Recreation Therapist

The Therapeutic Recreation Specialist's primary duty is to assess, plan and facilitate recreation and leisure activity, sports skill development and opportunities which reinforce the treatment programs provided by the Blind Rehabilitation Center's therapeutic staff.

• Organize and disseminate information related to on-going and available activities for the SBRC inpatients.
• Facilitate Veteran's development and increase confidence in their ability to organize and participate in recreational sports, recreation, and leisure time activities, as it applies to his/her individual lifestyle, and help the patients build the personal and social resources that will increase their independence.
• Provide direct services to the patient (individual assessments, skill development, exploration of new or adapted activities, community reintegration and resource development).
• Maintains close communication with all other members of the interdisciplinary SBRC staff, including optometry, psychology, social work, and nursing to ensure the needs of Veterans are being met.
• Develops treatment plans using client' s assessment and documents for the Veteran Staffing and program progress meetings in CPRS.
• Develops intermediate and long-term goals and objectives with each patient in his/her assigned program.
• Coordinates the overall treatment plan with the treatment team and patient's family/caregiver to provide a program that focuses on treatment goals.
• Plans various activities directed towards achieving such therapeutic objectives as diminishing emotional stress and promoting successful community re-entry.
• Coordinates a wide range of activities, including community-based service organizations and sports and fitness activities, in the development of individualized patient treatment programs.
• Provides the equipment, materials, instruction, encouragement, or counseling necessary to promote a positive and therapeutic activity.
• Performs regular assessments, recreation and leisure and sports diagnostic evaluations to determine appropriate therapeutic programs, in conjunction with the interdisciplinary treatment team and physician.
• Documents the treatment rendered and the Veteran's progress and response to treatment in the medical record.
• Documents Discharge summary planning into the BRC Discharge Note in CPRS.
• All other duties as assigned.

Work Schedule: Tuesday - Saturdays, 10:30am - 19:00pm
Telework: Not available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: PD61721F
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

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.
• English Language Proficiency. Must be proficient in spoken and written English, as required by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).
• Education. Recreation Therapist

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.

Foreign Education. To be creditable, education completed outside the U.S. must have been submitted to a private organization that specializes in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials. The private organization must deem such education at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. programs.

• Certification: Recreation Therapist
• Applicants must be certified in recreation therapy as a CTRS by the NCTRC. If hired under paragraph 4b(1)(b), certification cannot be waived.
• Grandfathering Provision. All persons employed in VHA as a recreation or creative art therapist, on the effective date of this qualification standard, are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title, series, and grade held, including positive education, and registration and/or certification that are part of the basic requirements of the occupation. For employees who do not meet all the basic requirements in this standard, but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed, the following provisions apply:

(1) Such employees may be reassigned, promoted up to, and including, the full performance (journeyman) level, or changed to lower grade within the occupation, but may not be promoted beyond the journeyman level, or placed in supervisory or managerial positions.
(2) Employees who were appointed on a temporary basis, prior to the effective date of the qualification standard, may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed, on a temporary or permanent basis, until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standard.
(3) Employees initially grandfathered into this occupation, who subsequently obtain additional education and/or licensure/registration/certification, that meet all the basic requirements of this qualification standard must maintain the required credentials asa condition of employment in the occupation.
(4) Recreation and creative arts therapists who are converted to title 38 hybrid status under this provision and subsequently leave the occupation lose protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements, in effect at the time of reentry, as a recreation or creative arts therapist.

Grade Requirements.

Creditable Experience
(1) Knowledge of Current Professional Recreation Therapy or Creative Arts Therapy Practices. To be creditable, the experience must have required the use of knowledge, skills, and abilities (also referred to as "clinical competencies") associated with current professional recreation or creative arts therapy practices.
Evidence of such experience includes private practice, U.S. military services, local/state/federal government organizations, for profit/non-profit organizations, healthcare, or educational facilities.
(2) Quality of Experience. Qualifying experience must be at a level comparable to the next lower grade level. Experience satisfying this requirement must be active professional practice, which may be paid or non-paid employment as a recreation or creative arts therapist.

Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates:

Recreation Therapist, GS-11
(a) Experience. At least one year of creditable experience at the next lower grade level.
(b) Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:

1. Ability to adapt assessment tools and treatment interventions to address the complexity of the diagnosis or disabilities and demonstrate the clinical reasoning necessary to identify the need for further in-depth specific assessment of function and utilization of unconventional methods and techniques
2. Knowledge to independently interpret provider referrals and consults; and apply all health and safety regulations to minimize and mitigate risks in the provision of patient care and the environment of care
3. Skill in effectively communicating and educating, in a clear and concise manner, with patients, families, caregivers, and other health care professionals to facilitate the interdisciplinary treatment process.
4. Skill in independently utilizing appropriate screening and evaluation techniques required to appropriately provide direct patient care in areas such as, but not limited to recommendations for recreation therapy assistive devices, including fit and function.
5. Skill in independently applying evidence-based and best practice therapeutic techniques and interventions.
6. Knowledge of the principles and techniques in recreation therapy assessment and the treatment of recreation, leisure, and biopsychosocial functional deficits.

Preferred Experience: Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist (CTRS); Experience with: (1) Offers community integration programs in relation to established community partnerships to include inclusionary opportunities, community resources and discharge planning into the community (2) Ability to document clear, concise treatment goals, treatment plans, goal oriented interventions, individualized progress, or lack of, toward treatment goals in the medical record (3) Plans and evaluates a variety of effective treatment modalities to meet social physical, cognitive and emotional needs & align with interdisciplinary treatment plans.

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-11. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-11.

Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019.

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/.

• 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.
• Subject to background/security investigation.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Must pass pre-employment physical examination.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.