Occupational Therapist

Summary This Occupational Therapy position at Chinle Comprehensive Health Care Facility in Chinle, AZ provides evaluation, treatment, education, and consultation for inpatient and outpatient clients of all ages. The role supports specialty services including hand therapy, ergonomics, and pain management, while also contributing to quality improvement, safety, staff education, reporting, and program operations. A REAL ID will be required beginning May 7, 2025, in accordance with 6 C.F.R. 37.5 (2021). Responsibilities Total Compensation Package - Check out IHS's outstanding total compensation package for this job: Total Compensation | Pay (ihs.gov) Evaluate and treat inpatient and outpatient OT patients of all ages. Develop individualized treatment plans for complex physical, cognitive, and functional conditions. Provide hand therapy, orthosis fabrication, adaptive equipment recommendations, and patient/family education. Coordinate care with providers and interdisciplinary teams. Document care in the electronic health record. Support OT programs, quality improvement, safety, staff training, and clinic operations. Maintain required licensure, certifications, and training. Requirements Conditions of Employment Selectee may be subject to a probationary period ESEP appointees typically serve a two year trial period U.S. Citizenship is required Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 This is a designated position covered by Public Law 101-630, requiring contact or control over Indian children. Due to this requirement, the agency must ensure that persons hired for these positions have not been found guilty of or pleaded nolo contendere or guilty to certain crimes. Routine duties includes providing occupational therapy services to eligible IHS patients in homes, schools, clinics, job sites, and community settings. Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit You will need to set up direct deposit so we can pay you. Background Investigation Requirement: This position requires the successful completion of a federal background investigation as a condition of employment. A background investigation is a standard process used by the Federal Government to verify an individual's identity, employment history, education, and other relevant information to determine suitability for Federal service. Upon receipt of instructions, applicants must complete all required background investigation forms within five (5) calendar days of issuance. Timely completion is critical to avoid delays in processing or a determination of unsuitability. Applicants are strongly encouraged to prioritize this requirement and to maintain regular communication with their assigned Personnel Security Specialist throughout the process. Financial Suitability Requirement: This position requires a review of the applicant's financial history as part of the personnel security and suitability determination. Applicants must demonstrate financial responsibility, maintain good standing with creditors, and satisfy all legal financial obligations prior to applying. Individuals with substantial delinquent or unresolved financial obligations-including, but not limited to, delinquent federal or state tax liabilities, defaulted federal student loans, court-ordered fines or fees, or child support arrears-may be deemed unsuitable for employment with the Indian Health Service (IHS). Prior to the appointment, candidates must present two valid forms of identification. If one of the documents is a state-issued ID or driver's license, it must be REAL ID-compliant. Qualifications To qualify for this position, your resume must state sufficient experience and/or education, to perform the duties of the specific position for which you are applying. 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; social). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer and part time experience. You must clearly identify the duties and responsibilities in each position held and the total number of hours per week. Individual Occupational Requirements BASIC REQUIREMENT(S): Note: Employees currently assigned to positions in this occupational series as of September 2017 will be considered to have met the basic requirements for the position occupied. Education 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. Note: Applicants who have completed an approved graduate level curriculum and who subsequently completed additional graduate training in a specialized field of clinical practice designed to assure professional competence to practice in the specialty meet the requirements for GS-11. Additional information concerning specialty practice areas is available at the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) website. Certification: For all grade levels, applicants must have passed the national examination administered by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy. In addition to the Basic Requirements, you must also meet the Minimum Qualifications stated below. MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: Your resume must demonstrate at least one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level in the Federal service obtained in either the private or public sector performing the following type of work and/or tasks: GS-11: 3 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph. D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree, or Your resume must demonstrate at least one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level in the Federal service obtained in either the private or public sector performing the following type of work and/or tasks: Program planning, monitoring, and adhering to established Occupational Therapy Performance, Provide Occupational Therapy consultation, evaluation and treatment for inpatient and outpatient clinics. Customize treatment programs to improve one's ability to perform daily activities, job site evaluations, recommendations, performance skills assessment, etc. Promote prevention on injury and/or disease. GS-12: Your resume must demonstrate at least one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level in the Federal service obtained in either the private or public sector performing the following type of work and/or tasks: Demonstrate occupational therapy screening, evaluation, and reevaluation processed providing verbal or written reports of observations and patient capabilities, examination and treatment of patients, using appropriate tools/tests to asses patient dysfunction and develop, implement, and communicate the occupational therapy intervention plan based on the evaluation, patient goals; current best evidence and clinical reasoning. Time In Grade Federal employees in the competitive service are also subject to the Time-In-Grade Requirements: Merit Promotion (status) candidates must have completed one year of service at the next lower grade level. Time-In-Grade provisions do not apply under the Excepted Service Examining Plan (ESEP). You must meet all qualification requirements within 30 days of the closing date of the announcement. Education This position has an education requirement. If you are substituting education for experience; You are strongly encouraged to submit a copy of your transcripts or a list of your courses including titles, credit hours completed, and grades. Unofficial transcripts will be accepted in the application package. Official transcripts will be required from all selectees prior to receiving an official offer. Only attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education may be credited. Applicants can verify accreditation at the following website: 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 Additional Information Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. IHS may offer newly-appointed Federal employees credit for their directly related previous non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. This position is covered by a Bargaining Unit. Recruitment or relocation incentives may be authorized. At least a one year service agreement will be required. Government Housing may be available. This position meets the criteria specified in pillar number one of the five pillars of the PHS Commissioned Corps. PHS Commissioned Officers interested in performing the duties of this position within the Commissioned Corps MUST apply online under the merit promotion announcement indicated above in order to receive consideration. For more information on PHS Commissioned Corps, visit the website at: The Indian Health Service (IHS), National Health Service Corps (NHSC), and the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) have student loan repayment programs for qualifying health disciplines. This is a competitive process separate from the hiring process. Opportunities for LRP are based on agency hiring priorities and availability of funds. For additional information please visit: For IHS - For NHSC - This position has promotion potential to the GS-12 grade level. Promotion to the next grade level is at management's discretion and is based on your demonstrated ability to perform the higher level duties, the continuing need for the higher level duties, and "Regulatory/Administrative" approval. Promotion to the next higher grade level is not guaranteed and no promise of promotion is implied. You will be evaluated for this position in accordance with the OPM Merit Hiring Plan. As part of the application process, you will be asked to provide short essay responses (200 words or less each) to the following four questions. How has your commitment to the Constitution and the founding principles of the United States inspired you to pursue this role within the Federal government? In this role, how would you use your skills and experience to improve government efficiency and effectiveness? How would you help advance the President's Executive Orders and policy priorities in this role? How has a strong work ethic contributed to your professional, academic or personal achievements? Your responses are optional and will not be scored. However, they may be reviewed by hiring managers and agency leadership (or designees) during the evaluation process. You will be asked to certify that your responses are written in your own words and that you did not use a consultant or artificial intelligence (AI) tool (such as ChatGPT or Copilot).