The Supervisory Occupational Therapist assumes full supervisory responsibility for all aspects of clinical care of the Occupational Therapy (OT) staff within Rehabilitation Care Services (RCS) at both campuses of VA Puget Sound Health Care System, Home Based Primary Care OT staff, and discipline guidance for OT's in Mental Health, Homeless Care Program, and the Telehealth Rehabilitation Enterprise Wide Initiative (TREWI).

Duties

The supervisory occupational therapist will assess and evaluate the delivery of occupational therapeutic care to specialty populations by staff members based on education, competencies, personal experience, and research studies; then resolve problems that interfere with delivery of services. The incumbent is also the program manager for OT inpatient and outpatient programs within RCS. Duties include oversight of the RCS inpatient and outpatient OT programs, including QI, productivity, and analyzing cost data. Functions of the Position. Clinical: Assess needs, coordinate, review, and evaluate the delivery of occupational therapy care in all outpatient, inpatient, and home-based care. Assign therapists, assistants, and volunteers to specific areas of patient care within RCS as patient care needs warrant. Participate in RCS Quality Improvement Projects. Monitor and evaluate therapists' evaluation, treatment, and medical record documentation skills and PT costs and outcomes and ensure compliance with the Joint Commission and CARF guidelines. Monitor RCS OT staff compliance with BSI standards and safety regulations. Resolve problems that interfere with the delivery of occupational therapy to beneficiaries. Work closely with the Lead Inpatient OT (Seattle), American Lake Supervisory OT, and all clinical specialists to coordinate coverage, training, compliance with competencies, and to shape the direction of the department. Participate in the planning and coordination or RCS OT staff clinical research projects. Ensure appropriate coverage is arranged for patient care responsibilities when staff are on leave. Provide direct patient care on a regularly scheduled basis, as needed for service coverage. Clinical care may include occasional weekend coverage. Education: Identify continuing education needs of the RCS OT staff across VAPSHCS. Oversee the clinical education program provided to full-time OT and OTA staff. Work with the Student Coordinator in planning the education program and accepting students. Administer the OT continuing education funds in a systematic manner, which takes organizational, professional, and individual needs into account. Facilitate OT continuing education courses offered at our facility by outside speakers. Educate stakeholders and referring providers about OT services. Administration: Assure the provision of high-quality, cost-effective OT care. Facilitate the accomplishment of all service line performance measure that interface with the provision of Occupational Therapy services. Utilize a strong background in business operations to manage workload, productivity, and clinical access data to maximize efficiencies of patient care. Interview OT/Vocational Rehab staff position candidates; recommend appointments, advancement, promotion, or disciplinary action to OT Standards Board. Represent the VAPSHCS OT Section in the Medical Center and in the community. Manage RCS section equipment needs by ordering supplies, maintain the Section Equipment Inventory Listing (EIL), initiate new equipment requests. Participate in regular service meetings and OT committees or other meetings as appropriate. Complete a Scope of Practice on each OT within the entire VAPSHCS and keep records current. Complete a competency program for each RCS OT and assist other care lines in the development of OT competency programs. Serve as the Occupational Therapy content expert for VAPSHCS; offering guidance and assistance to Human Resources Service as requested and to Occupational Therapy Care Lines. Supervisory Control: Provide effective leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills to manage and support the RCS OT staff. Conduct regular RCS OT staff meetings and ensure regular educational in services occur (often delegating this to a staff person). Keep minutes of OT meetings as appropriate. Develop performance standards and conduct performance appraisals for RCS OT staff across the patient care continuum. Meet with staff individually or in groups, as needed to provide guidance, share information, and promote staff relations. Approve and schedule leave for RCS OT section employees. Resolve problems and complaints from the RCS OT staff, refer any unresolved problems to the RCS Director of Therapies or Service Line Leader. Assign work by defining objectives, priorities, and deadlines and provide guidance on therapy assignments that do not have clear precedents. Participate in and make recommendations for strategic and long range planning for patient care programming that will be in concert with and support facility, VISN, and VHA goals for Veteran's health care. Work Schedule: Mon - Fri, 8:00am to 4:30pm Telework: Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position Functional Statement #: 000000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement. 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. 1. Education and/or experience. a. 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 American Occupational Therapy Association (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. b. 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 paragraph 2 above if they have a current, full, active, and unrestricted license as described below in State Licensure. 2. Certification. Candidates must possess a current National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) certification as an OT. 3. 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. 4. 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. 5. 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. In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates. Supervisory Occupational Therapist, 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. Note:Clearly describe how you meet these KSAs in your resume; we cannot make assumptions regarding your experience. References: VA Handbook 5005/127, Part II, Appendix G14. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-14. Physical Requirements: The work requires moderate lifting (15-44 pounds); reaching above the shoulder; use of fingers; hearing (aid may be permitted); and flexibility and adaptability to change. Must be able to work alone.

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 VA Puget Sound Health Care System 1660 South Columbian Way Seattle, WA 98108 US
• Name: Joe Julkowski
• Phone: 509-434-7382
• Email: [email protected]