The Occupational Therapy Assistant (OTA) will service within the Occupational Therapy (OT) Section of the Rehab and Extended Care Integrated Clinical Community Service (REC-ICC) at the Chillicothe, OH VA Medical Center. The OTA receives minimum guidance from the OT; contributes to the screening, evaluation, and re-evaluation process by administering delegated assessments and reporting observations and client performance to the OT.

Duties

Duties include and responsibilities, but are not limited to: Contribute to the screening, evaluation and re-evaluation process by administering delegated assessments and reporting observations and patient performance to the OT. Coordinate and administer occupational therapy treatment for prevention, remediation and rehabilitation of diverse diagnoses in all practice areas to both individuals and groups as well as develop and implement new programs. Recommend and modify assistive devices and instruct patients on their care and use to ensure optimal performance. Independently provide patient education on areas of occupation, assistive devices and orthotics based on patient's and families' level of cognition, cultural and/or behavioral variables. Collaborate with the interdisciplinary team to make recommendations for the patient's rehabilitation, reintegration and disposition needs. Develop, participate in and ensure compliance with quality improvement activities through participation in medical center/section committees as delegated. Other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. may have to work weekends/holidays. Compressed/Flexible:Available Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position Functional Statement #:92210-A, 92211-A, 92212-A, 92213-A 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. Individuals must meet at least one of the requirements below: (1) Associate's [or higher] degree in occupational therapy from a college or university accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA). OR (2) Completion of a military training program in an OTA program accredited by the ACOTE. Certification. OTAs must have written documentation that they have passed the entry-level certification examination for OTAs administered by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT). Licensure. OTAs must hold a full, current, and unrestricted state license to practice occupational therapy in a State, Territory, a Commonwealth of the United States (i.e. Puerto Rico) or in the District of Columbia. Loss of Credential. Management officials, in collaboration with Human Resource (HR) Office staff, must remove employees in this occupation who fail to maintain the required state or territorial licensure and the NBCOT certification, both current and in good standing, which may result in termination of employment. Exceptions for Non-Certified or Non-Licensed Occupational Therapy Assistant.(1) OTAs who graduated from an ACOTE approved occupational therapy assistant program but do not possess the NBCOT certification and/or licensure requirements, may be appointed, pending licensure and/or NBCOT certification, on a full-time temporary appointment under the authority of 38 U.S.C. § 7405(a)(1)(B) and not to exceed two years in accordance with the timeframe in 38 U.S.C. § 7405(c)(2). (2) OTAs may only be appointed at the entry grade level and may not be promoted/converted until licensure and/or certification are obtained. (3) OTAs may provide care only under the direct supervision of a licensed OTA or OT who meets all state regulatory requirements. (4) Temporary OTA appointments may not be extended beyond two years. Failure to Obtain License. In all cases, uncertified and/or unlicensed OTAs must actively pursue meeting certification requirements and/or State prerequisites for licensure starting from the date of their appointment. At the time of appointment, the HR Office staff will provide the uncertified and/or unlicensed OTA the written requirements for licensure and/or certification, the date by which the license and/or certification must be obtained and the consequences for not becoming licensed and/or certified by the deadline. OTAs who fail to obtain a license and/or certification by the prescribed date will be removed from their OTA, GS-0636 position, which may result in termination of employment. Grandfathering Provision. 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). 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. Occupational Therapy Assistant, GS-05: Education, Experience or Licensure. None beyond the basic requirements. Occupational Therapy Assistant, GS-06: Experience. One year of creditable experience equivalent to GS-5 grade level. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience or education above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: Knowledge of evidence-based occupational therapy practice. Knowledge of basic group techniques and interpersonal communication. Skill in written communication to document data, progress/change in status, discharge status, and patient or caregiver education. Skill in oral communication to document data, progress/change in status, discharge status, and patient or caregiver education. Ability to assist in the development of treatment goals/objectives. Ability to implement a patient care plan incorporating activity analysis theory. Occupational Therapy Assistant, GS-07 Experience. One year of creditable experience equivalent to GS-6 grade level. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience or education above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: Skill in promoting occupational therapy services effectively, providing training and interventions within the assigned areas. Ability to perform in depth chart review to identify treatment goals and implement treatment plans. Ability to use problem-solving skills when providing therapeutic interventions for patients. Ability to provide multi-step instructions to patients, caregivers and other health care professionals adapting instructions to meet the learning needs of the individual. Occupational Therapy Assistant, GS-08 Experience. One year of creditable experience equivalent to GS-7 grade level. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience or education above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: Ability to implement delegated assessments. Ability to provide reports of observations and patient performance. Ability to use complex therapeutic techniques and interventions, utilizing problem-solving skills to maximize patient's functional status. Ability to modify therapeutic interventions for simple and complex cases with a wide range of diagnoses and disabilities. Ability to recommend complex adaptive and assistive devices and durable medical equipment. Ability to consult with health care practitioners about the patient's treatment plan and the occupational therapy scope of practice and services. References: VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Appendix G22 The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-8. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-5 to GS-8. Physical Requirements: While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to stand, walk, stretch, reach, twist, tug, pull, stoop and kneel. The work requires varied periods of walking and sitting. The employee must occasionally lift up to 40 pounds. Veteran's mental and physical status will require the employee to be able to assist patients during treatment modalities. Spatial abilities such as but not limited to near and far vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and visual focus. The incumbent must obtain and maintain American Heart Association Heart Code BSL certification.

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: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

Contacts

• Address Chillicothe VA Medical Center 17273 State Route 104 Chillicothe, OH 45601 US
• Name: Alyssa Littler
• Phone: 740-649-2896
• Email: [email protected]