Recreation Assistant

Summary

The Recreation Assistant will serve at the VA Medical Center in Tomah, WI. The Recreation Assistant plans, organizes, implements, and carries out a full range of meaningful activities designed to promote resident self-esteem, free-choice, interaction, and the continued interests in life in accordance with the comprehensive Veteran care plan with the guidance of the Recreation and Creative Art Therapy supervisor or Recreation Therapy staff.

Qualifications

English Language Proficiency: In accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), No person shall serve in direct patient care positions unless they are proficient in basic written and spoken English. You must be proficient in basic written and spoken English in order to meet the requirements of this position. ~AND~ SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Applicants must possess at least one (1) year of specialized experience that equipped them with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of this position, and that is typically in or related to the work of this position. To be creditable, this experience must have been equivalent to at least the GS-4 level in the Federal service. Specialized experience includes: group leader, counselor, or similar work in public and private recreation programs for adults or children such as summer camps, local playgrounds, YWCA and YMCA clubs, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, urban community centers, or resort recreational activities; teacher's aide in elementary school recreation or physical education program, with emphasis on development of general recreational skills and abilities; aid or assisted assignments in recreation while on active military service; aid or assistant in the organization and administration of recreation activities, such as preparing activities calendars, maintaining attendance records, and providing information concerning schedules and activities; summer aid in a state or national park, with duties related to the recreational activities of visitors to campsites, trails, picnic areas, nature and raft centers, and boating and fishing areas (e.g., demonstrating camping techniques and park safety, conducting nature tours, and overseeing farm animal areas provided for children); sales or stock clerk in a recreation supplies and equipment shop; aid or assistant in the issuance of authorized property, and in the maintenance of inventory control and accountability for such property in a recreation facility; and aid or assistant in a hotel or resort recreation service, with duties such as setting up areas for games, tournaments, and other organized group recreational activities. NOTE: Experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title; duties; month and year start/end dates AND hours worked per week. ~OR~ Education: Successful completion of a 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree with major study or at least 24 semester hours in courses related to recreation or physical education. This education must have been obtained in an accredited business or technical school, junior college, college or university for which high school graduation or the equivalent is the normal prerequisite. NOTE: Transcripts must be submitted with application. Education cannot be credited without documentation. ~OR~ Combination: Equivalent combinations of specialized experience and higher-level education as described above, that demonstrates your ability to perform the duties of this position. NOTE: Transcripts must be submitted with application. Education cannot be credited without documentation. You will be rated on the following Competencies as part of the assessment questionnaire for this position: Computer Forensics Memory Project Management Teamwork IMPORTANT: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. All experience listed on your resume must include the month and year start/end dates. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Physical Requirements: The work requires regular and recurring physical exertion such as extended periods of standing or walking for prolonged periods of time and over rough, uneven, or rocky surfaces; frequent bending, couching, reaching, stooping, and stretching or similar activities to set up and take apart equipment and apparatus; recurring lifting of moderately heavy items such as bowling and sports equipment and repositioning patients; and pushing or pulling heavy objects. The work may require the recreation assistant to push wheelchair patients on level and inclined ground. The work involves irregular tours of duty. The work environment includes bowling alley, gymnasium, offices, building 455, storage closets and Tomah VA grounds. The work involves regular and recurring exposure to moderate risks and discomforts that require special safety and health precautions, e.g., working regularly with patients and in situations where there is risk of exposure to contagious diseases, odors and/or flammable gases. The recreation assistant is required to wear protective clothing such as gown, gloves, and a mask to prevent disease and the spread of infection and to follow appropriate policies and procedures related to Infections Disease and Standard Precautions. The recreation assistant is exposed to patients with a variety of disabilities and illnesses that include physical, cognitive, and /or psychiatric conditions. Many patients encountered are emotionally disturbed and may demonstrate assaultive/aggressive behaviors secondary to chronic schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, unaffected mental disorders, dementia's, delirium, adjustment disorders, etc. The recreation assistant is exposed to weather conditions and medical emergencies. Electrical and mechanical equipment requiring normal safety precautions are operated periodically. Toxic and flammable chemicals (propane, cleaners) are also used and require precautionary measures. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.

Duties

"***THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION, YOU MUST LIVE WITHIN OR BE WILLING TO RELOCATE WITHIN A COMMUTABLE DISTANCE OF THE DUTY LOCATION*** Duties include, but are not limited to: Utilize a variety of communication, customer service and provision skills to perform all such duties as are necessary to support the robust non-clinical activities program.
Persuades and motivates Veterans and family members to participate in treatment plans and comply with indicated regimes and post-discharge activities.
Develops and conducts free choice programming, for all facility-wide leisure activities for medical, long term and psychiatric, nursing home care, alcohol/drug treatment Veterans.
Instructs groups, as well as individual participants regarding basic techniques and maneuvers, dependent upon observation of Veterans participating in diversional/leisure activities.
Schedules various indoor games, hobbies, and craft activities.
Plan outdoor leisure activities, and orients participants on requirements for protective equipment and the rules and regulations appropriate to the leisure activities involved.
Observes, reviews and reports on the progress and reactions of Veterans and their participation in activities to the Supervisory Recreation Therapist and Recreation Therapy staff.
Escorts patients to community activities; gives instructions on expectations and observes patient for unpredictable behavior.
Perform other duties as assigned.
Work Schedule: Tour of duty will be 1-3 evening a week, 11:30am-8:00pm and one weekend a month.
Other days will be 8:00am-4:30pm.
Holidays as assigned.
Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required"