Summary

The Battle Creek VA Medical Center is hiring a Supervisory Physical Therapist to serve in the Physical Rehabilitation (PR) Service.

This position will be responsible for day to day management of programming and patient care functions within their assigned area while continuing to provide direct patient care where necessary. This position will report to the Chief of Specialty Service.

Duties

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

Duties and functions of this position include but are not limited to:

Leadership/ Administration:

1. Provides full managerial and supervisory oversight for Physical Rehabilitation operations across all settings including inpatient rehabilitation, outpatient clinics, specialty programs and tele-rehabilitation services for physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech-language pathology.
2. Develops, implements and evaluates service line goals, clinical policies, operational procedures and long-term strategic plans.
3. Ensures efficient utilization of personnel, equipment, space, and budget resources.
4. Establishes performance expectations, monitors compliance and initiates corrective action.
5. Utilize available resources effectively to monitor and track data, generating reports to assess program quality.

Clinical Oversight:

1. Ensure consistency and quality of evidence-based practice across the service line.
2. Provides high-level consultation for complex or non-standard patient cases.
3. Oversee program evaluation, outcome measurement, performance improvement initiatives, and compliance with accrediting agencies.
4. Leads development of clinical pathways, standards of care, and documentation requirements.

Staff Management and Development:

1. Supervise, mentor and evaluate team members, guiding toward professional growth and competency. Assist with orienting new team members.
2. Promote a culture of teamwork, accountability and continuous improvement.

Quality & Compliance:

1. Ensure adherence to federal regulation, VHA directives, and local policies.
2. Monitor compliance with credentialing, privileging, inflection control, risk management and safety standards.
3. Prepares for regulatory reviews and accreditation surveys and leads corrective actions.

Collaboration and Interdisciplinary Coordination:

1. Serves as a primary liaison between physical rehabilitation and other clinical/administrative departments or affiliated programs.
2. Participates in executive-level committees, interdisciplinary planning councils, and program development.
3. Represents the service line at VISN and national VA work groups.

Program Development and Innovation:

1. Identifies opportunities for service expansion, new programs and technology integration.
2. Supports clinical education programs and assesses for future residency programs.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8:00am-4:30pm

Telework: Not Available

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: NONE

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• 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 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.

Qualifications

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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Driving License: You must have a valid license.

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).

Grade Determinations:

Experience. In addition to meeting the basic requirements above, applicants must also have one year of progressively complex experience equivalent to the next lower grade level, GS-13. In addition, the candidate must demonstrate all the following KSAs.

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

1. Advanced knowledge of evidence-based practices and clinical practice guidelines in multiple professional areas.

2. Skill in managing interpersonal relationships and conflict resolution in dealing with a range of employees, discipline lead(s), and administrators.

3. Ability to translate extensive rehabilitation knowledge into local policy development.

4. Ability to effectively supervise staff by providing clinical and administrative oversight. This includes ability to manage resources, evaluate employees and assign work.

5. Ability to collaborate with strategic planning committees at local, VISN or national levels for new ventures addressing patient care delivery systems, facilities management, system reorganizations, etc

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.The full performance level of this vacancy is 14.

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.

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

During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status.

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.

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Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

Benefits

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A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

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Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.