Occupational Therapist (Clinical Specialist) - Wheelchair/Seating Specialist

The incumbent functions as Staff Occupational Therapist - Wheelchair/Seating Specialist for the Physical Medicine Rehab Service of the Amarillo VA Healthcare System. The position requires a fully certified/licensed Occupational Therapist who works independently with very minimal supervision from the Supervisory Therapist. A current Assistive Technology Provider Certification (AOTA) is also required.Qualifications: To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 05/24/2023.
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.
  (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.
• 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.
• Certification. Candidates must possess a current National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (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.
• Physical Requirements. Please see below.
• English Language. Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).

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).
GS-13 Grade Determination:
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. Specialized experience includes: 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; Ability to collaborate and communicate orally and in writing with all internal and external stakeholders; 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; Skill in procuring, fabricating, adjusting, adapting, and modifying orthoses, splints, and adaptive equipment for activities of daily living (inclusive of durable medical equipment); and, Ability to conduct OT related in-service and clinical training. 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 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.
Assignment. Clinical OT specialists at this grade level 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. This individual must demonstrate skills and techniques for a specific patient population that has highly complex occupational and/or psychosocial impairments. Clinical OT specialist may initiate, lead, and support research projects related to clinical needs. This may include grant writing, guiding others in the process, and direct clinical participation in research.
Preferred Experience:

• Hold a current Assistive Technology Provider certification.
• Familiarity with providing Occupational therapy assessment and follow up using virtual care options including telephone or video platforms.
• Previous or current experience with prescription and training for advanced seating systems including power and manual options.
• Previous or current experience with program development, specifically related to wheelchair prescription, use, safety in both outpatient and long term care settings.
• Familiarity with providing wheelchair seating assessment and follow up using virtual care options including telephone or video platforms.

References: VA Handbook 5005 Part II Appendix G14 Occupational Therapist Qualification Standard, GS-0631 dated December 13, 2019.
The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-13.
Physical Requirements: The work is active, requiring frequent position changes. The position requires walking, standing, bending and moderate lifting with occasional heavy lifting during mobility and ADL training. The incumbent will be required to move frequently throughout the facility. Some work may require movement between offices, hospitals, warehouses, and similar areas for meetings and to conduct work. Work may also require walking/standing, in conjunctions with travel to and attendance at meetings and/or conferences away from the work site.Education: IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.
If your school has changed names, or is no longer in existence, you must provide this information in your application.
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: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.
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.
Creditable Experience. To be creditable, the experience must have required the use of knowledge, skills, and abilities associated with current professional occupational therapy practice. Creditable experience can be obtained through employment as an OT. This may be evidenced by one or both of the following:

1. Active professional practice. Active professional practice includes paid/non-paid employment as a professional OT, and as defined by the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA). Experience gained after graduation but prior to licensure/certification is creditable, provided the candidate was utilized as a graduate OT and subsequently passed the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) certification, and the required state regulatory requirements.
2. Completion of a post-graduate fellowship or a post-graduate residency program can be substituted for creditable experience on a year for year basis. Fellowships or post-graduate training programs are typically in specialty areas such as advanced practice, research, mental health, gerontology, enhanced education, health policy, leadership and therapeutic sciences.

Employment Type: FULL_TIME