OCCUPATIONAL THERAPIST-CLINICAL SPECIALIST-HOME BASED PRIMARY CARE

*** This is an OPEN CONTINUOUS ANNOUNCEMENT and will remain open until December 27, 2024. The initial cutoff date for referral of eligible applications will be October 11, 2024. Eligible applications received after that date will be referred at regular intervals or as additional vacancies occur on an as needed basis until positions are filled. ***

Basic Requirements:

-Citizenship
Be a citizen of the United States.

-English 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 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.
• Bachelor's degree in occupational therapy and 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.
• Master's Degree or higher in occupational therapy.

-Foreign Graduates
Graduates of foreign occupational therapy programs meet the requirements if they have a current, full, active and unrestricted license referred to below.

-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.

Grade Determinations:

Occupational Therapist-Clinical Specialist, GS-13

-Education, Experience, and Licensure
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
• An additional advanced degree in a related field.

AND

-Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (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.

Assignment
Clinical OT specialists at this grade level serve as subject matter experts and as consultants to occupational therapists and other medical center staff in evaluating and treating patients in the areas of occupational therapy that are beyond the general practice of occupational therapy. This individual must demonstrate skills and techniques for a specific patient population that has highly complex occupational and/or psychosocial impairments. Clinical OT specialist may initiate, lead, and support research projects related to clinical needs. This may include grant writing, guiding others in the process, and direct clinical participation in research.

Preferred Experience: Minimum of 2 years experience. Experience in Geriatrics, Primary Care, and/or Home Care, as well as experience working in multi-disciplinary environments, is preferred.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Appendix G14, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

Physical Requirements: This position requires frequent bending and lifting, and the ability to assist patients with a variety of therapeutic activities. Incumbent must be able to lift 50 pounds to chest height and maintain good body mechanics.