Recreation Therapist

The Recreation Therapist is aligned under Recreation Therapy Service, whose purpose is to provide care and rehabilitation to those Veterans with a variety of disabilities, including, but not limited to: amputation, paralysis, neurological disorders, orthopedic conditions, behavioral health, psychiatric diagnoses, dementia, spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injuries, respiratory disorders, chronic cardiovascular diseases, blind rehabilitation, and Veterans with multiple diagnoses.

Responsibilities This is a direct patient care position in which the incumbent is responsible for performing the work of a recreation therapist in the medical center. The work encompasses a variety of different duties and responsibilities:

• The Recreation Therapist independently interprets provider referrals and reviews consults, administers and interprets recreation therapy assessments and utilizes clinical competencies to develop unconventional assessment and interview approaches to effectively elicit information.
• They conduct, analyze, interpret, and report assessment data based upon functional domains (cognitive, sensory, social, affective, physical, and leisure) and have the ability to adapt assessment tools and treatment interventions to address the complexity of the diagnosis or disability.
• Conduct patient evaluations.
• The recreation therapist recommends adaptation, modification, and/or assistive technology to meet the assessed needs and preferences in recreation therapy.
• Document patient's behavioral observations, progress, functioning, and intervention outcomes.
• Develop and provide collaborative services with other team members.
• Promotes effective communication with all patients, caregivers, treatment team members, Medical Center staff and community partners.
• Determines effectiveness of protocols, modalities and programs for targeted groups through quantitative analysis and identifies potential risks and need for adaptive interventions with cases to facilitate improved bio-psychosocial well-being.
• Participates in staff orientation, successfully completes Medical Center assigned mandatory trainings, and in-service activities.
• Incumbent will transport patients on community reintegration outings.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8:00am - 4:30pm; Nights, weekends, holidays.

Requirements 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. You may be required to serve a trial period. Subject to background/security investigation. Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process.

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. Physical Requirements. See VA Directive and Handbook 5019. English Language Proficiency. Must be proficient in spoken and written English, as required by 38 U.S.C. 7403(f). Education: A bachelor's degree or higher, from an accredited college or university, with a major in therapeutic recreation or recreation/leisure, with an option and/or emphasis in therapeutic recreation. The degree must be approved by the National Council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification (NCTRC); OR A bachelor's degree or higher in any field from an accredited college or university and must be a certified therapeutic recreation specialist (CTRS). The degree must be approved by the NCTRC. If hired under this education, the certification cannot be waived. Required Certification- Recreation Therapist. Applicants must be certified in recreation therapy as a CTRS by the NCTRC. If hired under paragraph 3b(1)(b), certification cannot be waived. Exception. Non-registered and/or non-certified applicants, who otherwise meet the eligibility requirements for registration and/or certification, may be given a temporary appointment as a graduate recreation or creative arts therapist, under the authority of 38 U.S.C. 7405(c)(2)(B), for a period not to exceed two years. Applicants who fail to obtain registration and/or certification during this temporary full-time appointment may be terminated. The exception only applies to positions at the GS-7 and GS-9 level. For grade levels at or above the full performance level, the candidate must be registered and/or certified. Failure to Obtain Registration/Certification. In all cases, recreation and creative arts therapists must actively pursue meeting registration and/or certification requirements, starting from the date of appointment. At the time of appointment, the supervisor will provide the unregistered and/or uncertified recreation or creative arts therapist with the written requirement to obtain registration/certification, the date by which the registration and/or certification must be acquired, and the consequences for not becoming registered and/or certified by the deadline. Failure to become registered and/or certified within two years from the date of appointment will result in removal from the GS-0638 recreation and creative arts therapist occupation, and may result in termination of employment. Loss of Credential. A recreation or creative arts therapist who fails to maintain the required registration and/or certification must be removed from the occupation, which may also result in termination of employment.

Preferred Experience: CTRS. New Grad, One or more years of experience. SCI experience preferred. Experience in community inclusion services. Behavioral health experience. Adaptive recreation/sports experience preferred. Will transport patients.