The Occupational Therapist is responsible for patient scheduling, assessment, goal setting, patient education, treatment implementation, and discharge planning for patients referred to occupational therapy at the Buffalo VAMC.
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: (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 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. 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. 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). For grades levels at or above the developmental GS-11 grade level, the OT must be certified and licensed. (2) A graduate OT may provide care only under the direct supervision of a licensed OT who meets all state regulatory requirements. (4) Temporary graduate OT appointments may not be extended beyond two years, or converted to a new temporary appointment. Failure to Obtain Licensure/Certification: In all cases, graduate OTs must actively pursue obtaining required credentials (i.e., NBCOT certification and/or state licensure) from the date of their appointment. The human resource office will notify the uncertified/unlicensed OT in writing of the requirement to obtain certification/licensure, the date by which the certification/license must be acquired, and the consequences for not becoming certified/licensed by the deadline date. The written notice must be provided prior to the entrance on duty date. Failure to obtain required credentials by the prescribed date will result in termination of employment. Grandfathering Provision: All persons employed in VHA in this occupational series or in another occupational series that are also performing the duties as described in the qualification standard on the effective date of this qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the grade held including positive education and licensure/certification/registration that are part of the basic requirements of this occupation. Employees who do not meet all the basic requirements required in this standard, but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it, the following provisions apply: (1) They may be reassigned, promoted up to and including the full performance level, or changed to lower grade within the occupation, but may not be promoted beyond the full performance level or placed in supervisory or managerial positions. (2) If an OT who was retained under this provision leaves the occupation, the employee 5 will lose protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of reentry to the occupation. (3) OTs initially grandfathered into this occupation, who subsequently obtain additional education and/or licensure/certification/registration that meet all the basic requirements of this qualification standard, must maintain the required credentials as a condition of employment in the occupation. (4) OTs who are appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of the qualification standard may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed, on a temporary or permanent basis, until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standard. English Proficiency: Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f). Grade Determinations: 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).(e) Ability to conduct OT related in-service and clinical training. Preferred Experience: Acute Care, Home Based Care 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. Physical Requirements: Pre-placement and periodic physical examinations are required for hybrid occupations to ensure workers are placed in positions where they can perform the essential functions of their job considering their physical, mental and emotional capacities, without endangering their health or the health of their co-workers. See VA Directive and Handbook 5019.
Duties and responsibilities include but are not limited to: - Assignment is to all program areas and provides professional, independent occupational therapy services.- Complete comprehensive assessment of functional and occupational roles using standardized and non-standardized evaluation tools. - Provide 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: Monday - Friday 8:00AM-4:30PM Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 12869F Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized