Occupational Therapist- Fee Basis

Summary Incumbent is a Licensed Occupational Therapist that acts as a representative for Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation service. He/she plans, directs, coordinates, and carries out direct patient care in the field of Occupational Therapy. Therapist must be a registered member in good standing with the AOTA and be registered with the State of Michigan. He/she also represents occupational therapy services in the Medical Center and the community. Responsibilities Major Duties to include but not limited to: Plans and carries out the full range of treatment where therapeutic objectives are complex, and procedures involved require the application of highly specialized skills and knowledge. Established treatment procedures are not always applicable and at times must be substantially adapted and applied with critical concern for patients who are acutely or chronically ill or have a combination of severe mental or physical disabilities with secondary complications. Treatment plans require frequent medication in response to subtle but significant changes in the condition of the patient. The employment of unusual and innovative treatment techniques is often necessary to obtain the best medical/surgical outcome. Incumbent must coordinate and employ multiple treatment approaches simultaneously to accomplish complex treatment objectives. Exhibits and demonstrates expertise in assessing, planning, implementing and evaluation treatment programs for a diverse patient caseload. They should demonstrate skill in evaluating patient who have or may develop impairments, activity limitations and participation restrictions related to conditions of the musculoskeletal, neuromuscular, cardiovascular, pulmonary, Mental Health, and/or integumentary systems while considering the effects attributable to unique psychosocial and environment factors. They will provide feedback and instruction to all associated health care team members and students. Primary responsibility will be in Home Based Primary Care (HBPC) but may serve in other OT services. Completes evaluation and treatment in a timely fashion; chart review will allow the therapist an opportunity to assess appropriateness of the referral and possible contraindications for treatment. Consult are scheduled considering priority, frequency of care, and coordination of schedules with other members of the treatment team. Flexibility of schedule must be maintained to allow for unscheduled patient and for mentoring/consultation. Therapist 's evaluation includes a medical history, results, and interpretation of the appropriate test/measurement s performed. Tests are frequently complex and may need to be adapted because of multiple physical and emotional disability or present conditions. Therapist utilizes evaluation data to plan and implement comprehensive patient treatment programs immediately involving the veteran in the goal setting and treatment processes as feasible. Therapist modifies treatment plan according to evaluation findings on an ongoing basis to meet short and long-term goals. Therapist demonstrates a full professional and current understanding of the theories of occupational therapy treatment and their proper application. Therapist recognizes even subtle response or adverse reactions to treatment, initiates effective action immediately, and advises other health care team members as indicated. Therapist involves the patient, family, significant others (per Veteran's choice) and pertinent health care staff in the treatment process by ongoing communication through demonstration, instruction, team conferences, and chart documentation appropriate to each veteran's treatment goals. Therapist assess veteran's learning needs and plans/implements appropriate patient education programs, involving the veteran, family, and significant others (as directed by Veteran) in the instructional process. Therapist demonstrates advanced knowledge and expert skill in a range of specialized interventions and treatment modalities used in occupational therapy. He/she can serve as a consultant for other health providers for the delivery of care in occupational therapy. Can teach and mentor other providers to include students in the specialized field of occupational therapy. Therapist has advanced skills to perform and interpret specialized evaluative procedures and tests in evaluating the treatment outcomes. Therapist can oversee specialized areas in the field of occupational therapy such as, Home Based Primary Care (HBPC), Mental Health, Inpatient Rehab, acute and outpatient settings and may serve as the sole provider. Therapist provide oversight to Occupational therapy assistants and delegate patient care responsibilities to them. May also delegate non-patient care duties to a non-licensed staff. Perform ancillary assignments as deemed appropriate given the needs of the facility. Work Schedule: Fee basis- Intermittent hours per week as assigned by service; 8:00am- 4:30pm. Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 00483-553 Requirements Conditions of Employment 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 ( Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. Must pass pre-employment physical examination. 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. 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. Qualifications Basic Requirements: United States Citizenship: Be a Citizen of the United States. (Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with 38 U.S.C.7407(a)). English Language 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: Individuals 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. Foreign Graduates. Graduates of foreign occupational therapy programs meet the requirements of subparagraph 3b(2) if they have a current, full, active and unrestricted license referred to in subparagraph [3e] of this appendix. 