Physical Therapist

This Physical Therapist position is located in the Physical, Medical, and Rehabilitation Service (PM&R) for VA Portland Health Care System; which includes the Portland, OR, and Vancouver, WA, locations, and their Community-Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC) locations.

Physical Therapist is a health care professional working as part of the rehabilitation care team in a variety of settings. The Physical Therapist is the professional expert in the realm of functional mobility and ability. The Physical Therapist evaluates and interprets information from a detailed evaluation and formulates the Physical Therapy plan of care. The therapist uses this plan of care as a framework to establish activities, goals and frequency/duration to optimize functional outcomes.

The Physical Therapist evaluates patients for specialized equipment or devices to enhance safety or improve functional independence. The therapist will also provide education and training to Veteran's and, as appropriate, family members on safe and effective use of equipment and devices.

Physical Therapist assigned to PM&R. The position being recruited for is with the Vancouver Community Living Center and/or Comprehensive Rehabilitation Unit.

Duties include but not limited to:

• The employee is a licensed physical therapist who performs at the full performance level. Uses standard and non-standard methods for evaluating complex cases to identify problems and baseline levels of function.
• Develops appropriate treatment plans and goals.
• Measures, fits and instructs patients for the use of complex adaptive equipment and assistive devices.
• Effectively communicates, both orally and in writing, and performs required documentations in a timely manner.
• Employee involves the patient, family members, caregiver, and pertinent health care staff in the treatment process by maintaining effective communication.
• Employee demonstrates knowledge and skill in communications appropriate to the age of patients served in the work area.
• Employee demonstrates knowledge and skill to provide physical assistance to aging patients, considering potential difficulties with balance and ambulation and the increased possibility of damage or injury to skin and bones.
• Employee communicates readily with multidisciplinary treatment team advising the team of patient's needs and progress, exchanging discharge planning information with them.
• Conducts in-service programs for the Physical Therapy Section and other disciplines and shares knowledge of new or improved techniques with staff.
• Insures proper supply levels are maintained for patient treatment.
• Maintains and submits in a timely manner statistics and other required reports.
• Employee works independently. He/she is responsible for the physical therapy program and clinics to which he/she is assigned and confers with the supervisor at periodic intervals for the purpose of keeping him/her informed of problem cases, workload and progress reports.
• Other duties may be assigned.

VA Careers - Physical Therapy: https://youtube.com/embed/Gi2hoFqIoqY

Preferred Candidate will have at least 1 year of experience working on an inpatient or skilled rehabilitation setting.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 7:30AM - 4:00PM PST. Standard Clinic Hours, however may be required to work evenings, weekends, or provide holiday coverage.

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.
• The basic requirements for employment as a VHA physical therapist are prescribed by Public Law 96-151 codified in 38 U.S.C. § 7402. To qualify for appointment, all applicants for the position of physical therapist in VHA must meet the following:
  • 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. OR
    • (2) Master's degree in Physical Therapy AND two (2) years of progressively independent experience as a physical therapist. OR
    • (3) Doctorate degree in physical therapy.

NOTE: Prior to 1995 the terminal degree for PT's was either a bachelors or master's degree. In 1995 CAPTE accredited all baccalaureate, master's, and Doctor of Physical Therapy terminal degree programs. Effective 2002, CAPTE changed its scope of accrediting activities of PT education programs to include only those programs that culminate in postbaccalaureate degrees(eliminating the baccalaureate degree). Effective 2015, professional physical therapy education programs have only offered the Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) degree to all new students.

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

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). All licensed PTs employed in VHA 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 licensure that are part of the basic requirements of the occupation

Grade Determinations:
GS-11 Physical Therapist: None beyond the above basic requirements

GS-12 Physical Therapist: 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/.

Preferred Experience: 1 year of inpatient rehabilitation experience.

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-11 to GS-12.

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.
• All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.
• 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 evaluation.
• 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.