Clarification from the agency

NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information, refer to Required Documents below. This announcement is open to all US Citizens and other federal agencies. All other applicants should apply to CBSY-12905358-26-KW.

Major duties include, but are not limited to:

Clinical:

• Administers music therapy assessments and develops relevant music therapy interventions informed by evaluation data, current research and best practices.
• Collaborate in co-treatment of complex clinical cases and demonstrate an ability to design, develop, or adapt unique music therapy methods as needed.
• Completes clinical documentation of patient care including assessments, progress notes, encounters, consultations, care plans, and other reports as needed.
• Serves as Music Therapy subject matter expert and representative on interdisciplinary teams and provides education to staff, students, patients, families and caregivers about the benefits of music therapy and treatment interventions and goals.
• Develop therapeutic relationships with professional boundaries and establish a safe environment for the patient to understand the symbolic expression of their musical product, process and experience.
• Knowledge of the roles and meaning of music in various cultures and works effectively with diverse populations developing music therapy programs and interventions.
• Understanding of music therapy and its effects on human growth and development, musical development, diagnostic classifications, and symptomatology when developing music therapy interventions.
• Demonstrates ability and competency in treating patients that range in age from young adult to geriatric who may experience complex medical or mental health issues.

Administration:

• Adheres to Medical Center policies and procedures. Utilizes Automated Data Processing (ADP) system in accordance with established procedures. Adheres to Medical Center ADP Security policy.
• Develops and implement quality improvement systems as related to internal and external regulatory requirements, including patient safety.
• Participates in the evaluation of equipment and supplies, which affect their service delivery. Monitoring of equipment effectiveness and evaluation of new equipment to ensure state-of-art music therapy treatment is provided.
• Fosters and maintains a safe treatment area.
• Collaborates and maintains effective communication with all patients, caregivers, interdisciplinary teams, medical center staff and community partners.
• Possesses a valid driver's license. Therapist must maintain Federal and local VA requirements to operate government motor vehicles and to transport Veterans.
• Therapist maybe designated as a Government Purchase Card holder. As designated cardholder, the therapist is responsible for meeting the standards for procurement, reconciliation, documentation and disputes as set forth in VA Handbook 1730.1 Use and Management of Government Purchase Card and VA Handbook 4080, Government Purchase Card Procedures, VISN 23 and facility purchase card program policies. The cardholder will be held accountable for ensuring that all Federal, VA and local acquisition regulations are followed.

Education:

• Maintains professional competence and certification through participation in continuing education.
• Assists in teaching and providing learning opportunities for clinical interns/trainees as required.
• Participates in staff orientation, successfully completes Medical Center assigned mandatory trainings, and in-service activities.
• Deliver treatment in compliance with Veterans Health Administration (VHA) accrediting agencies and VHA directives.

Work Schedule: Full-Time, Monday - Friday; 8:00am - 4:30pm, may include nights, weekends and holidays
Telework: Ad-hoc
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 000000
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
• 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 dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Must possess a valid, unrestricted State driver's license.
• Must pass pre-employment driving physical examination.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 or 2-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

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 is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
• English Language Proficiency: Must be proficient in spoken and written English, as required by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).
• Education: The following education requirements apply to and creative arts therapist (music).
  • A bachelor's degree or higher, from an accredited college or university, in music therapy, or in music with an emphasis in music therapy. The degree must be approved by the National Association for Schools of Music and/or the American Music Therapy Association. OR
  • A bachelor's degree or higher, from an accredited college or university, and must be a board-certified music therapist (MT-BC) approved by the Certification Board for Music Therapists (CBMT). If hired under this education, the certification cannot be waived.
  • Foreign Education. To be creditable, education completed outside the U.S. must have been submitted to a private organization that specializes in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials. The private organization must deem such education at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. programs.
• Certification:
  • Creative Arts Therapy (Music). Applicants must be a MT-BC approved by the CBMT. If hired under paragraph 3b(5)(b), certification cannot be waived.
  • Exception. Non-registered and/or non-certified applicants, who otherwise meet the eligibility requirements for registration and/or certification, may be given a temporary appointment as a graduate recreation or creative arts therapist, under the authority of 38 U.S.C. § 7405(c)(2)(B), for a period not to exceed two years. Applicants who fail to obtain registration and/or certification during this temporary full-time appointment may be terminated. The exception only applies to positions at the GS-7 and GS-9 level. For grade levels at or above the full performance level, the candidate must be registered and/or certified.

