Clarification from the agency

AREA OF CONSIDERATION: Open to current, permanent Milwaukee VA Medical Center employees only (includes CBOCs and VCS). NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information, refer to Required Documents below.

Responsible for the ongoing development and maintenance of the facility Patient Safety Program that is derived from the Patient Safety Handbook of the VA National Center for Patient Safety and appropriate VHA directives. The incumbent will promote a culture of patient safety, High Reliability Organization (HRO) and utilizing an enterprise risk management framework. Achievement of these responsibilities will require strong skills in the leading of interdisciplinary groups, teaching; written communication, medical record review, data evaluation and trending, electronic data reporting, including development of spreadsheets, tables and graphs, project management, presentation development, priority-setting, and critical thinking skills.

The Patient Safety Manager functions as a coordinator and point of contact for patient safety policies and activities developed by the VA National Center for Patient Safety (NCPS). The incumbent will work with the Patient Safety Manager team to help build and implement patient safety systems related to a variety of safety initiatives, including medication processes, promoting the culture of safety for both patients and staff in all healthcare settings at the Milwaukee VAMC. Guiding policies are found in the VHA National Patient Safety Improvement Handbook (directive), national patient safety training materials and computer systems, current literature, and applicable regulations of the Joint Commission. The incumbent will provide direct support in the development, maintenance, and operation of the VHA's Patient Safety Program at the facility level.

DUTIES:

• Evaluates the quality and effectiveness of clinical performance within the facility, using data collected by internal and external monitoring processes. Relays this information to clinical leadership and senior leaders.
• Provides day-to-day evaluation of situations which might pose clinical risk, implementing risk mitigation strategies to improve clinical care delivery. Develops relevant risk mitigation plans and tracks clinical outcomes to determine compliance with, and sustainability of, said plans.
• Completes individual quality reviews and/or case assessments to determine which improvement efforts are necessary to improve clinical care delivery. Implements relevant improvement strategies, which may include, but are not limited to, one-on-one teaching, group educational sessions, process redesign, and/or peer review.
• Determines if clinical error has occurred. Develops a plan to address such error.
• Utilizes knowledge of medical terminology, anatomy, physiology, medical diagnoses, reading and interpreting orders, lab values, progress notes, medications, and treatment plans, to be able to determine and discuss the appropriateness of health care provided by various clinical professionals at VA CCHCS.
• Gathers and integrates knowledge from databases of adverse events and safety alerts from many different sources, including Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Institute for Safe Medication Practice (ISMP), The Joint Commission (TJC), and Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
• Provides accurate and timely electron clinical data reports and assessments to the Quality Chief, Quality Manager, QSV, the Executive Leadership Team, facility service chiefs, and VISN 12 patient safety staff as appropriate.
• Plays a critical support role in developing and coordinating internal review systems to ensure that both clinical and administrative activities are in compliance with agency and accrediting and regulatory requirements.
• Maintains program requirement/validation criteria for the facility's patient safety program.
• Maintains comprehensive knowledge of the range of administrative laws, policies, regulations, and precedents applicable to the administration of the Patient Safety Program. This includes knowledge of VHA National Center for Patient Safety's goals and objectives, the sequence and timing of key program events and milestones, and methods of evaluating the worth of program accomplishments at the local level.
• Assists in developing clinical reviews and/or audits to analyze problems in depth, including selection of study samples, identification of data required to define the problem, establishing data collection methodologies, analyzing the data, recommending corrective action when necessary, and assessing effectiveness of the action.
• Has primary responsibility for training and implementation of the patient safety, RCA, and Healthcare Failure Mode Effect and Analysis (HFMEA) process to clinicians, management, and all relevant support personnel within their facilities and associated facilities and operations.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday; 8:00am to 4:30pm
Telework: Not Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 09636F
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.
• 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 dentification 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 may/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.
Citizenship. Be a citizen of the United States. (Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7407(a).

Education and Experience.
The individual must meet at least one of the following 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.

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. Candidates 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.

NOTE: Individuals who have or have had multiple licenses and had any such license revoked for professional misconduct, professional incompetency or substandard care, or who surrendered such license after receiving written notice of potential termination of such license by the state for professional misconduct, professional incompetence, or substandard care, are not eligible for appointment to the position unless such revoked or surrendered license is fully restored (38 U.S.C 7402(f))

GS-13 Level: 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;
• Completion of a fellowship program; or
• An additional advanced degree in a related field. In addition.

Specialized experience at the GS-12 level may include but is not limited to: Independently providing assessment and treatment interventions to inpatients and outpatients received through healthcare provider referrals and patient self-referrals; 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; 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; 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.

In addition to the experience above you, must demonstrate the following KSAs:
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.

PREFERRED EXPERIENCE:

• Minimum of 5 years clinical experience.
• Understanding of Patient Safety Improvement Program according to the VHA National Center for Patient Safety (NCPS) guidelines, The Joint Commission (TJC) and the Higher Reliability Organizational Programs (HRO).
• Experience with project management, Root Cause Analysis (RCA), and Healthcare Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (HFEMA).
• Previous experience in leadership, supervisory, or mentorship role (e.g. charge nurse, unit educator or committee chair, supervisor/lead) and/or leading teams.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.

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

Physical Requirements: Walking, bending, stooping, and some lifting. There may also be extended periods of sitting.

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
• Transcript

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)
• Professional Certification
• Resume
• SF-15
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
• Transcript

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

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