Physiologist

This position is located in the Geriatrics and Extended Care (GEC) service line within the Atlanta VA Healthcare System (AVAHCS). The Service functions within the Veterans Health Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs.

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. Applicants may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below.

You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-09 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization.

• Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to:
  Professional knowledge of the theories, principles, practices, and techniques of exercise physiology (to conduct exercise strength, flexibility and balance testing and develop appropriate individualized exercise prescriptions).
• Professional knowledge of a wide range of concepts, principles, and practices in the scientific area to support the program's clinical activities.
• Skill and knowledge to develop policies, procedures, and criteria for the administration of the program.
• Training and leadership skills commensurate with program management.
• Experience in data management operations, computer software, and use of programs, such as WORD, EXCEL, ACCESS, Power Point, Outlook and specialized databases to extract and organize data, produce letters, memorandums, and to prepare a variety of specific working documents and forms such as spreadsheet, database, word processing, desktop publishing, graphics, and other similar products.

Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have Master's or equivalent graduate degree. 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.

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.

Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond graduate level. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, Ameri Corps) 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.

For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Pe