Blind Rehabilitation Outpatient Specialist

Overview

The Eastern Colorado Health Care System, located in Aurora, CO, is recruiting for one GS-11 target GS-12 Blind Rehabilitation Outpatient Specialist (BROS) for the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitative Service.

• Full performance GS-12 Blind Rehabilitation Outpatient Specialist - BROS duties include: provides direct patient care & support services for Veterans who may have wound & trauma related vision loss; tailors patient care/support services to meet patient needs including assessments, service delivery, and responding to patient concerns; identifies those who would benefit from blind & vision rehabilitation training; consults with Polytrauma team, VIST - eye clinics, blind & vision rehabilitation services, and community resources to locate/serve potential Veterans to offer direct blind & vision rehabilitation services in five skill areas in the Veteran's home, another residence, or within the community;
  
  assesses, plans, trains & evaluates outcomes for Veterans using objective & subjective assessment tools/methods requiring broadly based advanced knowledge in five skill areas; consults with local, regional & national resources for information; selects, interprets & adapts traditional strategies to meet Veterans' needs; develops individual rehabilitation-training plans that include Veteran &/or family goals and achievable & measurable outcomes; communicates plan to VIST, VISOR Clinicians, Low Vision Optometrist &/or Blind Rehabilitation Center to expedite rehabilitation training as needed.
• Prioritizes rehabilitation training activities to maximize Veterans served in alignment with quality care & safety; designs rehabilitation training to shorten waiting time, minimize inpatient treatment at Blind Rehabilitation Center or eliminate need for inpatient services; prioritizes outpatient treatment for Veterans experiencing safety issues; makes maximum use of outpatient clinical facilities along with proper & judicious use of home-based services; uses a wide variety of basic & complex training techniques, aids & devices;
  
  uses objective/subjective assessment tools to train Veterans on prosthetics & sensory aids to meet rehabilitation treatment plan goals; uses sophisticated technology interfaces with goals related to ADLs, Communication, Low Vision & Orientation & Mobility.
• Works closely with local VIST, Prosthetic & Sensory Aids Service, and Blind & Low Vision Rehabilitation Continuum of Care to identify, recommend & obtain equipment for Veterans during rehabilitation and provide full training; ensures assessment, rehabilitation training progress, consults, referrals & recommendation documents are properly entered in Veterans' charts; provides care management for VA/non-VA outpatient blind & vision rehabilitation activities; makes recommendations/specifications for all blind & vision rehabilitation contract services specific for Veterans blind & vision rehabilitation care.
• Monitors & supervises the quality & quantity of non-VA contract or fee-basis blind & vision rehabilitation services provided to eligible beneficiaries; provides effective patient counseling during blindness adjustment period; uses extensive knowledge of psychosocial issues associated with visual impairment to assist Veterans in adjusting to visual impairment & the blind & vision rehabilitation process; refers patients to appropriate professionals for more extensive counseling as needed;
  
  administers blind & vision rehabilitation-training program for operation of Poly Trauma unit, including creating necessary local policies, projecting & administering budgets, documenting workload, writing reports, outcomes, patient scheduling, etc.
• Assures compliance with Joint Commission standards; complies with national & local performance measures; complies with all documentation procedures, including timeliness standards according to policies; participates in educational activities, completes unit-based in-services, and mandatory educational activities in a self-directed manner by deadlines; demonstrates positive, effective communication skills & professional behavior to promote cooperation & teamwork; practices good…