Occupational Therapist

The Staff OT will be located in the Tomah interdisciplinary physical disability clinic, serving both patients with a variety of physical disabilities. This position will entail traveling to Veteran's home within a certain radius of Tomah for the Home Based Primary Care program to perform the evaluations and re-assessments according to the guidelines. This position will be split between HBPC duties and outpatient/inpatient Occupational Therapy duties.

• Evaluates via consultative referral, develops, and implements appropriate occupational therapy treatment per OT professional standards.
• Administers and interprets recognized tests and measurements to determine baseline level of functioning and treatment applications which will enable patients to achieve valued functional outcomes.
• Plans, coordinates, and carries out treatment program and re-evaluates and adjusts treatment as appropriate.
• Oversees and assigns treatment plan and appropriate tasks to occupational therapy assistants per respective state licensure standards.
• Conducts and documents PMRS screening assessments in compliance with Joint Commission Standards making recommendations for treatment to meet a variety of rehabilitation needs.
• Monitors patient's response to program, summarizes and analyzes patient's performance, and modifies program and goals when necessary to meet patient's needs as situations and performance changes in order to attain projected functional outcomes.
• Maintains professional state licensure and national certification.
• Attends in-service training programs, lectures, and staffing to remain familiar with current occupational therapy practices.
• Assesses patient educational needs, promotes, coordinates, and participates in patient education and counseling based on needs of the patient and significant others.
• Participates in quality assurance reviews, including medical chart reviews and peer reviews.
• Maintains personal productivity and assists the section in maintaining effectiveness and efficiency in meeting its objectives.
• Provides clinical direction to occupational therapy assistants, per state licensure standards.
• Responsible for providing and maintaining adequate supplies and equipment according to the needs of the occupational therapy clinic program and patient treatment.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday; 8:00am to 4:30pm
Telework: Not Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 09819F
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

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.
• 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:
  • (1) The individual must meet at least one of the following requirements below:
    • (a) 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,
    • (b) 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,
    • (c) Master's Degree or higher in occupational therapy.
  • (2) 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.
• 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, 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.

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-12. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-12.

Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019.

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: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
• Subject to background/security investigation.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Must pass pre-employment physical evaluation.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.