Physical Therapist (Clinical Specialist)

Summary This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program, a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific eligibility requirements per VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Program Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) & eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after review of the EDRP application. Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply. Learn more about this agency Duties VA Careers - Physical Therapy: https://youtube.com/embed/Gi2hoFqIoqY Major Duties: 1. The Physical Therapist Pain Clinical Specialist who works at this level provides assessment and treatment intervention on an independent basis across the continuum of care. 2. Collaborates with the pain medicine team and guided by the Pain Management, Opioid Safety, and Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PMOP). 3. Responsible for serving as the subject matter expert for persistent/chronic pain physical therapy and provides consultation to physical therapy peers and other medical center staff in evaluating and treating patients with pain conditions seen by the pain medicine team. 4. Services provided by this position may include providing professional clinical services, carrying out education and training activities, clinical consultation, supervision, and administration. 5. In performing these duties, the Pain Clinical Specialist demonstrates professional knowledge of, and skill in applying, a wide range of theories, principles, and methodologies of the practice of physical therapy. 6. Provides a range of outpatient physical therapy services to support various service lines at VAPIHCS including but not limited to PM&R, GEC, Primary Care, Specialty Care, Pain Teams, SCI/D, Whole Health, Women's Health, and provide long term and transitional rehabilitative services to veterans within the community living center. 6. Work as part of the rehabilitation care team in a variety of settings and is the professional expert in the realm of functional mobility and ability. 7. Evaluates and interprets information from a detailed evaluation and formulates the Physical Therapy plan of care. Clinical Functions: 1. The Physical Therapist Pain Clinical Specialist spends at least 25% or greater of their time working with specialized population(s) as the subject matter expert in the content specialty area and as a consultant to physical therapy and other medical center staff in evaluating and treating patients. 2. Utilizes advanced knowledge and expertise to modify treatment plans and to identify therapeutic activity interventions based on the changing needs, goals, and performance of patients. 3. Establishes and maintains contact with other health care providers involved in patient care via written, telephone, and personal communication on a regular basis. 4. Exercise expert professional judgment to establish appropriate discharge planning recommendations to ensure safe discharge from inpatient or outpatient rehabilitation programs. 5. Acts as subject matter expert related to pain care including evidence informed treatment techniques, modalities and other PMR interventions. 6. Serve as a consultant/mentor to PM&R and VAPIHCS staff including departmental and facility level education and acts as point of contact to disseminate information from local, VISN and National Pain PT programs. 7. Performs 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. 8. Interprets findings from examination, diagnostic studies/medical tests and, during evaluation, selects appropriate clinical tests and measures, and then integrates findings into the physical therapy plan of care for the full range of patient populations. 9. Makes autonomous clinical decisions, including establishing a diagnosis within the scope of physical therapy, identifying the appropriate intervention(s) to treat, determining a 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, and/or referring to other medical specialties/services as clinically indicated during ongoing assessment of patients under their care. 10. Utilize pertinent information to develop protocols, recognize any constrain indications or precautions, and modify treatment as needed for patient's changing medical condition(s) and appropriately delegates care to physical therapy assistants and provides appropriate clinical supervision of this care, including scheduling of appointments in accordance with both patients' needs and licensing requirements. Work Schedule: 7:00am - 3:30pm Telework: Ad hoc: may be authorized at Supervisory discretion. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 07051F Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive.Contact [email protected] for questions/assistance. Learn more Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): 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 identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. 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 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. English Language Proficiency: Individuals appointed under the authority of 38 U.S.C. chapters 73 or 74, to serve in a direct patient-care capacity in Veterans Health Administration (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: 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 Education and Experience 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 must 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. Creditable Experience Knowledge of Contemporary Professional Physical Therapy Practice. To be creditable, a candidate must have demonstrated possession of the required knowledge, skills, and abilities associated with the scope of physical therapy practice. The candidate's experience may be evidenced by one or more of the following: (a) Active professional practice. Active professional practice means paid/non-paid employment as a professional PT as defined by APTA or the appropriate licensing board. Experience gained after graduation but prior to licensure is creditable provided the candidate was utilized as a graduate PT and subsequently passed the licensure examination. (b) Completion of a post-graduate fellowship or a post-graduate residency program may be substituted for creditable experience on a year for year basis. 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. Grandfathering Provision: 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). All licensed PTs employed in VHA on the effective date of this qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title, series and grade held, including positive education and licensure that are part of the basic requirements of the occupation. For employees who do not meet all the basic requirements required in this standard, but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it, the following provisions apply: Employees grandfathered into the GS-0633 occupational series as PTs may be reassigned, promoted up to and including the full performance (journey) level, or changed to lower grade within the occupation. PTs who are appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of this qualification standard may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed on a temporary or permanent basis until they fully meet the basic requirements of this standard. PTs initially grandfathered into this occupation, who subsequently obtain additional education and/or licensure/certification/registration, meet all the basic requirements of this qualification standard and must maintain the required credentials as a condition of employment in the occupation. If PTs who are grandfathered under this provision leave the occupation, the employee loses protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of reentry to the occupation. Grade Determinations: GS-13, Physical Therapist (Clinical Specialist) Experience: In addition to meeting the basic requirements, one year of progressively complex experience equivalent to the GS-12 grade level and one of the following: (require supporting documentation) Evidence of a minimum of 2,000 hours of clinical practice directly in the specialty area. This time must be between the past two and five years; or Board Certification in the specialty area recognized by the ABPTS; or Completion of a fellowship program; or An additional advanced degree in a related field. In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: Advanced knowledge and expert skill in a range of specialized interventions and treatment modalities used in a specialized treatment area of physical therapy. Ability to serve as a consultant and subject matter expert for health care providers regarding the delivery of care within a specialized content area of physical therapy. Ability to teach and mentor medical center staff in a specialized content area of physical therapy. Ability to guide the work of a multi-disciplinary team in a specialized content area of physical therapy. Advanced knowledge and expert skill to perform and interpret specialized procedures and tests in evaluating the treatment outcomes in the assigned specialty content area. Reference: Qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. Preferred Experience: Pain Physical Therapy Training. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-13. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-13. Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019. 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/. 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. 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. Expand Hide  additional information Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution. Benefits A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits. Review our benefits Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.