Summary The position is located in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Veterans Health Administration (VHA), at the Lebanon VA Medical Center (LVAMC), within in the Whole Health Department. The incumbent reports to the Whole Health Program Medical Director. The primary purpose of the Physiologist is to develop and conduct comprehensive exercise and health promotion programming to support Whole Health (to include Employee Whole Health), MOVE Weight Management, and other programming. Responsibilities Develops Exercise/Fitness Education for Health Promotion Programs Incumbent selects and administers physical performance measures for Whole Health and MOVE program activities. Incumbent will develop and implement ongoing, individualized therapy treatment programs. Develops and updates exercise and fitness education curriculum programs, and educational materials for Whole Health, Employee Whole Health and MOVE programs. Develops comprehensive exercise/fitness information for weight management and preventive medicine programs. Serves as the organization's exercise and fitness education expert consultant. Writes and edits exercise and fitness education components of health care materials for weight management and other preventive medicine programs. Health Promotion Programs Strategic Management and Delivery Incumbent will serve as a member of the multidisciplinary weight loss management team and work with cohesively with the MOVE! Coordinator and Whole Health program staff, clinical pharmacists, dieticians, and health coaches. Incumbent will educate patient on exercise plan and use their knowledge of exercise prescription to create an onsite or home-based program to meet the individual needs of the patient. Plans and coordinates strategies for the management and delivery of exercise/fitness elements for Whole Health and MOVE programs. Plans service delivery strategies for the Whole Health and MOVE programs. Develops strategies to meet short, medium and long-range goals. Develops Policy and Guidance As an expert exercise activity/ fitness consultant the incumbent: Develops fitness guidance for Whole Health and MOVE programs. Functions as organizational liaison for development of clinical guidance for Exercise Physiology and other exercise activity specialists. Develops policy guidance that incorporates legislative mandates and, public policy direction in the applicable fitness and exercise fields. Serves as a key member of a multidisciplinary team which provides consultation to the field of fitness and weight management policy, procedures, and clinical care. Modify or adapt standard processes and procedures to include recommending and justifying appropriate Whole Health and MOVE program strategies. Develops/ Implements Computer Programs for Health Promotion Programs Designs and integrates systems to support the exercise and fitness education aspects of the Whole Health and MOVE programs. Assists in the development of functional specifications and design for new or enhanced fitness and weight management information management systems. Identifies operating procedures, data sources, data values, functional logic and other process elements. Develops efficient design to achieve automation of exercise and fitness education following established guidelines of national health promotion and disease prevention processes and programs. Quality Assurance Assists in the evaluation of the effectiveness of fitness programming. Analyzes criteria and adjusts standards in response to program developments. Develops assessment tools to support program improvement of all fitness/exercise programming. Participates in CARF and Joint Commission activities as required. Professional Development/Education Remains up to date in areas impacting the direction and administration of the physical activity elements of weight management and health promotion/disease prevention programs. Initiates individualized plan for continuous professional development. Participates in professional organizations and meetings. Continuously shares current evidence-based findings with Whole Health and MOVE! program staff and others throughout the medical center. Work Schedule: 8:00 am - 4:30 pm, Monday-Friday Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Physiologist/PD024990 Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not 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. Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 07/01/2024. Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-09. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade. 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. Individual Occupational Requirements (Basic Education Requirements) Possess a Degree: in one of the basic animal sciences or physiology; or a related discipline or field of science that included at least 24 semester hours in the basic animal sciences, of which 10 semester hours were in animal physiology Evaluation of Education: Courses such as anatomy; cytology; invertebrate and vertebrate zoology; embryology; entomology; animal, dairy, and poultry husbandry; nutrition; genetics; and physiology may be used to meet the 24-semester-hour requirement in the basic animal sciences. -Courses in physiology, animal or human physiology, cellular physiology, or courses that were well oriented toward animal or human physiology, e.g., some advanced courses in biochemistry, are qualifying as animal physiology courses -Courses in related fields such as cytology and microbiology (including microbial physiology)may also be qualifying, provided the course work dealt directly with the application of scientific principles underlying animal physiology, or with the methodology and techniques applied in animal physiology work. In addition to the Individual Occupational Requirement above, you must also have one of the following below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-9 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Independently evaluate patients using evidence based procedures and techniques appropriate for diagnosis to establish a baseline function Develop and implement ongoing, individualized therapy treatment programs Educate patient on exercise plan and use their knowledge of exercise prescription to create an onsite or home-based program to meet the individual needs of the patient Responsible for screening and enrolling patients into a program, conducting a medical history assessment, medical screen and physical function assessment, arranging initial and follow up appointments as well as providing delivery of care throughout the program Analyze results of the patient's assessment to determine risk stratification and appropriateness for cardiac or pulmonary rehab Develop progressive physical fitness plans of care by designing and modifying treatment programs, developing goals and using a multifaceted approach determined by the Veteran's physical and mental conditions that draws upon the use of both standard and nonstandard treatment procedure. OR Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have:3 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree OR Combination: Education and experience may be combined for all grade levels for which both education and experience are acceptable. 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. Physical Requirements: The work involves a wide range of physical demands from sedentary work, sitting in a standard office setting, to moderate and heavy physical demands which include the ability to lead exercise demonstrations and transfer patients within patient room and rehab gym settings. The work will require short periods of standing, walking, bending, crouching, reaching and leading exercise demonstrations. On occasions, employee must be capable of assisting with transferring patients that may weigh over three hundred pounds 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 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. 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. Pursuant to VHA Directive 1193.01, VHA health care personnel (HCP) are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 subject to such accommodations as required by law (i.e., medical, religious or pregnancy). VHA HCPs do not include remote workers who only infrequently enter VHA locations. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination before your start date. The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required accommodation from this requirement using the reasonable accommodation process. 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.