The Occupational Therapist at this level, works independently under the Associate Director of Patient Care Services and provides services to the Community Living Center and outpatients at the John J Pershing VAMC. The incumbent facilitates development and rehabilitation of patients with mental, emotional, and physical disabilities by planning and administering medically prescribed occupational therapy.

Duties

Major Duties: John J. Pershing VA Medical Center (JJPVAMC) is a Level-3 Complexity medical center compromised of a 38-bed Community Living Center (CLC) and 10 acute medicine beds. The CLC provides long term care, short-stay continuing care, short-stay rehabilitation, short-stay skilled nursing, respite, and end-of-life care. Primary Care, Urgent Care, Ambulatory Specialty Care, Mental Health, Telehealth and Community Health/Home Care are offered by this facility. The main medical center is located in Poplar Bluff, Missouri. Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOC) are located in Farmington, Sikeston and West Plains, Missouri and Pocahontas and Paragould, Arkansas with one Health Care Center located in Cape Girardeau, MO. The medical center provides healthcare services to a 29-county catchment area. The Occupational Therapist at this level, works independently under the Associate Director of Patient Care Services and provides services to the Community Living Center and outpatients at the John J Pershing VAMC. The incumbent facilitates development and rehabilitation of patients with mental, emotional, and physical disabilities by planning and administering medically prescribed occupational therapy. The Occupational Therapist is responsible for observing, recording, and reporting changes in the patient's condition, as well as assisting in the development and revision of the patient-driven holistic care plan for life. Also responsible for performing occupational therapy assessment and treatment interventions. The Occupational Therapist requires a general review of their work for appropriateness and conformity with license, policies and procedures. The Occupational Therapist demonstrates active collaboration and communication with patient and interdisciplinary team (primary care primary care/specialty care provider, registered dietitian, social worker, nursing staff) and Larger Team (family/caregiver, internal and community-based services and disciplines involved in providing care to the patient). Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00am - 4:30pm Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Qualifications

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 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 the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) would only accredit master or doctoral degree programs in occupational therapy. OR (c) Master's Degree or higher in occupational therapy. Certification. Candidates must possess a current NBCOT certification as an Occupational Therapist. Certificate in Lymphedema is required. 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. 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: GS-14 (1) Education, Experience, and Licensure. Completion of one year of experience equivalent to at least the GS-13 level and [directly related to the position being filled. (2) Demonstrated KSAs. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all the following KSAs: a. Knowledge of evidence-based practices and clinical practice guidelines in multiple professional areas to use these resources to guide the program staff in providing clinically appropriate treatment interventions. b. Skill in interpersonal relationships and conflict resolution in dealing with a diverse range of employees, team leaders, and administrators. c. Ability to manage [resources] for a large, integrated service including not only occupational therapy, but also other focused rehabilitation, ancillary, or other health care services. d. Ability to communicate effectively orally and in writing with a diverse group of professional staff. e. Ability to translate extensive rehabilitation knowledge into cogent and useful policy in complex facilities and/or across multiple sites. f. Skill in providing clinical and administrative oversight [and supervision of] multidisciplinary rehabilitation programs in complex facilities and/or across multiple sites. g. Ability to collaborate with strategic planning committees at local, VISN or national levels for new ventures addressing patient care delivery systems, facilities management, and system reorganizations. Assignment. [The supervisory OT, service care line manager or service chief is responsible for the supervision, administrative management, and direction of an occupational therapy program or equivalent service-level department which typically consists of a multi-discipline staff and/or multiple facilities that may be separated geographically. The incumbent provides supervision of clinical and training programs, including the overall technical oversight of the OT practitioners whom they supervise. They are responsible for the development and implementation of policies and procedures that address focused clinical needs and the overall services provided within the section or service. They provide a Veteran/client centered environment while enhancing staff engagement. OTs at this level demonstrate a great deal of autonomy in performing responsibilities that include, but are not limited to, assigning work to employees, monitoring workload and clinical volume, reviewing work of employees to assure accuracy and validity of submissions, assuring adequate clinical staffing, imposing disciplinary measures, and monitoring clinical privileges. The OT supervisor, service care line manager or service chief serves as an advocate and resource consultant to the therapy staff and facility-at- large through communication with other departments, physicians, and external agencies. They select and monitor quality and performance measures for process improvement and patient satisfaction; obtain data from national and local databases; review and analyze various reports and complex data, complete trend analysis relating to quality improvement to ensure desired outcomes; monitors clinical service's compliance with the standards of external bodies and accrediting agencies; and recommends and assures remedial action. This level of assignment is typically located at VA medical centers or healthcare systems that are complex in nature and are affiliated with local colleges and universities. References: VA Handbook 5005/127, Part II, Appendix G14 Occupational Therapist Qualification Standard GS-0631 dated December 13, 2019, Veterans Health Administration. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-14. Physical Requirements: The work requires long periods of standing, walking, and sitting. Work involves constant bending, lifting, and twisting. The work requires pushing wheelchair and stretcher patients. Positioning patients who are unconscious or disabled requires considerable effort and working in awkward positions. Lifting of totally incapacitated patients is done only with the help of other employees.

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: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

Contacts

• Address John J Pershing VA Medical Center 1500 North Westwood Boulevard Poplar Bluff, MO 63901 US
• Name: Jerome Edmonds
• Phone: (573)712-3971
• Email: [email protected]