Physical Therapist

Summary

Provides comprehensive physical therapy evaluation and treatment for Veterans across inpatient, outpatient, rehabilitation, community living, and specialty care settings. Develops individualized plans of care, documents outcomes, coordinates with interdisciplinary teams, educates patients, caregivers, students, and staff, and supports quality improvement, equipment safety, and program operations. Work is performed with increasing independence based on experience and demonstrated competence.

Duties

Evaluates patients to determine functional status, impairments, rehabilitation needs, and treatment priorities. Develops individualized, comprehensive physical therapy plans based on each patient's condition and goals. Provides treatment using therapeutic exercise, physical modalities, education, prostheses, assistive devices, and other appropriate interventions. Monitors patient response, progress, and functional outcomes and adjusts treatment plans as needed. Recommends appropriate mobility, adaptive, and therapeutic equipment to improve safety and independence. Coordinates physical therapy services with physicians and other health care professionals to support the patient's total care. Establishes treatment goals, expected duration of care, and discharge plans. Educates patients and caregivers on treatment activities, equipment use, safety, and management of functional limitations. Documents evaluations, treatment goals, interventions, equipment recommendations, progress, and discharge summaries in the medical record. Provides physical therapy services across inpatient, outpatient, rehabilitation, community living, home-based, and specialty care settings. Participates in interdisciplinary conferences and medical meetings concerning patient care. Ensures clinic procedures and standards of care support safe, effective, and professionally compliant treatment. Maintains physical therapy equipment in safe, operable condition and reports needed repairs. Supports quality assurance activities by collecting, reviewing, and evaluating clinical data. Trains physical therapy students, volunteers, staff, and other health care professionals. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 7:30am to 4:00pm Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 54320-F, 54271-F Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Qualifications

Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met. 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 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. Foreign Graduates. Graduates of foreign physical therapy programs meet the education requirement 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. 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. Non-licensed PTs, who otherwise meet the basic requirements in this standard, may be given a temporary appointment as a graduate PT at the GS-11 grade level under the authority of 38 U.S.C. 7405 (a)(1)(D) for a period not-to-exceed two years from the date of employment on the condition that such PT provide care only under the supervision of a PT who is licensed. Failure to obtain licensure during that period is justification for termination of the temporary appointment. Grade Determinations: GS-11 Physical Therapist (Entry): Education, Experience, and Licensure. None beyond the basic requirements. GS-12 Physical Therapist (Full Performance Level): 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 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. Preferred Experience: Experience evaluating and treating chronic orthopedic pain populations Experience working in a direct access setting Determining differential diagnoses Assessing imaging and referral appropriateness Experience working within an interdisciplinary team 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 this vacancy is in the range of GS-11 to GS-12. Physical Requirements: Heavy lifting, 45 pounds and over; light carrying, under 15 pounds; straight pulling for 0.5 hours; pushing for 0.5 hours; reaching above shoulder; use of fingers; both hands required; walking for 0.5 hours; standing for 0.5 hours; crawling for 0.5 hours; kneeling for 0.5 hours; repeated bending for 1 hour; climbing, legs only, for 0.5 hours; climbing using legs and arms; ability for rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously; both eyes required; ability to distinguish basic colors; hearing, with aid permitted; specific visual requirement, with corrective lenses acceptable; mental and emotional stability.

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: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/. 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 prog