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: 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
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
Physical Requirements
See VA Directive and Handbook 5019
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)
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
Preferred Experience: 5+ years of OT/PT experience, independently managing a caseload 1+ years experience in a seating and mobility clinic RESNA Credentialing as Assistive Technology Professional (ATP) or NRRTS equivalent 1+ year experience of coordination of patient care with a Complex Rehabilitation Technology supplier such as National Seating & Mobility, NuMotion, Reliable Medical, etc Advanced certified with RESNA as a Seating & Mobility Specialist (SMS) Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/
The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-13
Physical Requirements: The work is sedentary
Some work may require movement between offices, hospitals, warehouses, and similar areas for meetings and to conduct work
Work may also require walking/standing, in conjunctions with travel to and attendance at meetings and/or conferences away from the work site
Incumbent may carry and lift light items weighing less than 15 pound.
