Occupational Therapist

Who May Apply: US Citizens

In order to qualify, you must meet the education and/or experience requirements described below. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community; student; social). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience; if qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application. Additional information about transcripts is in this document.

Basic Requirement for Occupational Therapist:

Degree: A graduate (or higher level) degree that included an occupational therapy curriculum approved by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) or a professional accrediting organization recognized by the U.S. Department of Education at the time the degree was obtained, and completion of the clinical requirements prescribed by the school.

Certification: Applicants must have passed the national examination administered by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT).

Exemption: You are exempt from the basic requirements above if you are a current federal employee occupying a position in the 0631 occupational series and have been continuously employed in this occupational series since September 27, 2017 or before. Note: You will be required to provide appropriate documentation to the respective Human Resources Office to validate your status.

Licensure: A current, active, valid, and unrestricted Occupational Therapy license, offered by a U.S. State, District of Columbia, Commonwealth, territory, or jurisdiction.

In addition to meeting the basic requirement above, to qualify for this position you must also meet the qualification requirements listed below:

Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience which includes evaluating occupational therapy patients; implementing occupational therapy treatment plans; and providing patient/staff education on occupational therapy. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the next lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-11).Some federal jobs allow you to substitute your education for the required experience in order to qualify. For this job, you must meet the qualification requirement using experience alone--no substitution of education for experience is permitted.