Health Technician (Massage Therapy)

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. Education. Candidates must complete a minimum 500-hour massage therapy education program. Licensure, Registration, or Certification (1) Candidates must be currently licensed, registered, or certified to practice as a massage therapist in a state, territory, or Commonwealth of the United States, or the District of Columbia. Acceptable credentials must have required successful completion of a minimum 500-hour massage therapy education program and pass the Massage and Bodywork Licensing Examination, National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork Examination, or equivalent state-issued examination. OR, (2) Candidates must possess and maintain a board certification from the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCBTMB). NOTE: As of the date of this standard, several states do not offer a credential in massage therapy. Additionally, some states offer a credential that does not meet the 500-hour education program and/or state-issued examination requirements described above in subparagraph 3.c.(1). Candidates may satisfy the basic requirement of licensure/certification/registration by possessing and maintaining a board certification 2 from the NCBTMB. 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 VHA, must be proficient in written and spoken English. See Chapter 2, section D, paragraph 5a, this part. 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). Individual Occupational Requirements Specialized Experience (for positions at GS-4 and above): Positions in this series range widely in type and include support duties to medical or health personnel such as audiologists, speech pathologists, medical officers, and optometrists. Therefore, technician experience is experience that required application of the knowledge, methods, and techniques of the position to be filled. GRADE REQUIREMENTS. a. Creditable Experience Knowledge of Contemporary Professional Massage Therapy Practice. To be creditable, a candidate must have demonstrated possession of the required knowledge, skills, and abilities associated with the scope of massage therapy practice. Quality of Experience. Experience is only creditable if it was experience completed in the massage therapy practice and directly related to the duties to be performed after the post education requirements were completed. Qualifying experience must be at a level comparable to, or exceeding, the Health Technician (Massage Therapy) experience at the next lower grade level. b. Grade Determination. In addition to the basic requirements for appointment in paragraph 3, the following criteria must be used when determining the appropriate grade assignment of candidates. Grade Determinations: Health Technician (Massage Therapy) GS-7 – Full Performance Level (a) Education, Experience, and Licensure. In addition to the basic requirements, candidates must possess one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS- 6 grade level performing massage therapy and demonstrate all the KSAs below: (b) Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities i. Ability to assess the physical and mental status of patients (including history and physical assessment), interpret the appropriate information to identify each patient’s population-specific needs, identify indications/contraindications for massage, develop the plan of care, and monitor their response to treatment; ii. Ability to use various communication techniques to encourage and educate individuals and groups to enhance massage therapy outcomes; iii. Skill in developing and maintaining strong interpersonal relationships; and iv. Ability to advise staff and students in massage therapy practices. (c) Assignment. At the full performance level, Health Technicians (Massage Therapy) independently assess the physical and mental status of patients. The Health Technician (Massage Therapy) takes complete patient history and performs a physical assessment. The Health Technician (Massage Therapy) interprets relevant clinical information to identify each patient’s population-specific needs, identify indications/contraindications for massage, and develop the plan of care. Health Technicians (Massage Therapy), at this level, are responsible to perform massage therapy services with complexity higher than the developmental level. The Health Technician (Massage Therapy) performs duties with limited supervision and seeks assistance from the supervisor in urgent or emergent circumstances. The Health Technician (Massage Therapy) evaluates patient responses to treatment and documents responses to treatment, by maintaining accurate records in an electronic environment. The Health Technician (Massage Therapy) coordinates follow up massage therapy as necessary. Health Technicians (Massage Therapy), at this level, serve as consultants to the health care team in the evaluation and treatment of the patient. Under routine academic oversight, the Health Technician (Massage Therapy) assists with clinical supervision of massage therapy students. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-7. Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Service, paragraph 2.
The position will serve as a Health Technician (Massage Therapy) at the WNY HCS. Individual VA location of assignment will be site specific at time of job posting. The incumbent treats a wide range of conditions as massage therapy may be used alone or as an adjunct to standard medical care. Incumbents at this grade level serve as independent Health Technicians (Massage Therapy) and perform a full range of treatments which are routine, standardized, and with higher complexity in nature.