Occ Therapist (Clinic Special)

The HBPC Clinical Specialist for Occupational Therapy provides occupational therapy services to the veteran population enrolled in the Home Based Primary Care (HBPC) Service through the Fayetteville VA Medical Center. Services include the provision of high quality and safe rehabilitative treatment, coordination of care with other pertinent VA services and clinical education/consultation regarding occupational therapy to staff and students.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.] [(1) 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. (2) 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.

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: Occupational Therapist, GS-9 [ ] (1) Education, Experience, or Licensure. None beyond the basic requirements.
Occupational Therapist, GS-11 (1) 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.]
Occupational Therapist, GS-12 (1) 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.]
Preferred Experience: At least two years as an OT. Developing, implementing and communicating the occupational therapy intervention plan based on the evaluation, patient goals, current best evidence and clinical reasoning. Identifying general contraindications to treatment. Scheduling and coordinating treatment in a home care setting. Functioning autonomously in carrying out patient education, specialized treatments, and applying occupational therapy procedures for which competency has been established and in accordance with laws or regulations and AOTA documents. Modifying the treatment plan, therapeutic activities and interventions based on the changing needs, goals and performance of the patient. Modifying the treatment plan when either the established goals or timeframes for achievement of those goals has been attained.
References: VA Handbook 5005/127 PART II APPENDIX G14 December 13, 2019
The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-09 to GS-12.
Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019Education: IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.
Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.Employment Type: FULL_TIME