Occupational Therapist (Clinical Specialist) - Drivers Rehabilitation

The Incumbent assigned is responsible for serving as the subject matter expert in the area of Occupational Therapy Drivers Rehabilitation and as a consultant to occupational therapy and other medical center staff in evaluating and treating patients in the specialty of Drivers Rehabilitation that are beyond the general practice of occupational therapy.

Duties include but not limited to:

Driving Rehabilitation

• Serves as a consultant for occupational therapy and all medical center and VISN health care providers and medical staff in evaluating the driving impaired population.
• Orients VISN about the driving rehabilitation program.
• Evaluates and trains patient in driving.
• Insures that all state laws and regulations as well as VA regulations/policies and procedures are followed in regards to driving and licensure requirements and vehicle adaptations.
• Educates health care providers regarding occupational therapy in general and specifically as it relates to driving rehabilitation and mentors occupational therapy staff and orients occupational therapy students in program requirements.
• Serves as an expert role model for other therapists evaluating and training patients in driver rehab therapy. Keeps updated in all current scientific and professional material. Maintains VA Driving Instructor certification.
• Provides a minimum of one (1) in-service education program per year to the PM&R department.
• Plans, implements and reports on performance improvement activities and outcomes relating to driver rehabilitation.
• Provides quarterly reports to the supervisor regarding consults and visits for driver rehabilitation.
• Coordinates with prosthetics and prosthetic agents regarding vehicle adaptations.
• Provides all Drivers Rehabilitation VISN and/or Central office reports as needed.
• Assists in the care of patients other than those of the specialized area of the Drivers Rehabilitation as caseload permits, or as the needs of the department dictate.

Clinical Occupational Therapist Responsibilities

• According to department policies, incumbent is authorized to perform complex examination and treatment of patients representing a wide scope of ages and diagnoses, rendering varied modalities inherent in their profession.
• Patient Evaluation- Demonstrates the advanced knowledge and skills necessary to provide treatment appropriate to patients despite complexity served on his/her assigned unit.
• Demonstrates knowledge of the changes associated with the aging/disease processes as well as possesses the ability to assess the patient's status to interpret the appropriate information needed to identify each patient's requirements relative to his/her age-related, physical, psychosocial and cultural needs.
• Patient Treatment- After initial evaluation of patient, formulates progressive treatment plans and goals, and is responsible for implementation, modification, and documentation of the treatments.
• Apply advanced treatment methodologies and treatment theories in the provision of care to a vast array of functional impairment and patients, as well as provide clinical practice guidance for other staff occupational therapists.
• Monitor and evaluate clinically appropriate treatment programs.
• Works Holiday rotations and on-call weekend rotation as designated by the Therapy Supervisor, PM&R service.

Interdisciplinary Relationships

• Communicates with, consults and works cooperatively with the NMVAHCS disciplines, to provide comprehensive patient care.
• Patient-Family Counseling/Education- Consults with patients and their families through patient/family education, training and advising them in the nature of their disability or disease in home programs and post hospital adjustment. Incumbent makes recommendations for home structural adaption when indicated.

Documentation

• Documentation includes completion of consultation, initial notes, testing results, progress notes, discharge notes and treatment plans, patient education in accordance with policies (O.T., VA, Joint Commission) for content and timeliness.
• Schedules patients, completes encounters, MDS, and closes consults in a timely manner.
• The Incumbent documents clearly and concisely the findings noted during evaluations as well as changes in medical status via progress notes, this includes understanding and practicing documentation and coding practices to maximize reimbursement potential.

Educational Responsibilities

• Professional Growth and Continuing Competency- Maintains a high level of professional competence by continuing participation in learning experiences/continuing education courses.
• Student Supervision- Has a responsibility to the profession and this facility to provide instruction to Occupational Therapy and Occupational Therapy Assistant students assigned to this facility for clinical affiliations and possesses skills commensurate with that responsibility.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00am - 4:30 pm
Telework: Not Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 000000
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

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:

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

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).

Grade Determinations: Occupational Therapist (Clinical Specialist) GS-13
GS-13 Experience - In addition to the basic requirements, 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:

• Evidence of a minimum of 2,000 hours of clinical practice directly in the specialty area. This time must be between the past two and five years; or
• Certification in an area recognized by the AOTA; or
• Completion of a fellowship/residency or advanced degree program in the advanced practice area; or
• An additional advanced degree in a related field.

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs) - In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate 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: Must have at least 1 year clinical experience working as a certified VA Driver's rehab clinical specialist

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

Physical Requirements: Pre-placement and periodic physical examinations are required for hybrid occupations to ensure workers are placed in positions where they can perform the essential functions of their job considering their physical, mental and emotional capacities, without endangering their health or the health of their co-workers. 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.
• 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.