The Occupational Therapist (Power Mobility Clinical Specialist) provides assessment and treatment intervention for Veterans at the VA Puget Sound Health Care System, American Lake Division. He/she is assigned to all program areas which are covered by Rehabilitation Care Services and provides professional, independent occupational therapy services in the assigned area with a focus on power mobility/seating. Position is supervised by the Rehabilitation Care Services Occupational Therapist Manager.

Duties

Clinical Evaluate patients with rehabilitative diagnoses for power mobility eligibility. Provide training and fit of the power mobility considering seat width, back height, armrest height, seat height, seat depth, leg length, and overall postural requirements. Assist patients in reviewing operation and care of the mobility device. Evaluate and train in use of power mobility in the hospital setting, or at another acceptable location. Develop protocols for evaluation and issuance of power mobility including templates for documentation, reference sheets, and evaluation flow sheets. Evaluate patients as appropriate using specialized evidence based occupational therapy services for their age and diagnosis to determine current levels of functioning (range of motion, strength/manual muscle test, coordination, sensation, proprioception, visual-perceptual skills, self-care, mobility skills, community living skills, pre-vocational skills, cognitive status). Based on evaluation findings and planning with the treatment team, patient/family, and/or significant others, establish individualized goals related to Rehabilitation Care Services diagnosis and eventual discharge plans. Participate in patient planning meetings, rechecks, family conferences, team huddles, and chart rounds. Participate in home visit as appropriate to patient's home or place of employment to assess for safety, self-care capability at home, ergonomic considerations, and need for adaptive equipment as it relates to the Rehabilitation Care Services population. Educational Establish contact with local and national vendors and distributers of power mobility devices and accessories to keep up to date on newest products, establish in-services for therapy department for demonstrations of new equipment. Provide in-services to multi-disciplinary staff in various service lines as requested. Assist in educational needs of staff as requested. Mentor other therapists in the necessary skills to treat unusual or complex treatment problems, work with them on clinical solutions. Provide community education opportunities regarding Rehabilitation Care Services therapy interventions as requested. Incumbent will speak at local universities as well as present at local and national conferences on the topic of power mobility/posture/seating and their application to patients with Rehabilitation Care Services diagnoses. Administration Liaison with Prosthetics Department to review power mobility devices and accessories to be ordered, ensure standardized setup to allow for maximal usability by Veterans. Participate in occupational therapy employee selection as requested. Provide input to Rehabilitation Care Services Occupational Therapist Therapy Manager for the development and/or revision of Occupational Therapy department policy and procedures as requested. Demonstrate skills in developing protocols and procedures for intervention programs based on current occupational therapy theory, recent research and practice. Assist the Rehabilitation Care Services Occupational Therapist Therapy Manager to establish patient care standards by designing and implementing an evaluation and program planning protocol for the service as requested. Responsible for coordinating patient's occupational therapy schedule with other disciplines so that quality of care is maintained. Document initial evaluation, write progress notes, and complete discharge summaries all within departmental time standards. Provide input for family conferences, input for Rehabilitation Care Services team meetings, and any other meetings impacting the patient's care. Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 7:30am - 4:00pm Telework: Not 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

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. ~AND~ 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. Certification. Candidates must possess a current NBCOT certification as an Occupational Therapist. 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. English Proficiency. Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f). 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: In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met: Occupational Therapist (Clinical Therapist), GS-13 Education, Experience, and Licensure. In addition to the basic requirements, applicants must have completion of one year of experience equivalent to at least the GS-12 grade level. (Experience at the GS-12 level includes independent practice and comprehensive assessment of functional and occupational roles using standardized and non-standardized evaluation tools. OTs select and provide direct occupational therapy interventions and procedures with varying degrees of complexity to enhance safety, wellness, and performance in ADL, instrumental IADL, education, work, play, leisure, and social participation. OTs demonstrate a full professional understanding of the theories of treatment in occupational therapy and their proper application through the use of active analysis, behavioral intervention, frame of references, and therapeutic procedures) 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. 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; 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 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. References: VA Handbook 5005/127, Part II, Appendix G14. Occupational Therapist Qualification Standard, VHA, 12/13/2019. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-13. Physical Requirements: Moderate lifting (15-44 lbs), reaching above shoulder, use of fingers, walking, standing, crawling, kneeling, repeated bending, near and far vision correctable, depth perception, ability to distinguish basic colors, mental and emotional stability, ability to be outside and inside, working closely with others, working 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: Vanessa Taylor
• Phone: (816) 398-2192
• Email: [email protected]