This position is located in SCI/D Rehabilitation service, James J. Peters VA Medical Center, a complexity Level 1b facility as defined by the 2017 VHA Facility Complexity Report. The SCI/D Occupational Therapist Clinical Specialist is a licensed professional who is autonomous and is responsible for providing comprehensive occupational therapy services for patients with a broad variety of disabilities while demonstrating knowledge of current professional Occupational therapy practices and skills.

Duties

He/ She also serves as a subject matter expert (SME) in a content specialty area of Wheelchair Seating and Mobility. This position is under the clinical supervision of the SCI/D Supervisory Physical Therapist. The Clinical Specialist Occupational Therapist is an autonomous provider serving both inpatients and outpatients. The SCI/D OT Clinical Therapist also provides care to veterans with a variety of neurological diagnoses including but not limited to multiple sclerosis and ALS. The SCI/D OT Clinical Specialist for Wheelchair/Seating Evaluations is a significant clinical resource for the medical center in the area of wheelchair seating and evaluations performed in the SCI/D Wheelchair Clinic. Major duties include but are not limited to: Clinical/Management Skills Evaluates inpatients and outpatients independently, using appropriate tests and measures. He/ She is responsible for comprehensive assessment of functional and occupational roles using standardized and non-standardized evaluation tools. Provides direct occupational therapy interventions and procedures with varying degrees of complexity to enhance safety, wellness, and performance in ADLs, IADLs, education, work, play, leisure, and social participation. Demonstrates full understanding of the theories of treatment in occupational therapy and their proper application through the use of activity analysis, behavioral intervention, frame of references, and therapeutic procedures. Administrative Functions: Conduct record keeping related to patient care documentation and quality improvement (QI) data collection as specified by the SCI/D Supervisory Therapist Demonstrates and maintains full competency in the use, pre-cleaning and/or reprocessing of reusable medical equipment (RME). Must ensure that the appropriate Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) and manufacturer's instructions are followed for any step in the use of RME (pre-cleaning, reprocessing, disinfection, sterilization, maintenance) Responsibilities Specific to the Occupational Therapy Clinical Specialist - SCI/D OT Clinical Specialist for Wheelchair Seating and Mobility acts as the subject matter expert in which services are provided not only to SCI, ALS, and MS patients but patients referred from other departments in the medical center and/or regional facilities with more complex needs. - The SCI/D OT Clinical Specialist for Wheelchair Seating and Mobility performs assessments, writes prescriptions for and trains in the use of manual/powered mobility and special seating systems. The assessment may include but is not limited to: evaluation of patients' fixed or modifiable deformities, size, weight, height, presence of amputations, method of wheelchair operation, skin integrity, pressure areas, living environment, lifestyle, and mode of transportation for the device. The prescription may include elements from a variety of manufacturers, necessitating the therapists' familiarity with current technology and their compatibility with one another, and contacts in the community with whom he/she must work to write the prescription. The SCI/D OT Clinical Specialist for Wheelchair Seating and Mobility must also be able to work with each element of the technology in order to be able to train the patient and/or caregiver in its use. The ultimate goal of the prescriptions is to properly fit the patient, enhance their function, minimize pressure areas, provide mobility, and maintain their comfort and quality of life. - The SCI/D OT Clinical Specialist for Wheelchair Seating and Mobility provides services specifically related to prevention/healing of pressure ulcers by completing mat evaluations, performing pressure mapping, and recommending seating/postural interventions as deemed appropriate. Performs other tasks as assigned by the Supervisor, SCI/ ALS/ MS Rehabilitation Therapy Section Work Schedule: Monday to Friday (8am -4:30pm) Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Qualifications

Candidates must possess a current NBCOT certification as an OT. Basic Requirements: Citizenship. Be a citizen of the United States. (Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7407(a)) Education and/or Experience. 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 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. 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). Creditable Experience :To be creditable, the experience must have required the use of knowledge, skills, and abilities associated with current professional occupational therapy practice. Creditable experience can be obtained through employment as an OT. This may be evidenced by one or both of the following: (1) Active professional practice. Active professional practice includes paid/non-paid employment as a professional OT, and as defined by the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA). Experience gained after graduation but prior to licensure/certification is creditable, provided the candidate was utilized as a graduate OT and subsequently passed the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) certification, and the required state regulatory requirements. (2) Completion of a post-graduate fellowship or a post-graduate residency program can be substituted for creditable experience on a year for year basis. Fellowships or post-graduate training programs are typically in specialty areas such as advanced practice, research, mental health, gerontology, enhanced education, health policy, leadership and therapeutic sciences. (3) Quality of Experience. 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. For all assignments above the full performance level, the higher level duties must consist of significant scope, administrative independence, complexity (difficulty) and range of variety as described in this standard at the specified grade level and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time. Part-Time Experience. Part-time experience is creditable according to its relationship to a full-time workweek. For example, an OT employed 20 hours per week, or on a half time basis, would receive one (1) full-time workweek of credit for each two (2) weeks of service. Content Specialty/Specialty area. Specialized content areas of occupational therapy include, but are not limited to, geriatrics, mental health, neurology, cardiopulmonary, spinal cord injury, amputee, low vision, chronic pain, polytrauma, brain injury, lymphedema, assistive technology, hand therapy, driving and community mobility, and seating and mobility. As health care evolves content specialty will change. GRADE DETERMINATIONS. In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates. GS-13 Occupational Therapist (Clinical Specialist) 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 minimum of 2,000 hours of clinical practice directly in the advanced practice area. This time must be within the past five years; Certification in an area recognized by the AOTA; Completion of a fellowship/residency or advanced degree program in the advanced practice area; or 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: Knowledge of contemporary occupational therapy across multiple areas of practice Ability to provide clinical guidance in the advanced practice area to other OT practitioners. Knowledge of advanced specialized evaluation, interventions and services to independently develop treatment strategies for area of specialization. Skill in developing protocols and procedures for intervention programs based on current occupational therapy theory, recent research, and practice. Ability to provide consultation to other health care practitioners and outside groups about occupational therapy scope of practice for area of specialization. Ability to implement, revise/update evidence based occupational therapy services and programming in area of specialization. Assignment. Clinical OT specialists at this grade level serve as subject matter experts and as consultants to occupational therapists and other medical center staff in evaluating and treating patients in the areas of occupational therapy that are beyond the general practice of occupational therapy. This individual must demonstrate skills and techniques for a specific patient population that has highly complex occupational and/or psychosocial impairments. Clinical OT specialist may initiate, lead, and support research projects related to clinical needs. This may include grant writing, guiding others in the process, and direct clinical participation in research. Preferred Experience: Assistive Technology Professional (ATP) certification and prior seating clinic experience References: VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Appendix G14, dated December 13, 2019 The full performance level of this vacancy is a GS-13, in which the grade this vacancy will be filled. Physical Requirements: Work includes regular and recurring physical exertion, which involves standing, bending, kneeling, reaching, gripping, and walking. Moderate to heavy lifting is often required. Sitting at meetings, desks, or computer terminals for documentation purposes is required.

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 Bronx VA Medical Center 130 West Kingsbridge Rd. Bronx, NY 10468 US
• Name: Patrisia Cambi
• Phone: 718-741-4000
• Email: [email protected]