Physical Therapist

US-Department-of-Veterans-Affair; Bedford Springs (MA); On-site; USD 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

EDRP eligible

Job summary

The US Department of Veterans Affairs in Bedford, MA seeks a licensed Physical Therapist at the GS-12 level to provide direct patient care in outpatient settings, perform evaluations, establish diagnoses, and design evidence-based treatment plans.

Applicants must meet licensure requirements and CAPTE accreditation history; this role requires independent clinical decision making and collaboration with care teams; EDRP and education loan repayment are available.

Qualifications

• US citizenship required
• English proficiency in speaking and writing
• Licensed to practice physical therapy in the United States
• CAPTE-accredited education required: degree history as described in the ad.

Responsibilities

• Make autonomous clinical decisions in a Direct Access environment.
• Evaluate and treat patients with musculoskeletal, neuromuscular, cardio-pulmonary, and integumentary conditions.
• Interpret examination results and select appropriate tests and measures.
• Develop and implement the physical therapy plan of care.
• Determine prognosis and set clinically appropriate goals.
• Provide clinical oversight of Physical Therapy Assistants and students.

Skills

Autonomous clinical decisions

Clinical evaluation

Interpret findings

Treatment planning

Interprofessional collaboration

Clinical oversight of PTAs

Education

Bachelor's degree in Physical Therapy

Master's degree in Physical Therapy

Doctorate in Physical Therapy

Job description

This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific eligibility requirements per VHA policy & submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Program Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) & eligibility period one to five years are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after review of the EDRP application. Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply.

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: 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.
• License: Individuals must 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.
• Education and Experience: Physical Therapists must meet one of the education/experience requirements below:
  • Bachelor's degree in Physical Therapy AND five (5) years of progressively independent experience as a physical therapist; OR
  • Master's degree in Physical Therapy AND two (2) years of progressively independent experience as a physical therapist; OR
  • 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.

GS- 12 Grade Requirements:

Education, Experience and Licensure. 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:

Demonstrated Knowledge Skills and Abilities:

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.

Preferred Experience: Must have at least three years of independent clinical practice in an outpatient environment, with demonstrated expertise in developing and implementing individualized, evidence-based therapy plans.

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

Physical Requirements: See VA Handbook 5019