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Summary The Recreation Assistant position is in the Geriatrics and Extended Care Department at the Hampton Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Hampton, VA. The incumbent serves as a Recreation Assistant and is assigned to provide a variety of general recreation programs independently and to assist recreation therapists in providing treatment programs to meet patient needs. Responsibilities Duties include but are not limited to: Serves as the Recreation Assistant for the assigned patient care area/program(s). Carries out a full range of Therapeutic Recreation programs and interventions inclusive of recreation treatment modalities and general recreation (diversional) activities, as define and assessed or assigned by the Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist (CTRS). Develops and implements diversional programs independently. Works with patients who have a variety of illnesses, diseases and/or disabling conditions with varying degrees of impairment. Assures that patients are appropriately dressed for prescribed outdoor activities; observes safety precautions in use of tools and equipment, record attendance and participation of patients in projects or activities. Reports the reactions and responses of patients. Works with patients on an individual basis, in small groups or in large groups depending on the patient's physical and mental status and individual needs for treatment. Develops specific activities and routines to maintain or improve patient's general state of physical and/or mental health based on the therapeutic recreation assessment completed by the Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist (CTRS). Conducts on-station and off-station general (diversional) activity programs for various types of disabilities which include psychiatric diagnoses, dementia, neuro-muscular disorders, orthopedic conditions, amputation, paralysis, spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, respiratory disorders, chronic cardiovascular diseases, and patients with multiple diagnoses. Reports to and is supervised by the Chief of Geriatric and Extended Care. Schedules varied indoor games, hobbies, and craft activities. Plans outdoor sports events, and orients participants on requirements for protective equipment and the rules and regulations appropriate to the team sport involved. Drives and/or escorts patients to community activities; utilizing vans, wheel-chair buses and large passenger buses. Instructs patients on expectations and observes patients for unpredictable behavior. Assists individuals with physical disabilities (ambulatory or non-ambulatory) in getting into and out of the vehicle and around in the community environment. Solicits support and involvement of volunteers in specialized programs. Work Schedule: 0800am-430pm Monday-Friday Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Recreation Assistant GEC/PD029330 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required 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 You may be required to serve a probationary period Subject to background/security investigation Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP) Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details. Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 05/13/2024. Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-06 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-05. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade. Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment. Individual Occupational Requirements (IOR): You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-05 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Group leader, counselor, or similar work in public and private recreation programs for adults or children such as summer camps, local playgrounds, YWCA and YMCA clubs, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, urban community centers, or resort recreational activities. Teacher's aid in elementary school recreation or physical education program, with emphasis on development of general recreational skills and abilities. Aid or assistant assignments in recreation while on active military service. Aid or assistant in the organization and administration of recreation activities, such as preparing activities calendars, maintaining attendance records, and providing information concerning schedules and activities. Summer aid in a State or national park, with duties related to the recreational activities of visitors to campsites, trails, picnic areas, nature and raft centers, and boating and fishing areas (e.g., demonstrating camping techniques and park safety, conducting nature tours, and overseeing farm animal areas provided for children). Sales or stock clerk in a recreation supplies and equipment shop. Aid or assistant in the issuance of authorized property, and in the maintenance of inventory control and accountability for such property in a recreation facility. Aid or assistant in a hotel or resort recreation service, with duties such as setting up areas for games, tournaments, and other organized group recreational activities. In addition to the Individual Occupation Requirements, applicants must meet Minimum Qualifications: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-5 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include: Experience with general exercise programs and exercise equipment; Experience with patients in both an inpatient and outpatient setting; Experience working with team; Experience employing patient-centered; communication skills, including active listening and executing concise responses; Experience using computers; Experience with inventory management; Experience with budgetary matters and equipment purchasing; Experience with concepts, principles, and practices of therapeutic recreation in a multi-disciplinary team environment. OR Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have graduate education or an internship with courses directly related to the occupation. (Transcript Required) OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this grade level. You must have a combination of specialized experience and education beyond graduate school. (Transcript Required) You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Clinical Data Collection/Documentation Communication Patient Care Technical Competence 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. Preferred Experience: Nursing Home and/or Assisted Living experience; Prior jobs with older adults. Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. Physical Requirements: In some assignments the work involves regular and recurring physical exertion such as prolonged walking or standing, bending, moderately heavy lifting or moving equipment, positioning severely disabled patients and assisting patients in ambulation and wheel chair mobility. The work requires average agility and dexterity in order to maneuver wheel chairs and driving wheel chair accessible vehicles. The work is primarily very active with some sedentary work involved while performing administrative tasks. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/. Education A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/. Additional Information Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed. Special Employment Consideration: VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply, including those eligible for hiring under 5 CFR 213.3102(u), Schedule A, Appointment of persons with disabilities [i.e., intellectual disabilities, severe physical disabilities, or psychiatric disabilities], and/or Disabled veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30% or more. Contact the Agency Contact for information on how to apply under this appointment authority via the Selective Placement Coordinator. The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced Federal/VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well-qualified: applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in most of the required competencies of the job. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. Pursuant to VHA Directive 1193.01, VHA health care personnel (HCP) are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 subject to such accommodations as required by law (i.e., medical, religious or pregnancy). VHA HCPs do not include remote workers who only infrequently enter VHA locations. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination before your start date. The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required accommodation from this requirement using the reasonable accommodation process. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.