The Acupuncturist functions as a team member of the Pain Management Clinic located at WTVAHCS. Acupuncture is the stimulation of specific points along the skin of the body using thin needles. It can be associated with the application of heat, pressure, or laser light to these points. The incumbent serves as a member of an interdisciplinary team providing acupuncture treatment as well as further coordination of care for patients referred for acupuncture services.

Duties

The acupuncturist utilizes standard medical evaluation procedures and East Asian Medicine evaluation to formulate a differential diagnosis to develop an acupuncture treatment plan. Incumbent shall incorporate the various training techniques taught within East Asian Medicine and acupuncture. Incumbent educates patients on health lifestyle changes including nutrition, exercise, sleeping habits, stress management, mind-body techniques, and other matters related to acupuncture care. Duties include documentation of information related to patient care including assessment, diagnosis, treatment, response to treatment, plan of care, and patient education as well as identification and documentation of appropriate coding for each patient encounter. The acupuncturist may provide group acupuncture as determined. Incumbent documents and codes information related to patient care in the VA's electronic health care record on a timely basis following VHA policies. iMed consent shall be completed prior to acupuncture treatment where any needling procedure occurs. Oral informed consent is valid for auricular acupuncture only. The acupuncturist communicates with other health care providers as appropriate. The acupuncturist shall maintain up-to-date VHA and professional trainings. Required meetings must be attended. The acupuncturist will review referrals, screen for appropriateness of care, and direct Veterans to others services when necessary. The acupuncturist is the subject-matter expert on acupuncture and East Asian Medicine services and will provide guidance when requested regarding purchased care. The acupuncturist may treat a wide range of conditions and acupuncture may be used alone or as an adjunct to traditional medical care. The acupuncturist includes the stimulation of specific points along the skin of the body using thin needles with or without the addition of electric stimulation. The acupuncturist may use various techniques commonly taught in East Asian Medicine or Acupuncture schools. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: Acupuncturist Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized 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. Education: Individual must meet one of the requirements below: Master's degree in acupuncture or oriental medicine from a program accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (ACAOM). OR Advanced level degree in acupuncture or oriental medicine from a program accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (ACAOM). Foreign Graduates: Graduates of foreign acupuncture programs meet the requirements in subparagraph 3b if they have a full unrestricted and current license to practice acupuncture in a State, Territory or Commonwealth of the United States, or in the District of Columbia. Certification. Acupuncturists hired in the VHA must be board certified through the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM). The board certification must be current and the acupuncturist must abide by the certifying body's requirements for continuing education. Loss of Certification. An acupuncturist who fails to maintain the required certificate must be removed from the occupation, which may result in termination of employment. At the discretion of the appointing official, an employee may be reassigned to another occupation if qualified and if a placement opportunity exists. Licensure. Current, full, active, and unrestricted license to practice acupuncture in a State, Territory or Commonwealth (i.e. Puerto Rico) of the United States, or District of Columbia. Loss of licensure. An acupuncturist who fails to maintain the required license must be removed from the occupation, which may result in termination of employment. At the discretion of the appointing official, an employee may be reassigned to another occupation if qualified and if a placement opportunity exists. Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019. English Language Proficiency: Candidates will not be appointed under authority of 38 U.S.C. chapters 73 or 7 4, to serve in a direct patient-care capacity in VHA who are not proficient in written and spoken English. See Chapter 2, section D, paragraph 5a, this part. Grade Determinations: Acupuncturist, GS-9 (Entry Level) Experience. None beyond the basic requirements. Assignments. Individuals at this grade level are considered to be entry level and are closely supervised. The employee works under the direction of a journey level or higher acupuncturist or other health care providers licensed to perform acupuncture. The acupuncturist provides professional services in accordance with the established treatment plan. Deviations from regular procedures, unanticipated problems, and unfamiliar situations are referred to more experienced staff for a decision or assistance. Acupuncturist, GS-11 (Full Performance Level) Experience or Education: Individual must meet at least one of the requirements below: Experience. In addition to the basic requirements, must have one year of creditable experience equivalent to the GS-9 grade level, which is directly related to the position to be filled. OR Education. Doctoral degree or equivalent degree from an accredited college or university in an acupuncture or oriental medicine. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSA). In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: Ability to educate patients on health lifestyle changes including nutrition, exercise, sleeping habits stress management, mind body techniques, and other matters related to acupuncture. One year VA experience. Competency in CPRS and electronic medical record systems Assignment. Acupuncturists at this level review and triage acupuncture referrals. The incumbent serves as a member of an interdisciplinary team providing acupuncture treatment as well as further coordination of care for patients referred for acupuncture services. The acupuncturist analyzes medical histories and physical findings to formulate a differential diagnosis based on oriental and western medicine paradigms. Duties include the design and oversight of acupuncture treatment plans as well as a full range of acupuncture services, monitoring the accuracy of needle placement during a treatment. The incumbent communicates with patients about any abnormal or unexpected results or responses to treatment and advises patients regarding lifestyle changes including nutrition, exercise, sleeping habits, stress management, mind body techniques and other matters related to acupuncture care. The acupuncturist may submit referrals and requests for devices, materials and appliances available and commonly used by the acupuncture profession. Duties include documentation of information related to patient care including assessment, diagnosis, treatment, response to treatment, plan of care, and patient education as well as identification and documentation of appropriate coding for each patient encounter. The acupuncturist provides information regarding the patient consultation to other health care providers. The incumbent manages clinical workload demands. The incumbent serves as a mentor to new staff or less experienced staff and students. Preferred Experience: At least 2 years of experience in providing individualized acupuncture treatment Ability to provide group acupuncture Ability to educate patients on health lifestyle changes including nutrition, exercise, sleeping habits stress management, mind body techniques, and other matters related to acupuncture References: VA Handbook 5005/100 Part II Appendix G53 Acupuncturist Qualification Standard GS-0601 Veterans Health Administration 02/07/2018. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-11. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-09 to GS-11. Physical Requirements: light lifting (under 15 pounds); moderate carrying (15-44 pounds), use of fingers, both hands required, walking/standing/kneeling (1 hour), repeated bending (4 hours), both legs required, ability for rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously, far vision correctable in one eye to 20/20 and to 20/40 in the other, both eyes required, depth perception, ability to distinguish basic colors and hearing (aid permitted).

Education

IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. Failure to provide transcripts may result in non-referral of your application if education cannot be verified.

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.

Accreditation Information: The master's or advanced level degree must be fully accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (ACAOM). Verification of accreditation may be made obtained from ACAOM.
NOTE: If your school has changed names, or is no longer in existence, you must provide this information in your application.
NOTE: If your school was accredited by ACAOM at the time of graduation but is no longer listed on the ACAOM website, you must provide documentation of accreditation with your application packet.

Contacts

• Address Thomas E Creek VA Medical Center 6010 Amarillo Boulevard, West Amarillo, TX 79106 US
• Name: VISN 17 SSU USAS Group
• Email: [email protected]