapy AND five (5) years of progressively independent experience as a physical therapist. Master's degree in Physical Therapy AND two (2) years of progressively independent experience as a physical therapist. Doctorate degree in physical therapy. NOTE: Prior to 1995 the terminal degree for PT's was either a bachelors or master's degree. In 1995 CAPTE accredited all baccalaureate, master's, and Doctor of Physical Therapy terminal degree programs. Effective 2002, CAPTE changed its scope of accrediting activities of PT education programs to include only those programs that culminate in post-baccalaureate degrees(eliminating the baccalaureate degree). Effective 2015, professional physical therapy education programs have only offered the Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) degree to all new students. NOTE: Individuals must be a graduate of a Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE) accredited college or university. The CAPTE is the only accreditation agency recognized by the United States Department of Education (USDE) and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) to accredit entry-level physical therapy programs. Verification of accredited programs may be obtained from the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) at www.apta.org. Foreign Graduates: Graduates of foreign physical therapy programs meet the requirements in subparagraph 3b if they have a full unrestricted and current license to practice physical therapy in a State, Territory or Commonwealth of the United States, or in the District of Columbia. The Foreign Credentialing Commission on Physical Therapy (FCCPT) is a non-profit organization created to assist the United States (U.S.) Citizenship and Immigration Services (formerly INS) and U.S. state licensing authorities by evaluating the credentials of Foreign Educated Physical Therapists (FEPTs) who wish to immigrate and work in the U.S. Although the licensing of physical therapists in the U.S. is a right and responsibility of each jurisdiction, foreign educated individuals must undergo an educational credentials assessment for substantial equivalency to the first professional degree in the US. The Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy (FSBPT) is committed to protect the public and to provide leadership within the field and practice of physical therapy. FSBPT's Foreign Educated Standards Committee has developed standards that represent "best practices" in evaluation services. The Credentials Evaluation Standards were developed with input from the physical therapy credentialing agencies that are licensed to use FSBPT's Coursework Tool. Licensure: Individuals hold a full, current, and unrestricted license to practice physical therapy in a State, Territory or Commonwealth of the United States, or in the District of Columbia. NOTE: Individuals who have or have had multiple licenses and had any such license revoked for professional misconduct, professional incompetency or substandard care, or who surrendered such license after receiving written notice of potential termination of such license by the state for professional misconduct, professional incompetence, or substandard care, are not eligible for appointment to the position unless such revoked or surrendered license is fully restored (38 U.S.C 7402(f)). Effective November 30, 1999, this is a requirement for employment. This requirement does not apply to licensed physical therapists on VA rolls as of November 30, 1999, provided the individual maintains a continuous appointment and is not disqualified for employment by any subsequent revocations or voluntary surrenders of State license, registration or certification. Loss of Credential: A PT who fails to maintain the required license must be removed from the occupation, which may result in termination of employment. At the discretion of the appointing official, an employee may be reassigned to another occupation, if qualified, and if a placement opportunity exists. 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 Determinations: GS-13 Physical Therapist (Program Coordinator) Experience: In addition to meeting the basic requirements, one year of progressively complex experience equivalent to the GS-12 grade level. *In addition, the candidate must demonstrate all the following KSAs. .Ability to apply advanced knowledge of contemporary physical therapy within specialty area to provide clinical guidance, training or education for internal and external stakeholders. Ability to serve as a consultant within the assigned program area for intra-agency and interagency planning and to provide service coordination to optimize program continuity, efficiency and effectiveness. Knowledge of and skill in management, administration and/or education 11 methodologies. This includes the ability to monitor and track data, utilize available resources effectively, evaluate program quality, and generate reports for local, and/or VISN and/or VACO leadership. Ability to develop and coordinate treatment and/or educational programs within a concentrated field or specialty area, such as, but not limited to, amputee, spinal cord injury, chronic pain, student clinical education/residency programming, polytrauma/traumatic brain injury. Ability to establish and maintain collaborative relationships within department and with other departments or affiliated programs. Ability to guide the work of a multi-disciplinary team. Qualifications continue in Education section: Education Qualifications continue here: Assignment: For all assignments above the full performance level, the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope, complexity (difficulty), and variety, and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time. PTs at this level have experience that demonstrates advanced practice skills and judgment across one or more areas of physical therapy. The individual may be assigned broad administrative responsibility. The individual is assigned a major content specialty area to include assessing, planning, evaluating and delivering care within a special clinical program or component of a Rehabilitation Service, which usually involves multiple disciplines. See the definition for specialty areas in paragraph 2. i, that includes Polytrauma/Traumatic Brain Injury, Chronic Pain, Amputation, Spinal Cord Injury and clinical education programs. PTs provide administrative direction and decisions related to the program. The Physical Therapy Program Coordinator is responsible for the coordination of multiple professionals from a variety of disciplines for optimal clinical care and educational programming. He/she implements programs, policies, and procedures to meet program goals, policy and external accreditation requirements. He/she monitors outcomes, participates in strategic planning and implements strategies for program improvement particularly in assigned content specialty area. The Program Coordinator supports the rehabilitation service and serves as a point of contact providing guidance to facility leadership on matters related to specialty content area. He/she collaborates with Clinical Specialists and with Rehabilitation Service leaders to assist with administrative processes to obtain resources and equipment for operations of content specialty area. He/she assists with developing local policy for new or emerging practices and technologies. Preferred Experience: This position includes up to 25% clinical education administrative time. The remaining clinical time and duties will be determined based on department needs at each respective location. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-13. Physical Requirements: This position requires light to heave lifting (under 15 pounds to 44 pounds and over), light to heave carrying ( under 15 pounds to 44 pounds and over), reaching over shoulders, use of fingers, both hands required, walking, standing, crawling, kneeling, repeated bending, both legs required, ability to rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously, mental and emotional stability. Environmental factors include: outside and inside and working alone. 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: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/. Additional Information Receiving Service Credit for Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed. During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status. VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority. 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 applicant's 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.
