Physical Therapist

This position is located in the Physical Therapy section of PM & RS Department at the Albany VAMC. Duties and responsibilities are carried out in a variety of settings throughout the Medical Center, as well as off-station sites including patient's homes, nursing homes, CBOCs, assistive living centers. The incumbent adheres to established department guidelines, ethics, and policies and protocols of the Physical Therapy department.

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.
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.
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.

OR

• Master's degree in Physical Therapy AND two (2) years of progressively independent experience as a physical therapist.

OR

• 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.

• 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.

Grade Determinations:
Creditable Experience. To be creditable, the experience must have required the use of knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics (KSAs), also referred to as core competencies, and associated with the scope of physical therapy practice.
Quality of Experience. Experience is only creditable if it was post degree experience as a professional PT and is directly related to the duties to be performed. Qualifying experience must also be at a level comparable to or exceeding the professional PT experience at the next lower grade level.

Physical Therapist, GS-12 - Education, Experience and Licensure. In addition to the basic requirements, candidates must possess one year of experience equivalent to the GS-11 grade level, hold a valid unrestricted state license and must demonstrate all the KSAs below:
Demonstrated Knowledge Skills and Abilities:

• Ability to make autonomous clinical decisions in a Direct Access environment. This includes ability to independently evaluate and treat patients who seek physical therapy services.
• Skill in performing 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 psychosocial and environmental factors.
• Ability to interpret findings from examination and evaluation, select appropriate test and measures, and integrate findings into the physical therapy plan of care for the full range of patient populations.
• Ability to establish a diagnosis within the scope of physical therapy and identify the appropriate rehabilitation intervention, including referral to another provider for further consultation as clinically indicated.
• Ability to determine physical therapy prognosis by incorporating examination findings with the patient's preferences in order to set clinically appropriate treatment goals, optimize outcomes and maximize functional independence.
• Ability to independently provide clinical oversight of Physical Therapy Assistants as well as students on clinical affiliations who are in Doctoral PT Programs or PTA Programs.

Assignment. At the full performance level, PTs are responsible for independently providing assessment and treatment interventions to inpatients and outpatients received through healthcare provider referrals and patient self-referrals. Guided by differential and movement diagnoses, PTs 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. PTs 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. PTs 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 in order 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. Staff PTs at this level practice autonomously, making recommendations and referrals to other medical specialties/services as clinically indicated during ongoing assessment of patients under their care. The staff PT may also develop and provide individualized clinical training experiences for physical therapy students in facilities with established clinical experience rotations. PTs at this level may be given general assignments in any/all areas where physical therapy services are deemed necessary, and/or may serve as the sole PT at a less complex facility. Individuals may perform ancillary assignments as deemed appropriate given the needs of a facility on an occasional basis, where the amount of work is not substantial (less than 25% of the duty time).

Preferred Experience: Seating and positioning for wheelchairs is highly desirable.
References: VA HANDBOOK 5005/99 PART II, APPENDIX G12
This is at the the full performance level.
Physical Requirements: Pre-placement and periodic physical examinations are required for hybrid occupations to ensure workers are placed in positions where they can perform the essential functions of their job considering their physical, mental and emotional capacities, without endangering their health or the health of their co-workers. See VA Directive and Handbook 5019.

Responsibilities:

Duties include but are not limited to:

Clinical:

• The Physical Therapist is responsible for independently providing assessment and treatment interventions to inpatients and outpatients received through healthcare providers and patient self-referrals. The incumbent establishes a diagnosis within the scope of physical therapy, identifies appropriate rehabilitation intervention including referral to another provider for further consultation as clinically indicated. Incumbent formulates a treatment plan and goals, and is responsible for implementation, modification, and documentation of treatment. Incumbent exhibits complex clinical skills.
• Incumbent schedules the patient for treatment in order to establish and achieve the maximum goal(s) for the patient. Incumbent frequently interprets and reports to healthcare providers the reaction to treatment, which have medical significance and diagnostic value.
• Incumbent functions as a core team member of clinical and or multi-disciplinary team(s) for the purpose of providing total health care delivery to the patient and continuity of care by sharing ideas and exchanging pertinent information. As a member of the treatment team, the incumbent is responsible for the development and maintenance of professional standards of physical therapy. Incumbent maintains a close working relationship with medical and allied health care specialists to assess patient conditions and progress and coordinate patient treatment to effect maximum rehabilitation potential.
• Incumbent demonstrates a full professional understanding of the theories of treatment in physical therapy and their proper application through the use of therapeutic rehabilitation procedures.
• Incumbent exercises initiative, discretion, adaptability and sound professional judgment at all times.
• Incumbent demonstrates competency in assigning, treating, advancing, and establishing goals.
• Incumbent frequently selects, adapts, and/or adjusts modalities in accordance with rehabilitation goals. Modifies techniques and develops new approaches as necessary to ensure the realization of patient treatment goals. The incumbent uses both standard and non-standard methods and techniques for evaluating and interpreting a wide variety of patient physical and psychosocial functional levels for providing progressive treatment rationales.
• Incumbent functions as a clinical preceptor for affiliating, technical and professional level students in conjunction with the Clinical Coordinator and/or Program Coordinator. Incumbent serves as mentor for volunteer or observation students. Incumbent provides clinical oversight of Physical therapy assistants.
• Ability to make autonomous clinical decisions in a Direct Access environment that includes the ability to independently evaluate and treat patients who seek physical therapy services.

Administrative Responsibilities:

• Complete Encounter information in accordance with Stratton VA Medical Center guidelines.
• Using the computer system for storing and retrieving electronic documents and files, transmitting and receiving email, activating printers, requesting leave, and accessing the Computerized Patient Record System (CPRS).
• Communicate and coordinate coverage for anticipated leave and communicate unanticipated leave in accordance with PM&R Service policies.
• Perform other tasks as assigned by the Coordinator that are consistent with the mission of the section, care line and facility.
• Performs competent written documentation of initial examinations, progress notes, and discharge summaries.
• Demonstrates advanced competency in knowledge of electronic documentation and computer skills.
• Entering consults within the PM&RS Service or to the Prosthetics service for rehabilitation equipment in accordance with PM&RS and medical center policies.
• Reviews and co-signs notes written by the PTA to whom the PT has delegated patient care.
• Incumbent participates on patient care and hospital committees to establish continuity and collaboration of principle/care.
• Incumbent will assist the quality assurance effort and prepares monthly reports as required to accomplish goals.

Educational Responsibilities:

• Complete all mandatory training in a timely manner.
• Incumbent will continually seek to improve knowledge and skill by review of current literature, participation in in-service training, and attendance at continuing education programs especially in their area of expertise.
• Continuing education and training will be focused on maintaining and improving competency in all general clinical functions including coursework directed toward improving PM&R patient services.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

The immediate supervisor is the Supervisor of Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy.
Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00 am - 4:30 pm
Virtual: This is not a virtual position
Functional Statement #: 24667F
VA Careers - Physical Therapy: https://youtube.com/embed/Gi2hoFqIoqY