Job opening: Occupational Therapist

Salary: $86 962 - 113 047 per year

City: Togus

Published at: Mar 07 2024

Company: Veterans Health Administration

Employment Type: Full-time

This Occupational Therapist position is in the Sensory and Physical Rehab Service Line at the VA Maine Healthcare Systems, at the Togus, ME location. This position is a full-time at 40 hours per week.

Duties

The purpose of this position is to serve as a Occupational Therapist in the Sensory and Physical Rehab Service Line at the VA Maine Healthcare Systems Togus, ME campus. The incumbent provides Occupational Therapy with clinical, administration, and education functions. Duties may include, but are not limited to: Clinical: Provides direct patient care as assigned delivering Occupational Therapy services according to program requirements. Screens patients for Occupational Therapy services for appropriateness, types of services and rehabilitation potential. Independently develops and implements Occupational Therapy treatment using clinical judgment to modify the treatment as a result of changing medical conditions. Evaluates a wide range of patients with complex disabilities to determine level of function using standardized and non standardized tests. Measures, fits and instructs patients for the use of complex adaptive equipment, assistive devices, functional mobility aids, and splints/braces. Assists multidisciplinary medical team in coordination of patient's treatment and discharge planning. Administration: Maintains patient attendance records and other statistics required by the service/ section/program assignment Assists in policy and procedure development. Assists the development of Quality Assurance, Performance Improvement, and/or Performance monitors. Assists in the development of standards of care to ensure compliance with accrediting and professional organizations. Responsible for proper supply inventory levels and clinical maintenance for the Occupational Therapy Clinic. Supervises volunteers, and stay-in-school students in assisting with clinical and administrative duties. Serves on SPRS and other local, regional, and national committees and teams as assigned. Education: Acts as clinical supervisor for professional or technical level students. Provides clinical training for OT Practicum students in assigned program. Assists in developing and upgrading student training program content. Educates other health professionals and their trainees on the role of Occupational Therapy Services. Provides in-service and clinical training programs to staff to promote and enhance professional development. Assesses needs and learning abilities for patients and families referred for Occupational Therapy. Provides appropriate educational materials and services to meet the patient's needs and abilities. Educates patients and family members of patients on the role of Occupational Therapy, the Occupational Therapy related needs of a patient, and expected Occupational Therapy related outcomes of treatment. Work Schedule: Monday thru Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm Telework: Not Authorized Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #:402-F2450 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required Notifications: This position is in the Excepted Service. This position is a AFGE Bargaining Unit position. This position is covered by locality-based comparability pay. Selectee may be required to work at any VA Maine Healthcare System campus, as needed. May be required to attend conference at other facilities or other VA sites on occasion. The incumbent may be required to travel to other VA campuses and CBOC's. Narrative responses to the knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) may be required from the selectee in order to proceed with the appointment. Current and former Federal employees must submit copies of their most recent SF-50, (Notice of Personnel Action). The SF-50 must identify the position title, series, grade, step, tenure and type of service (Competitive or Excepted). In some cases, more than one SF-50 may be required to show a higher grade previously held.

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: Citizenship. Be a citizen of the United States. English Language Proficiency: Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. 7403(f). 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; or Bachelor's degree in occupational therapy and two (2) full years of graduate education in a related field; or Master's Degree or higher in occupational therapy. 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. 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. Foreign Graduates. Graduates of foreign occupational therapy programs meet the requirements if they have a current, full, active and unrestricted license referred to in this appendix. Certification. Candidates must possess a current National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (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. Loss of Credential. An employee in this occupation who fails to maintain the required state or territorial licensure and the NBCOT certification, both current and in good standing, must be removed from the occupation, which may result in termination of employment. Failure to Obtain Licensure/Certification. In all cases, graduate OTs must actively pursue obtaining required credentials (i.e., NBCOT certification and/or state licensure) from the date of their appointment. The human resource office will notify the uncertified/unlicensed OT in writing of the requirement to obtain certification/licensure, the date by which the certification/license must be acquired, and the consequences for not becoming certified/licensed by the deadline date. The written notice must be provided prior to the entrance on duty date. Failure to obtain required credentials by the prescribed date will result in termination of employment. GRADE DETERMINATIONS: In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates. 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. Demonstrated KSAs. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: (a) 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. (b) Ability to collaborate and communicate orally and in writing with all internal and external stakeholders. (c) 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. (d) Skill in procuring, fabricating, adjusting, adapting, and modifying orthoses, splints, and adaptive equipment for activities of daily living (inclusive of durable medical equipment). (e) Ability to conduct OT related in-service and clinical training. References: VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Appendix G14 - Occupational Therapist Qualification Standard. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for 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 techniques are required. Work Environment: The work involves regular and recurring exposure to moderate risks and discomforts which require special safety and health precautions, e.g., working regularly with patients and in situations where there is risk of exposure to contagious diseases, odors and/or flammable gases. The therapist is required to wear protective clothing such as gloves and a mask to prevent disease and the spread of infection.

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.