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).

Grade Determinations:

Creative Arts Therapist (Music), GS-7:
Experience/Education: None beyond the basic requirements.

Creative Arts Therapist (Music), GS-9:
Experience/Education. At least one year of creditable experience at the next lower grade level or a master's degree in creative arts therapy (music) may be substituted for the required one year of professional creative arts therapist (music) experience.

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs). In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:

1. Ability to perform a varied repertoire of popular, folk, and traditional songs appropriate for use in a clinical setting using at least two of the following: keyboard, voice, guitar, percussion or other musical instruments suitable to a clinical setting.
2. Knowledge of the roles and meaning of music in various cultures and subcultures.
3. Knowledge to design, develop, or adapt unique music therapy methods for assessment, treatment, or palliation and evaluation procedures.
4. Skill to apply objectivity and insight to respond constructively to both positive and negative reactions while maintaining a safe environment for the patient and therapist.

Creative Arts Therapist (Music), GS-11
Experience. At least one year of creditable experience at the next lower grade level.

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs). In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:

1. Knowledge of the roles and meaning of music in various cultures and subcultures, how culture influences identity formation, concepts of health and pathology, and understanding of the role of music therapy and how music therapy is practiced.
2. Knowledge of current methods of music therapy assessment, treatment, and evaluation related to human growth and development, musical development, diagnostic classifications, etiology, symptomatology, and prognosis in formulating complex treatment plans, including the contraindications of music therapy for individuals and groups.
3. Ability to design, develop, or adapt unique music therapy methods for assessment, treatment or palliation, and evaluation procedures for complex clinical cases, through a broad range of specialized music therapy services for various and emerging patient populations.
4. Ability to use music therapy interventions to provide opportunities to work through treatment issues, including emotional disturbances, by establishing a safe environment for the patient to understand the symbolic expression of their musical product, process, and experience as it relates to recovery and wellness.
5. Ability to apply effective use of professional skill, objectivity, and insight to respond constructively to both positive and negative reactions, establish and maintain a therapeutic relationship with professional boundaries to reflect trusting, empathetic, and respectful interactions.
6. Ability to apply current research literature and co-facilitate treatment with professionals from other disciplines, the uses of the creative arts therapies and recreation therapy, as well as understanding emerging models and trends in music therapy.

References: 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-7 to GS-11.

Physical Requirements: You will be asked to participate in a pre-employment examination or evaluation as part of the pre-employment process for this position. Questions about physical demands or environmental factors may be addressed at the time of evaluation or examination.

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.

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:

• License
• Resume
• Transcript

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.

The following documents are accepted, and may be required if applicable to your eligibility and/or qualifications for this position. Please ensure you have included all documents required for your application, such as a copy of your transcript (if using education to qualify), SF-50's (current/former Federal employees), etc.

• Cover Letter
• DD-214/ Statement of Service
• Disability Letter (VA)
• License
• **Highly Recommend** Write to the Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs) on a separate document - KSAs are found under qualification/grade requirements in the announcement.
• Resume/CV exceeding two-pages
• Professional Certification
• Resume
• SF-15
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
• Transcript

Veterans' Preference: When applying for Federal Jobs, eligible Veterans should claim preference for 5pt (TP), 10pt (CP/CPS/XP), or for Sole Survivor Preference (SSP) in the questionnaire. You must provide a legible copy of your DD214(s) which shows dates and character of service (honorable, general, etc.). If you are currently serving on active duty and expect to be released or discharged within 120 days you must submit documentation related to your active duty service which reflects the dates of service, character of service (honorable, general, etc.), and dates of impending separation. Additionally, disabled veterans and others eligible for 10-point preference (such as widows or mothers of eligible Veterans) must also submit an SF-15 "Application for 10 Point Veteran Preference" with required proof as stated on the form. Documentation is required to award preference. For more information on Veterans' Preference, please visit Feds Hire Vets - Veterans - Job Seekers - Veterans' Preference.

Veterans' preference does not apply for internal or other current permanent Federal agency employees.

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