Physical Therapist (Amputation Clinical Specialist)

You will serve as Physical Therapist (Amputation Clinical Specialist) with the Physical Medicine & Rehab Services with the VA Puget Sound Healthcare System located in Seattle, Washington.

Provide direct patient care and support services to patients with amputation, who may have amputation or for whom amputation is planned.

Participate in interdisciplinary Amputation Specialty Team clinics and provide other contemporaneous or asynchronous interdisciplinary care with other health care providers or in other settings in addition to Amputation Specialty Team clinic.

Provide direct specialty patient care at least 25% of the time.

Perform comprehensive evaluations (ROM, strength, balance, mobility, sensation, posture, etc.) and complete differential diagnosis, and screen for systemic diseases and medical conditions.

Develop and implement individualized treatment plans using advanced PT techniques and Whole Health modalities as appropriate not limited to but including; therapeutic exercises, therapeutic procedures, therapeutic activities, gait training, balance training, neuromuscular re-education, manual therapy, electrical stimulation, modalities, traction, iontophoresis, biofeedback, strength/ endurance training, aquatic therapy techniques, functional mobility skills, wheelchair skills, equipment recommendations, self-care/home management training, and patient/ family education and discharge planning.

Assess the need for and the patient's ability to use adaptive equipment including ambulatory assistive devices, manual wheelchairs, scooters, TENS units, etc.

Re-evaluate and update treatment plans regularly, presenting patient updates during team meetings.

Contribute to interdisciplinary assessments on prosthetic candidacy, functional prognosis without a prosthesis and related rehabilitation needs.

Liaise with and advise other health care providers or service teams such as acute care therapists, or acute inpatient rehabilitation team for the therapy and equipment needs of patients with limb loss.

Provide expertise in managing phantom limb pain and seating/wheeled mobility needs of this special population.

Collect and interpret performance measures and other measures such as patient-reported outcomes.

Work with all Regional Amputation Team members to ensure progression of rehabilitation and prosthetic goals not limited to but including prosthetic limb acquisition, training and adoption.

Assist in coverage for Regional Amputation Center's Amputation Rehabilitation Coordinator absences for physical therapy and clinic appointments and provide care coverage to acute care, inpatient rehabilitation and outpatient units as coordinated by RAC leadership and within reasonable coordination.

Perform other duties as assigned.

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

Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM PDT.
Telework: This not a telework position.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 000000
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized.

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements within the closing date of this announcement.

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: Individuals appointed under authority of 38 U.S.C. chapters 73 or 74, to serve in a direct patient-care capacity in VHA must be proficient in written and spoken English. See Chapter 2, section D, paragraph 5a, this part.
• Education and experience: The individual must meet at least one of the requirements below:
  • Bachelor's degree in Physical Therapy AND five (5) years of progressively independent experience as a physical therapist.
  • Master's degree in Physical Therapy AND two (2) years of progressively independent experience as a physical therapist.
  • 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 post-baccalaureate 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.
  • Foreign Graduates: Graduates of foreign physical therapy programs meet the requirements in subparagraph 3b if they have a full unrestricted and current license to practice physical therapy in a State, Territory or Commonwealth of the United States, or in the District of Columbia. The Foreign Credentialing Commission on Physical Therapy (FCCPT) is a non-profit organization created to assist the United States (U.S.) Citizenship and Immigration Services (formerly INS) and U.S. state licensing authorities by evaluating the credentials of Foreign Educated Physical Therapists (FEPTs) who wish to immigrate and work in the U.S. Although the licensing of physical therapists in the U.S. is a right and responsibility of each jurisdiction, foreign educated individuals must undergo an educational credentials assessment for substantial equivalency to the first professional degree in the US. The Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy (FSBPT) is committed to protect the public and to provide leadership within the field and practice of physical therapy. FSBPT's Foreign Educated Standards Committee has developed standards that represent "best practices" in evaluation services. The Credentials Evaluation Standards were developed with input from the physical therapy credentialing agencies that are licensed to use FSBPT's Coursework Tool.
• Licensure: Individuals 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: Individuals who have or have had multiple licenses and had any such license revoked for professional misconduct, professional incompetency or substandard care, or who surrendered such license after receiving written notice of potential termination of such license by the state for professional misconduct, professional incompetence, or substandard care, are not eligible for appointment to the position unless such revoked or surrendered license is fully restored (38 U.S.C 7402(f)). Effective November 30, 1999, this is a requirement for employment. This requirement does not apply to licensed physical therapists on VA rolls as of November 30, 1999, provided the individual maintains a continuous appointment and is not disqualified for employment by any subsequent revocations or voluntary surrenders of State license, registration or certification.
• Loss of Credential: A PT who fails to maintain the required license must be removed from the occupation, which may result in termination of employment. At the discretion of the appointing official, an employee may be reassigned to another occupation, if qualified, and if a placement opportunity exists.

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).

GS- 13 Physical Therapist (Clinical Specialist)
(a) Experience. In addition to meeting the basic requirements, one year of progressively complex experience equivalent to the GS-12 grade level and one of the following:
1. Evidence of a minimum of 2,000 hours of clinical practice directly in the specialty area. This time must be between the past two and five years; OR
2. Board Certification in the specialty area recognized by the ABPTS; OR
3. Completion of a fellowship program; OR
4. An additional advanced degree in a related field. In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs.
(b) Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities.
1. Advanced knowledge and expert skill in a range of specialized interventions and treatment modalities used in a specialized treatment area of physical therapy.
2. Ability to serve as a consultant and subject matter expert for health care providers regarding the delivery of care within a specialized content area of physical therapy.
3. Ability to teach and mentor medical center staff in a specialized content area of physical therapy.
4. Ability to guide the work of a multi-disciplinary team in a specialized content area of physical therapy.
5. Advanced knowledge and expert skill to perform and interpret specialized procedures and tests in evaluating the treatment outcomes in the assigned specialty content area.

Preferred Experience: Experience in direct patient care and support services to patients with amputation, who may have amputation or for whom amputation is planned, as well as those who are at high risk of amputation. Experience in specialized and custom seating, adaptive sports or physical therapy care for patients with complex diagnoses. Preference to applicants from VA Puget Sound HCS and those with experience in treatment across continuum of care including acute care, telehealth platforms and those that demonstrate collaborative interdisciplinary care.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

Physical Requirements: Pre-placement and periodic physical examinations are required for hybrid occupations to ensure workers are placed in positions where they can perform the essential functions of their job considering their physical, mental and emotional capacities, without endangering their health or the health of their co- workers. 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.
• 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.
• 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.