Physical Therapist Clinical Specialist - Outpatient Orthopedic

Clarification from the agency

This position is ONLY open to current permanent VA Salt Lake City Health Care System Employees and the Salt Lake City Community Based Outreach Clinics. NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information, refer to Required Documents below.

• Helps coordinate scheduling and implements the evaluation and treatment of patients needing Physical Therapy services, primarily at the VHA CBOC site in Orem, UT, for the Department of Veterans Affairs.
• Performs physical therapy evaluations and treatments for patients and employees, ages ranging from adult to geriatric, having a variety of disabilities.
• Serves as a clinical instructor, attending clinician, and resident mentor, having clinical oversight with specific mentoring of professional skills for assigned PT Residents, DPT and/or PTA interns from various academic institutions.
• Serves as role model for PT Residents, students, and other medical center staff in having advanced clinical competency, therapy skills, and professionalism.
• Employs unusual motivational techniques to enlist patient participation and adapts equipment and procedures to carry out a full range of complex treatment activities and interventions.
• Evaluates patient's condition upon appropriate referral to physical therapy to determine treatment plan.
• Refers patients to other specialty providers when determined necessary.
• Performs tests and measurements, and interprets results for use in preparing for, modifying, and/or evaluating patients, and subsequently adjusts treatment parameters based on changes in the patient's condition, outcomes, and response.
• Evaluates patient's needs with respect to prescribed braces and orthotic devices.
• Provides and assist the application of such devices to ensure the equipment has a proper fit, and that all training and documentation requirements are completed accordingly.
• Responsible for completing assignments aimed to improve the outpatient physical therapy clinical operation with VASLCHCS and the CBOC.
• Receives triaging all applicable consults/referrals.
• Schedules all patient appointments through HAS department Medical Support Assistants, ensuring that clinic profiles are utilized efficiently.
• Performs on the spot evaluations for patient care with Walk in clinic assignments, ensuring treatment area cleanliness, keeping sufficient supplies of necessary equipment, and participating in quality improvement initiatives.
• Reports any unusual circumstances, including difficulties with clinical operations, or difficulties involving the treatment of patients, directly to the CBOC Clinic Manager and Outpatient Physical Therapy Supervisor, or PM&R Department Chief as needed.
• Establishes and maintains appropriate Quality Assurance monitoring, including, but not limited to, completing delegated tasks and assignments, patient outcome reporting for quality of care, and documentation peer reviews.
• Receives, and helps coordinate, patient referrals to the Physical Therapy Service, and to other non-VA providers, verifying appropriate sources, and scheduling patients for evaluation and treatment according toVASLCHCS policy.
• Reviews charts to assess appropriateness of referrals, possible contraindications for treatment, and communicates effectively with each referring provider as needed.
• Assists with scheduling patients for treatment and coordinates schedules with other members of the treatment team.
• Documents patient performance toward achieving treatment goals, manages time appropriately, and assures a high level of productivity and work efficiency as directed by CBOC Clinic Manager, PT Supervisor, VASLCHCS policy, and VACO requirements.
• Assures all documentation for the outpatient physical therapy clinic is completed according to VASLCHCS policy for all patient visits and patient encounters, as required.
• Identifies clinical needs for the physical therapy service, including therapy equipment and continuing education.
• Provides continuing education in the form of in-services and clinical training programs to other clinicians, including physical therapists, residents, students, and other medical center staff.
• Serves as subject matter expert in relation to Orthopedic Physical Therapy, and assists other clinicians, residents, students, and medical center staff as an expert consultant for physical therapy.
• Continues to learn advanced skills in the orthopedic specialty by attending and participating in continuing education courses and training; this further strengthens his/her knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to utilize evidence-based practices and achieve successful patient outcomes.

Work Schedule: 4days x 10 hr shifts.; 7:00am-5:30pm
Compressed/Flexible:Available
Telework: Not Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 51258A
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

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

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.
Education and Experience. The individual must meet at least one of the requirements below:

1. Bachelor's degree in Physical Therapy AND five (5) years of progressively independent experience as a physical therapist.
2. Master's degree in Physical Therapy AND two (2) years of progressively independent experience as a physical therapist.
3. Doctorate degree in physical therapy.

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.
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- 4 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.

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:

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.

GS- 13 Physical Therapist Clinical Specialist
Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

1. Advanced knowledge and expert skill in a range of specialized interventions and treatment modalities used in a specialized treatment area of physical therapy.
2. 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 (see paragraph 2i).
3. Ability to teach and mentor medical center staff in a specialized content area of physical therapy.
4. Ability to guide the work of a multi-disciplinary team in a specialized content area of physical therapy.
5. Advanced knowledge and expert skill to perform and interpret specialized procedures and tests in evaluating the treatment outcomes in the assigned specialty content area (see Definitions, paragraph 2. i.).

Preferred Experience: Evidence of a minimum of 2,000 hours of clinical practice directly in the specialty area. Board Certification in the specialty area recognized by the ABPTS

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.



Physical Requirements: Must be able to perform all activities of the position without restriction. "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."

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Your application, resume, C.V., and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:

• Resume
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action

Special Note for Applications: To complete your application, please use the following link https://vacareers.va.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/Resume.docx to download the standard Clinical Resume Document. This one-page document does not need to be modified and must be uploaded into the two-page restricted 'Resume' document upload field.

Your full resume/CV may be uploaded without page limitation into the 'Other' document upload field.


The following documents are accepted, and may be required if applicable to your eligibility and/or qualifications for this position. Please ensure you have included all documents required for your application, such as a copy of your transcript (if using education to qualify), SF-50's (current/former Federal employees), etc.

• Cover Letter
• DD-214/ Statement of Service
• Disability Letter (VA)
• License
• Other (1)
• Other (2)
• Other (3)
• Professional Certification
• Resume
• SF-15
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
• Transcript

Veterans' Preference:

Veterans' preference does not apply for internal or other current permanent Federal agency employees.

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