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. Grade Determinations: GS-9: Education, Experience, or Licensure: None beyond the basic requirements. GS-11 Education, Experience, or Licensure: Completion of one year of experience equivalent to at least the GS-9 grade level and directly related to the position being filled; OR Three years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a degree in occupational therapy or a directly related field; OR Doctorate in occupational therapy. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs). In addition to the experience or education above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: Knowledge of occupational therapy practice. Ability to administer/interpret evaluation findings to develop and coordinate intervention plans, including goals and methods of treatment. Ability to implement intervention plans directly or in collaboration with others. Skill in monitoring an individual's response to interventions and modify treatment plans and reevaluating as indicated. Ability to communicate and or collaborate with patients, family members, caregivers, interdisciplinary professionals and/or other individuals verbally and in writing. Knowledge of health and safety regulations to minimize risk in the provision of patient care and the environment of care. Knowledge of applicable regulations governing documentation, reimbursement and workload entry in accordance with established professional practice. 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 Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs): In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: Knowledge of occupational therapy principles and techniques consistent with current clinical standards based on OT theory and evidence based practice. 7 Knowledge is inclusive of physical, occupational, cognitive, and psychosocial functional deficits. Ability to collaborate and communicate orally and in writing with all internal and external stakeholders. 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. Skill in procuring, fabricating, adjusting, adapting, and modifying orthoses, splints, and adaptive equipment for activities of daily living (inclusive of durable medical equipment). Ability to conduct OT related in-service and clinical training Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit Creditable Experience. To be creditable, the experience must have required the use of knowledge, skills, and abilities associated with current professional occupational therapy practice. Creditable experience can be obtained through employment as an OT. This may be evidenced by one or both of the following: Active professional practice. Active professional practice includes paid/non-paid employment as a professional OT, and as defined by the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA). Experience gained after graduation but prior to licensure/certification is creditable, provided the candidate was utilized as a graduate OT and subsequently passed the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) certification, and the required state regulatory requirements. Completion of a post-graduate fellowship or a post-graduate residency program can be substituted for creditable experience on a year for year basis. Fellowships or post-graduate training programs are typically in specialty areas such as advanced practice, research, mental health, gerontology, enhanced education, health policy, leadership and therapeutic sciences. Quality of Experience. Experience is only creditable if it is post-graduate experience as a professional OT directly related to the duties to be performed. Qualifying experience must be at a level comparable to professional occupational therapy experience at the next lower level. For all assignments above the full performance level, the higher level duties must consist of significant scope, administrative independence, complexity (difficulty) and range of variety as described in this standard at the specified grade level and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time. Physical Requirements: Heavy lifting and carrying (45+ lbs); Moderate carrying (44 lbs.); straight pulling (<1 hour); pushing (_<1 hour); reaching above shoulder; use of fingers; both hands required; walking (2 hours); standing (3 hours); kneeling (<1 hour). See VA Directive and Handbook 5019. Education IMPORTANT: A transcript (official or unofficial) must be submitted with your application. A screenshot of your classes or a copy of your diploma are not an acceptable substitute for your transcript and will not be used in qualifying. 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: 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 This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status. VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement. Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act. VA Healthcare System Serving Ohio, Indiana, and Michigan (VISN 10) advocates for a Whole Health System of care in each of the Medical Centers. This is an approach to healthcare that empowers and equips people to take charge of their health and well-being and live their lives to the fullest. As an employee operating in a Whole Health System of care, you will operate in a model with three core elements, seeking to create a personalized health plan for each Veteran. This is done in the context of healing relationships and healing environments and a connection back to the Veteran's community. This aligns with the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Mission Statement to Honor America's Veterans by providing exceptional health care that improves their health and well-being.