Occupational Therapist- Hand Specialist

This position located in Dayton VAMC Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) Service and provides Occupational Therapy services as subject matter expert in the specialty area of Hand Therapy. This therapist serves as subject matter expert, is able to serve as consultant to occupational therapy, PMRS, and the medical center staff in this specialty area, as well as the general current 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.] [.
  • (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.
  • c. 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.
  • d. Certification. Candidates must possess a current NBCOT certification as an OT.
  • e. 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.
  • f. Loss of Credential. An employee in this occupation who fails to maintain the required state or territorial licensure and the NBCOT certification, both current and in good standing, must be removed from the occupation, which may result in termination of employment.

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, 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.
(2) 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).

Occupational Therapist GS -13
(1) 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.

(2) 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.
• (e) Ability to conduct OT related in-service and clinical training.

Preferred Experience: Applicant must be a Certified Hand Therapist to be qualified for this position. Must have worked in hand therapy for a minimum of five years.
References: VA Handbook 5005/127
The full performance level of this vacancy is 12. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of 13 to 13.
Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019.Education: 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