Clarification from the agency

NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this occupational series. For more information, refer to Required Documents below.

Duties and skills needed to be successful in this position include, but are not limited to:

Clinical

• After receiving an appropriate referral, independently evaluates patients referred for Occupational Therapy, using standard and non-standard methods to assess range of motion, strength, sensation, proprioception, coordination, perception, cognition, ADL and work activities, orthotic and prosthetic needs, and need for adaptive equipment. In addition, assesses independent living skills to include use of community resources, home management, time management, and safety in the home and community; self-awareness, interpersonal and social skills; stress management; role development, self-sufficiency and wellness. Evaluations consider lifestyle, culture, educational level, social support system, military, work, and leisure history, and limitations and abilities related to age.
• Has principles and techniques consistent with current clinical standards based on OT theory and evidence-based practice. Knowledge is inclusive of physical, occupational, cognitive, and psychosocial functional deficits.
• Based on evaluations and planning with patient and family (when appropriate), and coordination with the multidisciplinary team, establishes treatment goals, plan of care, and eventual discharge plan. May participate in multidisciplinary care planning meetings as needed.
• Uses critical analysis, clinical reasoning, and creativity to independently solve complex problems related to adapting and modifying assessments, treatment plans, activities and procedures to meet the needs of patients.
• Develops and carries out occupational therapy plans with individuals to meet individual rehabilitation objectives. Implements an occupational therapy treatment plan to meet individual rehabilitation objectives utilizing functional activities which have as their goal the improvement of patient's activities of daily living, strength, range of motion, sensation, perceptive and/or cognitive process, and may also include, therapeutic exercise, muscle reeducation, neuromuscular facilitation, perceptual motor integration, fabrication and application of devices for daily living, teaching adaptive or compensatory techniques for community re-entry and work activities and providing patient and/or caregiver education regarding disability. Patients treated have complex physical, emotional, and social problems.
• Re-evaluates patient's performance and modifies treatment as indicated. Regularly presents patient information to health care providers regarding outcomes of treatment, status and expectations. Communication is timely and follows department policies.

Educational

• May oversee occupational therapy students. Provides supervision in the area of patient evaluation, treatment planning, treatment implementation and oral and written reporting. Promotes student's professional growth and creative thinking. Rates and provides mentoring for student using the Fieldwork Evaluation Form(provided by AOTA.) Receives guidance from the OT supervisor as needed.
• Assists in the orientation of physicians, medical resident, and other allied health personnel to the Occupational Therapy program.
• Collaborates and communicates orally and in writing with all internal and external stakeholders.
• Works with other providers and/or ward staff in teaching positioning, application of orthoses and slings, and proper use of self-help devices.
• Instructs patient and family members in the proper and safe use adaptive equipment and durable medical equipment and prepares timely prosthetics requests.

Administrative

• The Occupational Therapist is directly responsible to the Supervisor of Occupational Therapy in the department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Services (PM&RS).
• For each patient assigned, accurately maintains patient schedule and attendance. Independently manages daily workload and schedule. Schedules patients promptly to comply with clinical access guidance.
• Accurately documents for the medical record: an initial evaluation including outcome measures, assessment, in terms of function; discharge summary, as necessary, which includes summary of treatment, outcome in terms of goals set, equipment provided, and education given to patient and family.
• Collaborates and communicate so rally and in writing with all internal and external stakeholders.
• Assists in the development of new treatment programs, techniques, or refinements of current programs as directed by the specialty rehab programs supervisor. May assist leadership, Occupational Therapy/PMRS staff in updating and maintaining Occupational Therapy policies and procedures and AT/Seating and Mobility policies.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 7:30am - 4:00pm
Telework: Ad-hoc
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 58909-O
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.
• 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 Proficiency: Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. 7403(f)
• Education [and/or Experience.]The individual must meet at least one of the following requirements below:

(a) Bachelor's degree in occupational therapy and two (2) years of experience as an occupational therapist; NOTE: The baccalaureate degree must be from an approved program prior to the AOTA January 1, 2005 decision that the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) would only accredit master or doctoral degree programs in occupational therapy.

or

(b) Bachelor's degree in occupational therapy and two (2) full years of graduate education in a related field; NOTE: The baccalaureate degree must be from an approved program prior to the AOTA January 1, 2005 decision that ACOTE would only accredit master or doctoral degree programs in occupational therapy.

or

(c) Master's Degree or higher in occupational therapy.

Individuals must be a graduate of a degree program in occupational therapy approved by the ACOTE or predecessor organizations. This is inclusive of an internship (supervised fieldwork experience required by the educational institution). ACOTE is the only accreditation agency recognized by the United States Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.

Grade Determinations:
Occupational Therapist - Clinical Specialist, GS-13
Education, Experience, and Licensure: Completion of one year of experience equivalent to at least the [GS-12 grade] level and directly related to the position being filled [and one of the following]:
(a) A minimum of 2,000 hours of clinical practice directly in the advanced practice area. This time must be within the past five years;
(b) Certification in an area recognized by the AOTA;
(c) Completion of a fellowship/residency or advanced degree program in the advanced practice area; or
(d) An additional advanced degree in a related field.

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs) In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:
(a) Knowledge of contemporary occupational therapy across multiple areas of practice.
(b) Ability to provide clinical guidance in the advanced practice area to other OT practitioners.
(c) Knowledge of advanced specialized evaluation, interventions and services to independently develop treatment strategies for area of specialization.
(d) Skill in developing protocols and procedures for intervention programs based on current occupational therapy theory, recent research, and practice. (e) Ability to provide consultation to other health care practitioners and outside groups about occupational therapy scope of practice for area of specialization.
(f) Ability to implement, revise/update evidence based occupational therapy services and programming in area of specialization.

Preferred Experience: 1-3 years of wheelchair and assistive technology experience.

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

The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-13.

Physical Requirements: Occupational Therapy is considered a vocation that requires "medium" strength according to the Department of Labor. Medium work entails exerting 20-50 pounds of force occasionally, and/or 10-25 pounds of force frequently, and/or greater than negligible up to 10 pounds of force constantly to move objects.
Occupational Therapy is a vocation that requires regular and recurring physical exertion with long periods of standing, bending, walking and periods of assisting patients with transfers. This hospital has a policy of NO PATIENT LIFT, meaning that mechanical lifts are available to assist with safe patient transfers without lifting patients directly.
Occupational Therapy requires good manual dexterity to manipulate tools and equipment with activities such as:
1. Operating all aspects of a computer 0-keyboarding, mouse, and control buttons.
2. Demonstrating the use of all aspects of adaptive equipment of patient teaching.
3. Assembling equipment with the use of hand tools such as a screwdriver or pliers.
4. Fabricating splints or adaptive equipment requiring the use of scissors, cutting tools, and ability to mold
plastic, foam or plaster.

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
• CV
• 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 (Schedule A)
• Disability Letter (VA)
• License
• CV
• PCS Orders
• Performance Appraisal
• Professional Certification
• Resume
• Separation Notice (RIF)
• 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.

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