Physical Therapist

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: BASIC REQUIREMENTSCitizenship: Must be a citizen of the United States. English Language Proficiency: Must be proficient in spoken and written English.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. 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: 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: Non-licensed PTs, who otherwise meet the basic requirements in this standard, may be given a temporary appointment as a graduate PT at the GS-11 grade level under the authority of 38 U.S.C. 7405 (a)(1)(D) for a period not-to-exceed two years from the date of employment on the condition that such PT provide care only under the supervision of a PT who is licensed. Failure to obtain licensure during that period is justification for termination of the temporary appointment. In addition to the Basic Requirements listed above, you must meet the requirements list for the grade levels below. Grade Determinations:GS-12 Physical Therapist (Full Performance Level)Education, Experience and Licensure: In addition to the basic requirements, candidates must possess one year of experience equivalent to the GS-11 grade level, hold a valid unrestricted state license and demonstrate all the KSAs below: 1. Ability to make autonomous clinical decisions in a Direct Access environment. This includes ability to independently evaluate and treat patients who seek physical therapy services. 2. Skill in performing 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 psychosocial and environmental factors. 3. Ability to interpret findings from examination and evaluation, select appropriate test and measures, and integrate findings into the physical therapy plan of care for the full range of patient populations. 4. Ability to establish a diagnosis within the scope of physical therapy and identify the appropriate rehabilitation intervention, including referral to another provider for further consultation as clinically indicated. 5. Ability to determine physical therapy prognosis by incorporating examination findings with the patient’s preferences in order to set clinically appropriate treatment goals, optimize outcomes and maximize functional independence. 6. Ability to independently provide clinical oversight of Physical Therapy Assistants as well as students on clinical affiliations who are in Doctoral PT Programs or PTA Programs. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS12. Physical Requirements: This position frequently requires moderate to heavy lifting. Normally such lifting will involve, but is not limited to, assisting with transfers or gait training of the client in the physical therapy clinic.
The Physical Therapist provides in-home services to patients with a wide variety of multiple, complex chronic illnesses and/or profound disabilities. The position carries primary responsibility for providing in-home physical therapy assessments, and the planning, and administration and management of rehabilitation in the home for patients of the Oscar G. Johnson VA Medical Center (OGJ VAMC) and Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOC) Home Based Primary Care Program (HBPC).