Recreation Therapist

You must meet the following requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement. Specialized experience includes one year of specialized experience at the GS-09 level or equivalent that has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of this position. Specialized experience includes: Experience in evaluating the history, interest, aptitude, and skills of patients, and using such findings to develop and implement therapy activities for individual patients; AND Developing therapeutic recreation treatment plans for patients suffering from physical, emotional, and/or social dysfunctions relating to leisure; AND Revising treatment plans based upon changes in the intervention, diagnosis, and patient responses; planning and conducting adaptive recreational activities. OR You may qualify on education alone with 3 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or equivalent doctoral degree. OR Combinations of successfully completed graduate level education and specialized experience may be used to meet total experience requirements. Only graduate level education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level may be combined with experience. NOTE: Experience in activities or programs that did not require application of a knowledge of the concepts, principles, and practices of recreation therapy or one of the creative arts therapy specializations covered by this standard, and that did not involve the use of therapeutic approaches to maintain the physical and/or mental health or to achieve the physical and/or mental rehabilitation of persons, (e.g., Outdoor Recreation Specialist, Commercial Recreation Leader, Vocational Counselor, or other diversionary-type recreation specialist positions) is not qualifying for this series. The work involves long periods of moving about the work unit. Work requires regular and recurring standing, bending, lifting, stooping, stretching, lifting and repositioning Residents. Must use proper body mechanics when lifting objects and use lift equipment for Residents. The work may require considerable and strenuous physical exertion, such as lifting objects greater the 50 pounds or defending oneself against physical attack.SPECIAL NOTE: Long-term care experience and/or interacting with geriatric patients is highly desired. In addition to the above requirements, you must meet the following time-in-grade requirement, if applicable: For the GS-10, you must have been at the GS-09 level for 52 weeks Time After Competitive Appointment: Candidates who are current Federal employees serving on a non-temporary competitive appointment must have served at least three months in that appointment.
The position is located in the Resident Services Directorate, Recreation Services Division, Recreation Therapy Section. The primary purpose of this position is to provide therapeutic/clinical recreation services to the residents of the Home to enable them to have a satisfying, independent, leisure lifestyle through three domains of service: (1) Rehabilitation/treatment (2) Leisure education (3) Recreation.