The Greater Los Angeles Health Care System (GLAHCS) is seeking a Physical Therapy Assistant to serve at the Lancaster, CA location within the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation service. 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: Citizenship. Citizen of the United States. Education. The individual must meet at least one of the requirements below: The individual must meet at least one of the requirements below: Associate 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. OR Graduate of foreign physical therapy assistant degree programs that meet the educational requirement and have successfully passed the National Physical Therapy Exam (NPTE) for PTAs. OR Graduate of military physical therapy assistant programs that meet the educational requirement and have successfully passed the NPTE for PTAs. Licensure. Individuals must hold a current, full, active and unrestricted license as a Physical Therapy Assistant (PTA) in a State, Territory or Commonwealth (i.e. Puerto Rico) of the United States, or District of Columbia. 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-09 Experience: In addition to the basic requirements, the candidate must possess one year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade (GS-08) AND the candidate must demonstrate one of the following: A minimum of 2000 hours of clinical practice directly in the specialty area, and completion of 60 contact hours of selected continuing education coursework. This time must be within the past five years. Advanced Practice Proficiency (APP) in the specialty area recognized by the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA). An additional academic degree related to the health care mission. Additionally, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: Ability to mentor other staff in advanced clinical guidelines and best practices. Ability to serve as a subject matter expert (SME) for healthcare providers in specialty practice areas regarding physical therapy care. Ability to present advanced knowledge in the therapeutic interventions and clinical practice guidelines with the healthcare team. Ability to interpret and apply clinical practice guidelines. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit Physical Therapy Assistant Qualification Standard. The full performance level of this position is 9. Physical Requirements: The incumbent must demonstrate the ability to walk distances within the facility on a daily basis, and tolerate standing, repeated bending, reaching overhead, and pushing Veterans and objects for up to four hours a regular shift, prolonged sitting, and physically assist patients with moderate lifting and carrying of up to 15-44 pounds. Safe handling and lifting techniques are to be used based on current policy of the facility in relation to the Safe Patient Handling and Movement Program. ["Duties include but are not limited to: Preparing, providing, and supervising clinical training experiences for Physical Therapy Assistant students and independently providing patient education to patients and their caregivers following evaluation by a physical therapist. Receiving and interpreting requests or instructions for procedures from the physical therapist or physician. Completing a preliminary review/examination of patient charts, compiling and organizing pertinent information, and developing/presenting a patient profile to be used in assessing patient's status. Instructing, motivating, and assisting patients in learning and improving functional activities such as pre-ambulation, transfers, daily living activities, and advanced exercise techniques. Preparing and presenting written, oral, and data driven reports for the unit physician, psychiatrist, nursing staff, fellow therapists, and all other professionals concerned with the patient's care. Preferred experience: 2+ years outpatient physical therapy assistance. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 0800-1630 Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 000000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized"]
The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is the largest integrated health care system in the United States, providing care at 1,321 health care facilities, including 172 VA Medical Centers and 1,138 outpatient sites of care of varying complexity (VHA outpatient clinics) to over 9 million Veterans enrolled in the VA health care program. VHA Medical Centers provide a wide range of services including traditional hospital-based services such as surgery, critical care, mental health, orthopedics, pharmacy, radiology and physical therapy. In addition, most of our medical centers offer additional medical and surgical specialty services including audiology & speech pathology, dermatology, dental, geriatrics, neurology, oncology, podiatry, prosthetics, urology, and vision care. Some medical centers also offer advanced services such as organ transplants and plastic surgery.