The position is located in the Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Service at the Richmond VA Medical Center, Richmond, VA. The Clinical Specialist Occupational Therapist practices independently and is responsible for performing occupational therapy assessment and treatment interventions for a diverse Polytrauma patient population having complex medical conditions.

Duties

The Occupational Therapist serves as the subject matter expert as a consultant to occupational Therapy and other medical center staff in evaluating and treating patients in the specialty area of Polytrauma. Major duties include but are not limited to: a. Clinical (1) Treats Polytrauma patients using comprehensive knowledge acquired through continuing education and experience. Must use considerable judgement when guidelines are not available to adapt procedures and techniques to accommodate individual deficits, ranges of progress, and problems that may occur. 1 (2) Evaluates referred patients to determine current level of functioning (e.g. cognition, vision, range of motion, pain, strength, movement mechanics, posture, coordination, sensation, perception, coordination, self-care, homemaking, work performance, orthotic needs) using standardized or specialized tests, interviews, observations, medical record review, and consultation with other professional staff. (3) Consults with physicians and makes recommendations for plan of treatment. Demonstrates the ability to provide consultation to other health care practitioners and outside groups about Polytrauma. (4) Develops rehabilitation objectives, in collaboration with the patient and/or family, in the form of a treatment intervention plan that includes short and long-term goals. Interventions to attain goals include but are not limited to: therapeutic exercise, muscle re-education, vision therapy, perceptual motor integration, cognitive training, fabrication and applications of orthotics and devices for daily living, instruction in compensatory techniques, and provision of patient/family education. (5) Re-evaluates the patient's status on a regular basis and adjusts the treatment plan appropriately. (6) Documents in the medical record: results of the initial evaluation; the treatment plan and goals; progress reports that include the treatment provided, changes in the patient's functional status, and changes made to the treatment plan; a discharge summary that includes goal achievement, recommendations for home program, and patient/family education. (7) Attends interdisciplinary team meetings; participates with physicians, nurses, psychologists, social workers, and other disciplines in developing the patient care plan; advises the interdisciplinary team of treatment outcomes, current status of the patient, and progress toward goals. (8) When indicated, evaluates the patient's living environment through home visits or consultation with patient, family, significant others or home health professionals to assist in solving problems associated with community re entry. (9) Knowledge of advanced specialized evaluation, interventions and services to independently develop treatment strategies for area of specialization. (10) Skill in developing protocols and procedures for intervention programs based on current occupational therapy theory, recent research, and practice. (11) Implements, revises, and updates evidence-based protocols (12) Privileged to do consultation and procedural oversight via TeleHealth per their clinical specialty. b. Education (1) Within this specialty, acts as a subject matter expert to provide clinical Polytrauma guidance to other occupational therapists, rehabilitative and medical personnel. (2) Provides supervision and clinical training of occupational therapy students required for completion of academic programs at the associate, undergraduate and graduate level. Orients occupational therapy students to the Polytrauma occupational therapy programs and assists with their training in this area, providing feedback about progress and performance. Assists OT graduate students with research in the area of Polytrauma and provides volunteer opportunities for pre-OT students. (3) Provides orientation/training of medical staff, other disciplines, visitors, volunteers etc. about the occupational therapy Polytrauma program. (4) Keeps current with evidenced based occupational therapy services in Polytrauma rehabilitation and associated impairments through professional literature, in-service programs, and continuing education. c. Administrative (1) Responsible for Polytrauma occupational therapy program development, refining existing programs and evaluation of program effectiveness. This includes quality improvement monitors, program guidelines, protocols, overall philosophy and approach. (2) Maintains patient records and other data required by the section, service and medical center. (3) Submits requests for expendable supplies, additional equipment, educational material, and maintenance needs to the Polytrauma Coordinator or Supervisory OT. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 7:00 AM-3:30 PM Telework: Ad Hoc Virtual: This is not a virtual position Position Title/Functional Statement #: 000000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

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 (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. 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. 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. 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: Occupational Therapist [(Clinical Specialist)], GS-13 - 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 (Polytrauma). 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 (Polytrauma); or d) An additional advanced degree in a related field. 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 (Polytrauma) 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.] Experience is only creditable if it is post-graduate experience as a professional OT directly related to the duties to be performed. Qualifying experience must be at a level comparable to professional occupational therapy experience at the next lower level. Preferred Experience: Brain Injury (Certification preferred) References: VA Handbook 5005-Part II, Appendix G70.The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-13 . The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-13. Physical Requirements: Occasional walking, standing, sitting, and operating a motor vehicle. Occasional lifting, carrying, pushing, and pulling of up to 50 pounds.

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 Central Virginia VA Health Care System 1201 Broad Rock Boulevard Richmond, VA 23249 US
• Name: Ryan Leash
• Phone: 980-401-2554
• Email: [email protected]