Supervisory Kinesiotherapist

Description:

The Incumbent serves within Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Service (PM&RS) at the Salisbury VA Medical Center in Salisbury, NC, as a Staff Kinesiotherapist. The incumbent who works at this level provides assessment and treatment intervention on an independent basis across the continuum of care and services provided by PM&RS.

Requirements:

a. Citizenship . Be a citizen of the United States. Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7407(a).

b. Education. (1) A bachelor's degree or higher from a program accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Program, with a concentration/emphasis in kinesiotherapy.
OR
(2) A bachelor's degree or higher with a concentration/emphasis in kinesiotherapy or exercise science related field and registered as a kinesiotherapist in good standing with the Council of Professional Standards for Kinesiotherapy Council of Professional Standards for Kinesiotherapy (COPSKT).
OR
(3) A master's degree or higher with a degree in exercise science, kinesiology, human performance or a related field, which has been approved by Council of Professional Standards for Kinesiotherapy (COPSKT) and a certificate verifying completion of a Center of Excellence (COE) Kinesiotherapy clinical training program. The completion of the certificate ensures that COPSKT has approved the degree program as part of the application process for the COE internship.

c. Foreign Graduates. Graduates of a foreign program must meet the requirements in subparagraph 3b if they have a full unrestricted and current registration to practice kinesiotherapy in a State, Territory, or Commonwealth (i.e., Puerto Rico) of the United States or in the District of Columbia. They must have at a minimum, proof of a degree from an accredited college or university (or foreign equivalent, as verified through an independent credentialing evaluation company).

d. Registration. All applicants must be registered in kinesiotherapy in good standing with the COPSKT.

e. Grandfathering Provision . All persons employed in VHA as a Kinesiotherapist 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 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 to it, the following provisions apply:
(1) Such employees ] may be reassigned, promoted up to and including the full performance (journeyman) level, or [changed to a lower grade] within the occupation, but may not be promoted beyond the journeyman level or placed in supervisory or managerial positions.
(2) Employees who are 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 license/certification/registration that meet all the basic requirements of this qualification standard, must maintain the required credentials as a condition of employment in the occupation.
(4) Kinesiotherapists who are converted to title 38 hybrid status] under this provision,[and subsequently leave the occupation, will lose their] protected status, and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of re-entry to the occupation.

English Language Proficiency. Kinesiotherapist candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by [38 U.S.C. § 7403 (f).]

GRADE REQUIREMENTS. In addition to the basic requirements, the following criteria must be used when determining the appropriate grade and assignment of candidates.

Kinesiotherapist, GS-13 (1) Experience/Education . One year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level GS-12.

(2) Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities . In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all the following KSAs:
(a) Ability to supervise, motivate, and effectively manage staff by organizing work, setting priorities, and delegating tasks and setting responsibilities.
(b) Ability to disseminate appropriate information through various media as a consultant or mentor.
(c) Skill in interpersonal relationships in dealing with employees, other team leaders, and managers.
(d) Knowledge of specialized programs and the ability to perform the administrative duties of special programs and/or components of a Kinesiotherapist section.
(e) Knowledge of decision-making principles necessary to adjust programs on a day-to-day basis, to develop short term and long-range goals, and/or to plan for future utilization of human resources, and the reassignment of staff to enhance/develop the value of existing or new programs.

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.