Occupational Therapist (Certified Hand Therapist)

Clinical OT( Occupational Therapist) Specialists within Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation of the San Diego VA serve as subject matter experts and as consultants to Occupational Therapists and other medical center staff in evaluating and treating patients in the areas of occupational therapy that are beyond the general practice of occupational therapy.
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.
• Education [and/or Experience. The individual must meet at least one of the following requirements below:
  • 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
  • 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
  • Master's Degree or higher in occupational therapy.
• Certification. 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.

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: In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates.
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 minimum of 2,000 hours of clinical practice directly in the advanced practice area. This time must be within the past five years;
  • Certification in an area recognized by the AOTA;
  • Completion of a fellowship/residency or advanced degree program in the advanced practice area; OR
  • An additional advanced degree in a related field.
• Demonstrated KSAs. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:
  • Knowledge of contemporary occupational therapy across multiple areas of practice.
  • Ability to provide clinical guidance in the advanced practice area to other OT practitioners.
  • Knowledge of advanced specialized evaluation, interventions and services to independently develop treatment strategies for area of specialization.
  • Skill in developing protocols and procedures for intervention programs based on current occupational therapy theory, recent research, and practice.
  • Ability to provide consultation to other health care practitioners and outside groups about occupational therapy scope of practice for area of specialization.
  • Ability to implement, revise/update evidence based occupational therapy services and programming in area of specialization.

Preferred Experience: In addition to the below list of Specialized and/or Preferred Experience,
please use the Occupational Therapist Qualification Standards for the
Specialized and/or Preferred Experience.

• Must have an active Certification in Hand Therapy (CHT) from the American Society of Hand Therapists.
• Ability to treat various upper extremity conditions with independence and expertise in hand therapy.
• Mentor less experienced therapist who work in the hand therapy clinic.
• Fabricate custom orthoses.
• Work with the ortho surgery team to promote good communication between OT and ortho.
• The Occupational Therapist hired to work in this position will need to be able to treat various hand and upper extremity disorders and injuries, including post-op with a high degree of independence and expertise.

References: VA Handbook 5005/127, PART II, APPENDIX G14, December 13, 2019.Education: IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.
Foreign Graduates. Graduates] of foreign occupational therapy programs meet the requirements of subparagraph [3b(2)] if they have a current, full, active and unrestricted license referred to in subparagraph [3e] of this appendix.
Exceptions for the Graduate Occupational Therapist.

1. OT graduates from an approved occupational therapy program who otherwise meet the minimum qualification requirements, but who do not possess NBCOT certification and/or state licensure, may be appointed, pending certification and/or licensure, as a graduate OT on a full-time temporary appointment]not-to exceed two years under the authority of 38 U.S.C. 7405(c)(2).
2. Graduate OTs may only be appointed at the GS-9 grade level and may not be promoted/converted to the GS-11 level until licensure and/or certification is obtained. For grades levels at or above the developmental GS-11 grade level, the OT must be certified and licensed. (3) A graduate OT may provide care only under the direct supervision of a licensed] OT who meets all state regulatory requirements.
3. Temporary graduate OT appointments may not be extended beyond two years, or converted to a new temporary appointment.

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