The Occupational Therapist (OT) position is in the Occupational Therapy Department within the Geriatric, Extended Care and Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Service line of the Central Alabama Veteran Health Care System. The Occupational Therapist who works at this level provides assessments and treatment intervention of both in-patients and out-patients, on an independent basis across the continuum of care and services provided by Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Services (PM&RS).

Duties

Major duties include, but are not limited to: Responsible for the examination and treatment of patients referred to the Occupational Therapy Program for evaluation and determination of his/her functional status or their level of independence as per the clinical direction of the Supervisor, Occupational Therapy Department in coordination with the PM&RS Support team. Designs, conducts, and evaluates education experiences for staff members, caregivers and care-giver support team, taking an active role in educational opportunities to enhance the Occupational Therapy Department and Medical Center. Establishes and maintains contact with other key staff involved in patient care via written, telephone, and personal communication on a regular basis at the Medical Center level. Develops and provides timely reports to the Supervisor and Occupational Therapy Department, when requested and as needed. Maintains timely data input utilizing care plans, initial assessments and/or specialty protocols as part of an ongoing process in coordination with other key interdisciplinary staff to provide effective patient care. Represents the Occupational Therapy Department and PM&RS services at various clinical and administrative meetings/rounds at the discretion of the Supervisor and Occupational Therapy Department. The OT conducts comprehensive patient examinations to identify rehabilitation problems and establish treatment goals utilizing the most recent evidence based Occupational Therapy practice. Develops and implements treatment plans designed to meet established goals. Evaluates patient response to treatment and modifies the treatment plan to provide optimum outcome. Conducts examinations, treatment planning and interventions, documentation, and follow-up evaluations primarily. The Occupational Therapist (OT) performs demonstrate competence in examination, treatment planning and intervention, and documentation as needed for support personnel and any assigned Staff OT. Serves as a subject matter expert in determining functional status as it relates to activities of daily living. Evaluating medical needs for orthotic, prosthetic or other adaptive equipment in accordance with medical center policies and educating the patient & family about safe & correct use. Responding to inappropriate referrals in writing or verbally with written documentation of such. Employee must ensure that the appropriate Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) and manufacturer's instructions are followed for any step in the use of DME (precleaning, reprocessing, disinfection, sterilization, maintenance). Reviewing pertinent patient data using the medical record and, as needed, remote data (e.g. Vista Web, JLV, etc.). Developing, implementing and communicating the occupational therapy intervention plan based on the evaluation, patient goals, current best evidence and clinical reasoning. Identifying general contraindications to treatment. Providing occupational therapy treatment and caregiver training and education within the appropriate setting as indicated by the plan of care. Communicating the treatment plan and coordinating care with the OTA as appropriate. Functioning autonomously in carrying out patient education, specialized treatments, and applying occupational therapy procedures for which competency has been established and in accordance with laws or regulations and AOTA documents. Modifying the treatment plan, therapeutic activities and interventions based on the changing needs, goals and performance of the patient. The OT continually seeks to improve knowledge and skill by review of current literature, participation in in-service training and attendance at continuing education programs. The OT conducts record keeping related to patient care documentation and quality improvement (QI) data collection as specified by the Supervisor, Occupational Therapy Department. Assists in the establishment of clinic and practice safety guidelines impacting ail Occupational Therapy patients and programs. Work Schedule: 8 AM - 4:30 PM, Monday through Friday Telework: Not available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 619-784-FS 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/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. 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 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). Occupational Therapist, GS-12 Education, Experience, and Licensure. Completion of one year of experience equivalent to at the GS-11 grade level and directly related to the position being filled. Demonstrates Knowledge, Skills and Abilities. In addition, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: Knowledge of occupational therapy principles and techniques consistent with current clinical standards based on OT theory and evidence based practice. Knowledge is inclusive of physical, occupational, cognitive, and psychosocial functional deficits. Ability to collaborate and communicate orally and in writing with all internal and external stakeholders. Ability to use critical analysis, clinical reasoning, and creativity to independently solve complex problems related to adapting and modifying assessments, treatment plans, activities and procedures to meet the needs of patients. Skill in procuring, fabricating, adjusting, adapting, and modifying orthoses, splints, and adaptive equipment for activities of daily living (inclusive of durable medical equipment). Ability to conduct OT related in-service and clinical training. Preferred experience: Assistive Technology Professional (ATP) certification for the Fort Novosel position per the service line. References: VA Handbook 5005/127 PART II APPENDIX G14The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12. Physical Requirements: The work requires frequent stooping, bending, walking, handling of wheelchairs and lifting in conjunction with treatment of patients. At times, there may be undue heavy lifting due to unforeseen circumstances such as preventing a patient from falling. Dexterity and skill in safe machinery, such as patient lifts, are 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: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

Contacts

• Address Central Alabama VA Medical Center-Montgomery 215 Perry Hill Road Montgomery, AL 36109 US
• Name: Morgan Hogeland
• Phone: 205-933-8101 X412220
• Email: [email protected]