Occupational Therapist

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.

01Basic Requirements

United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy. Education/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. Degree programs may be verified by contacting the American Occupational Therapy Association website or at their office address: American Occupational Therapy Association, P.O. Box 31220, Bethesda, MD 20824-1220. Foreign Graduates.

Graduates of foreign occupational therapy programs meet the requirements education if they have a current, full, active and unrestricted license.

02Certification

Candidates must possess a current NBCOT certification as an OT. State Licensure: Candidates must possess a full, current, and unrestricted state license, to practice occupational therapy in a state, territory, or Commonwealth of the United States (i.e., Puerto Rico), or in the District of Columbia. English Proficiency: Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).

Grade Determination: In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates. Occupational Therapist, GS-09 Education, Experience, or Licensure. None beyond the basic requirements.

Occupational Therapist, GS-11 Education, Experience, or Licensure. (a) Completion of one year of experience equivalent to at least the GS-9 grade level and directly related to the position being filled; or (b) Three years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a degree in occupational therapy or a directly related field; or (c) Doctorate in occupational therapy.

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs) In addition to the experience or education above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: (a) Knowledge of occupational therapy practice. (b) Ability to administer/interpret evaluation findings to develop and coordinate intervention plans, including goals and methods of treatment. (c) Ability to implement intervention plans directly or in collaboration with others. (d) Skill in monitoring an individual's response to interventions and modify treatment plans and reevaluating as indicated. (e) Ability to communicate and or collaborate with patients, family members, caregivers, interdisciplinary professionals and/or other individuals verbally and in writing. (f) Knowledge of health and safety regulations to minimize risk in the provision of patient care and the environment of care. (g) Knowledge of applicable regulations governing documentation, reimbursement and workload entry in accordance with established professional practice.

Occupational Therapist, GS-12: Education, Experience, and Licensure. Completion of one year of experience equivalent to at the GS-11 grade level and directly related to the position being filled. Demonstrated KSAs. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: (a) Knowledge of occupational therapy 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. (b) Ability to collaborate and communicate orally and in writing with all internal and external stakeholders. (c) Ability to use 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. (d) Skill in procuring, fabricating, adjusting, adapting, and modifying orthoses, splints, and adaptive equipment for activities of daily living (inclusive of durable medical equipment (e) Ability to conduct OT related in-service and clinical training.

03Preferred Experience

1 year of experience in outpatient occupational therapy. 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-12. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in range of GS-9 to GS-12.

04Physical Requirements

See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Service for requirements.

Major duties include but are not limited to: Assignment is to all program areas and provides professional, independent occupational therapy services. Completes comprehensive assessment of functional and occupational roles using standardized and non-standardized evaluation tools. Provides direct occupational therapy interventions and procedures with varying degrees of complexity to enhance safety, wellness and performance in ADL, IADL, education, work, play, leisure and social participation.

Demonstrate full professional understanding of the theories of treatment in occupational therapy and their proper application through the use of activity analysis, behavioral intervention, frame of references and therapeutic procedures. Gathers background data, reviews referrals, selects and modifies OT evaluation tools, and evaluates patients determining the level of the patient's physical and psychosocial functioning.

Reevaluates patient's progress during treatment at appropriate intervals and discontinues treatment following team consultation when no longer beneficial to the patient. Plans, implements and changes OT patient treatment based on evaluative findings. Establishes measurable treatment goals with individual patients. Discusses treatment and goals with patients and/or families.

Treatment that the therapist is responsible for, includes both individual and group activities involving self-care, patient education and leisure area. Therapist utilizes available resources to update and change individual and group activities according to areas of patient need. Recommends, acquires and modifies necessary adaptive equipment to augment patients' independent functioning.

Educates patients and/or families regarding the safe use of adaptive equipment as well as making recommendations for the installation of the adaptive equipment. This may include, but not limited to evaluation for self-care devices, positioning, home environment, major medical equipment, powered mobility prescription and/or home improvement structural alterations. Provides progress records and reports on assigned patients, according to current policies and procedures.

Participates as an active member of the interdisciplinary team. Communicates in an effective and professional manner with team members demonstrating good judgment. Establishes rapport and a working relationship with patients having various disabilities and backgrounds. Receives direction/supervision from Program Coordinators regarding programming, and specific aspects of patient treatment.

Reports or provides information to supervisor and team, as required in clinics and conferences that pertain to assigned caseload. Fabricates and more frequently modifies prefabricated orthoses, fabricates slings or provides prefabricated slings and alters adaptive equipment to accommodate patient's needs as recommended. Instructs and supervises affiliating Occupational Therapy students for varied levels of fieldwork experiences.

This includes orienting, educating, evaluating and structuring the student's learning experience. Works closely with and develops expertise about student training with guidance from the Occupational Therapy Educator. Participates regularly in staff meetings, in-services, continuing education and Rehab/OT VISN 2 opportunities. Contributes and provides in-service sessions to staff. Remains current with Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Service policies and procedures.

Work Schedule: Intermittent Compressed/Flexible: Not Authorized. Telework: Not Authorized. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 24194F Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized. Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized. PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not Authorized.