Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met.
Basic Requirements:
- United States Citizenship: Non-Citizens may only be appointed when it's not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
- Education: Individual must meet one of the requirements below:
(1) Master's degree in acupuncture or oriental medicine from a program accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (ACAOM)
OR
(2) Advanced level degree in acupuncture or oriental medicine from a program accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (ACAOM).
- Certification: Individual must be board certified through the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM). The board certification must be current and the acupuncturist must abide by the certifying body's requirements for continuing education.
- Licensure: 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.
NOTE:
Grandfathering Provision: May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria).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. For employees who do not meet all the basic requirements in this standard, but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it, the following apply:
- Such employees may be reassigned, promoted up to and including the full performance (journeyman) level, or changed to lower grade within the occupation, but may not be promoted beyond the journeyman level or placed in supervisory or managerial positions.
- Acupuncturists who are appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of the qualification standard may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed, on a temporary or permanent basis, until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standard.
- Acupuncturists who are converted to title 38 hybrid status under this provision and subsequently leave the occupation lose protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of reentry as an acupuncturist.
(a)
Experience. In addition to the basic requirements, completion of a minimum of one year of progressively complex experience equivalent to the GS-12 grade level.
(b)
Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSA). In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:
1. Ability to analyze organizational and operational problems to develop and implement solutions that result in efficient operations and use data effectively to manage workload, quality, performance, and productivity within the service.
2. Broad knowledge of how healthcare disciplines and other modalities integrate.
3. Ability to plan, organize, and integrate clinical work flow, set short and/or long term goals for the program, and conduct studies on technical and administrative problems, including personnel shortages, organizational structure, and new technology.
4. Knowledge of quality improvement process.
5. Ability to conceptualize, define, plan and implement new programs.
6. Ability to apply current research findings and standards of care in the health care setting.
(c)
Assignments. For all assignments above the full performance level, the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope, complexity, difficulty, range of variety, and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time. The incumbent is responsible for developing, analyzing, integrating, monitoring, and managing healthcare delivery systems through communication and use of resources to promote high-quality, cost-effective outcomes across the continuum. The incumbent provides executive/upper level leadership and exceptional experience in dealing with complex and challenging professional, scientific, and technical acupuncture issues that arise. The program manager is responsible for assessing, evaluating, and developing programs to ensure proper coordination of care delivered by the program with the overall delivery of healthcare within an individual facility or with non-VA providers as appropriate. The incumbent serves as a subject matter expert to resolve problems at a lower level as necessary. The program coordinator provides oversight for clinical workflow, including, but not limited to, tracking outcome data, patient satisfaction data, monitoring work productivity, and ensuring trends are routinely analyzed. The incumbent performs a cost-benefit analysis during the selection of resources, services, and products, requesting the aforementioned as necessary; reviews and prioritizes resource utilization to develop and maintain a budget. The program coordinator presents administrative reports, quality assurance reviews and quarterly reports to reflect strategic goals. The program manager demonstrates leadership in quality improvement activities for program operations and develops new programs as needs arise. The incumbent supports clinical research projects by providing resources as needed. The program coordinator incorporates research findings into clinical practice and program development. The incumbent develops, reviews, updates, and implements educational materials to meet the needs of the veterans, the general public, and other professionals. The incumbent assures program compliance with accrediting 9 agencies, regulatory requirements, and quality management programs, taking corrective action where necessary.
Reference: VA FORMER HANDBOOK REFERENCE: PART II APPENDIX G53, EFFECTIVE DATE: February 7, 2018. For more information on this qualification standard.
The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-11. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-13
Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019.