Acupuncturist

Clarification from the agency

Open to current permanent VA/Federal employees only. NOTE: The two-page resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information, refer to Required Documents below.

The acupuncturist may treat a wide range of conditions and acupuncture may be used alone or as an adjunct to traditional medical care. The acupuncturist includes the stimulation of specific points along the skin of the body using thin needles with or without the addition of electric stimulation. The acupuncturist may use various techniques commonly taught in East Asian Medicine or Acupuncture schools.

Other duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Utilizing standard medical evaluation procedures and East Asian Medicine evaluation to formulate a differential diagnosis to develop an acupuncture treatment plan
• Incorporating the various training techniques taught within East Asian Medicine and acupuncture
• Educating patients on health lifestyle changes including nutrition, exercise, sleeping habits, stress management, mind/body techniques and other matters related to acupuncture care
• Providing group acupuncture as determined
• Documenting and coding information related to patient care in electronic healthcare records on a timely basis following VHA policies
• Communicating with other health care providers as appropriate
• Maintaining up-to-date VHA and professional training; required meetings must be attended
• Reviewing referrals, screening for appropriateness of care and direct Veterans to other services when necessary

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday; 7:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
(Note: Work schedules are determined and approved by the supervisor. The incumbent may be required to work various shifts on a permanent or temporary basis based on facility/patient care needs).
Recruitment/Relocation Incentives (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized
Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases
Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year)
Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior [work experience] or military service experience.
Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment, up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child.
Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment, full time employees with a total family income below $144,000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66.
Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA
Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement)
Telework: Not Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Conditions of employment

Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
• All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
• Subject to background/security investigation.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Must pass pre-employment physical evaluation/examination.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a one or two-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

This is an internal announcement open to current, permanent Federal employees only. All other applicants must apply under the external announcement CBTC-13039767-26-YAS to receive consideration.

To qualify for this position, you must meet the basic requirements as well as any additional requirements (if applicable) listed in the job announcement.

Applicants pending the completion of training or license requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met.

Basic Requirements: All applicants must meet the following basic qualifications.

• United States Citizenship:Must be a US Citizen
• English Language Proficiency: No person will be appointed under authority of 38 U.S.C. chapters 73 or 74, to serve in a direct patient-care capacity in VHA who are not proficient in written and spoken English.
• Education:
  • Master's degree in acupuncture or oriental medicine from a program accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (ACAOM) - OR -
  • Advanced level degree in acupuncture or oriental medicine from a program accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (ACAOM).
• Certification: Must be board certified through the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM).
• Licensure: Must possess current, full, active and unrestricted license to practice acupuncture in a State, Territory or Commonwealth (i.e. Puerto Rico) of the United States, or District of Columbia.

Grandfathering Provision. All persons employed in VHA in this occupational series or in another occupational series that are performing the duties as described in this qualification standard on the effective date of this qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title, series and grade held, including positive education and certification that are part of the basic requirements of the occupation.

Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates:

Grade GS-09: This is the entry level.

• Experience. None beyond the basic requirements.
  • Individuals at this grade level are considered to be entry level and are closely supervised. The employee works under the direction of a journey level or higher acupuncturist or other health care providers licensed to perform acupuncture. The acupuncturist provides professional services in accordance with the established treatment plan. Deviations from regular procedures, unanticipated problems, and unfamiliar situations are referred to more experienced staff for a decision or assistance.

Grade GS-11: This is the full performance level.

Experience or Education: Individual must meet at least one of the requirements below:

• Experience. In addition to the basic requirements, must have one year of creditable experience equivalent to the GS-9 grade level, which is directly related to the position to be filled

- OR -

• Education. Doctoral degree or equivalent degree from an accredited college or university in an acupuncture or oriental medicine.

In addition to the GS-11 experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:

1. Ability to screen referrals and direct veterans to other services as appropriate.
2. Ability to formulate an appropriate differential diagnosis.
3. Ability to formulate an acupuncture treatment plan independently or with other health care professionals.
4. Ability to educate patients on health lifestyle changes including nutrition, exercise, sleeping habits, stress management, mind body techniques and other matters related to acupuncture care. This includes the ability to communicate with individuals of varying backgrounds.
5. Skill in the selection and use of the appropriate acupuncture tools and supplies based on needs of the patient.

Acupuncturists at this level review and triage acupuncture referrals. The incumbent serves as a member of an interdisciplinary team providing acupuncture treatment as well as further coordination of care for patients referred for acupuncture services.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-11. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-09 to GS-11.

Physical Requirements: You must pass a pre-employment physical examination/evaluation as required by VA Handbook 5019. This examination/evaluation is administered by VA Occupational Health.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Your application, resume, C.V., and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment.

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.

The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.

Special Note for Applications:
To complete your application, please use the following link https://vacareers.va.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/Resume.docx to download the standard Clinical Resume Document. This one-page document does not need to be modified and must be uploaded into the two-page restricted 'Resume' document upload field.

Your full resume/CV may be uploaded without page limitation into the 'Other' document upload field.

NOTE:

Incomplete packets will not be considered. Failure to submit the required documentation may make you ineligible for this position.

The following documents are required from all applicants:

• Résumé/CV: For each job/position listed, you must include a job title, detailed duties, month and year for each start/end date and if full-time or part-time status, please include the number of hours worked each week.
• Responses to the questionnaire
• License: Must provide a copy of your Acupuncture license.
• Board Certification: Must provide a copy of your board certification as listed above for this position.
• Transcript(s): Must provide a copy of all educational transcripts if you are using education to qualify for this position.
• SF-50: All VA/Federal employees should submit a copy of their most recent SF-50 (NOT an award SF-50) that shows they are a current, permanent VA/Federal employee. VA employees may get their SF-50 directly from:https://eopf.opm.gov/va/. Other Federal employees must contact their current HR Office for assistance accessing their eOPF/personnel folder.

Next steps