Summary You will serve as a Recreation Assistant with the VA Puget Sound Health Care System in Seattle, Washington. Responsibilities You will ensure the safety of patrons in the aquatic facility by preventing and responding to emergencies. You will prevent accidents by maintaining constant observation of the pool area by enforcing health and safety rules and maintaining emergency readiness. You will act immediately and appropriately to secure safety of patrons in the event of emergency. You will take immediate action in the case of an emergency and provide instant care and treatment. You will be able to communicate with patrons and adapt to meet their specific needs. You will assist therapists with patients. You will have experience with cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), basic first aid, and emergency medical procedures required in an aquatic's environment. You will have knowledge of standard water safety and lifesaving techniques such as would be acquired through successful completion of a lifeguard certification. You will have knowledge of procedures to prevent exposure to contagious, infectious, and blood-borne diseases in an aquatic setting. You will have current physical ability to swim and rescue swimmers of all age groups. You will perform other duties as assigned. Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level. Work Schedule: Monday/Tuesday/Thursday, and Friday 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. Wednesday 9:00 am to 3:30 pm. (Position is 32 hours weekly) Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Recreation Assistant/PD41328A and PD41326A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized. Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not authorized. Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized. Financial Disclosure Report: Not required. Physical Requirements: The work involves regular and recurring physical exertion such as prolonged walking or standing, bending, moderately heavy lifting or moving of equipment, positioning severely disabled patients, and assisting patients in ambulation. The work requires specific, common physical characteristics and abilities, such as above average agility and dexterity. The work is primarily active in nature with some sedentary work involved when performing administrative tasks. The work involves irregular tours of duty. Work Conditions: The work, which is performed in the pool and locker room area, involves regular and recurring risks. Many patients participating in the aquatics program are physically and/or mentally disabled due to brain injury, spinal cord injury, stroke, and other neurologic diagnoses. The work may be in an area with potential exposure to harmful chemical agents, where personal protective equipment would be required. Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 You may be required to serve a probationary period Subject to background/security investigation Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP) Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details. The Selected Applicant must be proficient in the English language. 5 CFR § 330.502 - General restriction on movement after competitive appointment applies. Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement, 02/13/2024. Time-In-Grade Requirement: AApplicants may be advanced without time restriction to positions up to GS-5 if the position to be filled is no more than two grades above the lowest grade the employee held within the preceding 52 weeks under his or her latest non-temporary competitive appointment. For this vacancy, employees under the GS pay system must have held a GS-3 or higher position in the last 52 weeks to be eligible for the GS-5 grade level. If you have not held a GS grade at any time in the past 52 weeks, or are a Wage Grade employee, this requirement does not apply to you. Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education s described below: GS-04: EXPERIENCE: You must have six (6) months of general experience and six (6) months of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-3 grade level. General experience includes experience that demonstrates your ability to perform the work of the position or experience that provided a familiarity with the subject matter or processes of the broad subject area of the occupation. Specialized experience includes: assisting with daily operations of a pool and gym; applying basic rules and regulations including basic water safety, infection control, universal precautions, and fire and safety management; performing data collection techniques for assistance with patient evaluation and treatment planning; applying safety issues to document essential information related to treatment; and applying basic health care issues and technique knowledge in the field of Therapeutic Recreation. Specialized experience may have been gained as a: 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 assistant 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; or as an 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.: . OR, EDUCATION (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED): Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have successfully completed at least 2 years of study that included at least 12 semester hours in courses related to recreation (e.g., basic psychology, group dynamics, physical education, arts and crafts, etc.). OR, COMBINATION: EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION: (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED): Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have equivalent combinations of creditable experience and education as described in A and B above to meet the total experience requirements. Combination of successfully completed post high school education and experience may be used to meet total qualification requirements. GS-05: SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-03 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience includes: assisting with daily operations of a pool and gym; applying basic rules and regulations including basic water safety, infection control, universal precautions, and fire and safety management; performing data collection techniques for assistance with patient evaluation and treatment planning; applying safety issues to document essential information related to treatment; and applying basic health care issues and technique knowledge in the field of Therapeutic Recreation. Specialized experience may have been gained as a: 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 aid in elementary school recreation or physical education program, with emphasis on development of general recreational skills and abilities; Aid or assistant 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; or as an 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: OR, EDUCATION (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED): Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have successfully completed a 4-years 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 college or university. OR, COMBINATION: EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION: (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED): Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must equivalent combinations of creditable experience and education as described in A and B above to meet the total experience requirements. Combination of successfully completed post high school education and experience may be used to meet total qualification requirements. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Communications Emergency Care Interpersonal Skills Patient Care 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/. Education A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on 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 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; religions; 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. Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. 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. Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed. Special Employment Consideration: VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply, including those eligible for hiring under 5 CFR 213.3102(u), Schedule A, Appointment of persons with disabilities [i.e., intellectual disabilities, severe physical disabilities, or psychiatric disabilities], and/or Disabled veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30% or more. Contact the Agency Contact for information on how to apply under this appointment authority via the Selective Placement Coordinator. The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced Federal/VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well-qualified: applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in most of the required competencies of the job. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. 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.