Occupational Therapist (Pelvic Rehabilitation Specialist)

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: To qualify for appointment to this position, all applicants must possess the following:


Citizenship. Be a citizen of the United States (U.S.). Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7407(a).


English Language Proficiency. Occupational Therapist candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).


Education and/or Experience. The individual must meet at least one of the following requirements below:

1. Bachelor's degree in occupational therapy and two (2) years of experience as an occupational therapist; OR
2. Bachelor's degree in occupational therapy and two (2) full years of graduate education in a related field; OR
3. Master's Degree or higher in occupational therapy.

Foreign Graduates. Graduates of foreign occupational therapy programs meet the requirements of the Education and/or Experience #2 above if they have a current, full, active and unrestricted license referred to in the State Licensure paragraph down below.


Certification-Submit Documentation. Candidates must possess a current NBCOT certification as an OT.


State Licensure-Submit Documentation. 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.


Grandfathering Provision. All persons employed in VHA in this occupational series or in another occupational series that are also performing the duties as described in the qualification standard on the effective date of this qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the grade held including positive education and licensure/certification/registration that are part of the basic requirements of this occupation.


To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement.


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 (pelvic health). 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 (pelvic health); 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 pelvic health to other OT practitioners.
• Knowledge of advanced specialized evaluation, interventions and services to independently develop treatment strategies for pelvic health.
• 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 pelvic health.
• Ability to implement, revise/update evidence based occupational therapy services and programming in pelvic health.

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: Prefer 2-3 years experience in pelvic health and be certified in Pelvic Rehabilitation.


Reference: VA Handbook 5005/127


The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-9 to GS-13.


Physical Requirements: The work involves sitting, standing, walking, bending, stooping and reaching. Lifting and carrying of occasional moderately heavy objects, such as assistive devices occurs regularly. Must be able to lift objects up to 45 pounds. Periods of time may be moderately demanding, to include assisting veterans with impaired mobility and/or cognitive functioning. Intermittent complicated issues with veterans and/or family members may periodically become stressful. Extended periods of computer processing duties. Employee must be able to work under the pressure of emergent conditions and tight deadlines. Work is performed in a clinical setting that exposes the incumbent to the communicable diseases common to veteran population.