Dream Job: This is a job in our nation's Capitol. Could it be yours?
The Job: Work as a physical therapist in Washington D.C.'s Veterans Affairs Medical Center. The physical medicine and rehabilitation service is looking for a PT to join a team of 10
on the polytrauma team.
Why this is a dream job: The VA is a leader in healthcare and rehabilitation services, and this facility is located in the heart of the city. Working on the polytrauma team offers a unique and rewarding opportunity to help soldiers returning from service in Iraq and Afghanistan to rehabilitate and regain functionality.
Types of patients and injuries you
would work with: In a typical day, you would help eight to 12 patients with various diagnoses. Most are returning soldiers referred from military treatment facilities nearby, and some are older veterans. Regular, interdisciplinary meetings with the rest of the polytrauma team keep
everyone abreast of progress.
Conditions run the gamut and offer ample opportunity to practice a variety of skills. Patients return as amputees, with brain or orthopedic injuries such as fractures or sprained ankles, or with burns or
other injuries.
Word on the street - what your colleague has to say about this employer: "Therapists get a lot of satisfaction from working with the younger population of returning soldiers. We have access to the latest in prosthetics technology. For an amputee, we have access to state-of-the-art prostheses that they may not be able to get in a different setting. For a patient with traumatic brain injury, provide items such as a global positioning system to find their way to appointments," says Healther Malecki, DPT, clinical coordinator, physical medicine and rehabilitation, polytrauma coordinator.
What you could do for fun if you lived here: For the culturally and politically inclined, the nation's Capitol beckons with museums, art and entertainment events, and historical landmarks and tours. Restaurants are as well-known for their menus as their political deal-making. Fitness buffs can choose from rowing on the Potomac, jogging, rollerblading, or strolling around Capitol Hill or dozens of unique neighborhoods. And sports fans can cheer on the teams of their choice.
What you would be paid: Salary ranges from $46,041 to $72,421. Benefits include full healthcare coverage, life insurance, federal employment retirement system, sick leave, two weeks' vacation the first year, plus federal holidays.
Interested? Contact:
Heather Malecki, DPT,
clinical coordinator, physical medicine and rehabilitation, polytrauma coordinator.
Tel: 202.745.8643 or Healther.Malecki@va.gov
