Staff Occupational Therapist

Full Job Description

Serves as a Staff Occupational Therapist in the Community Living Center and will also supplement caseload with patients in the acute care at the Bruce W.

Carter VA Medical Center, evaluating the patients' with a range of diagnoses to include upper and lower extremity orthopaedic surgery; mild impaired patients with stroke, brain injury; MSD; CNS and PNS; and cardio/pulmonary conditions status post-surgery or medical treatment.

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: United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy. English Language Proficiency.

RRTs must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3j, of VA Handbook 5005. Education and/or Experience.

The individual must meet at least one of the following requirements below: 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 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 Master's Degree or higher in occupational therapy. Foreign Graduates.

Graduates of foreign occupational therapy programs meet the requirements in the education and/or experience paragraph if they have a current, full, active and unrestricted license referred to in the state licensure paragraph.

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.

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 , GS-12 Education, Experience, and Licensure.

Completion of one year of experience equivalent to at least the GS-11 grade level and directly related to the position being filled. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities.

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.

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 Preferred Experience: 2 years in long term care setting with seating and positioning experience Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-12. Physical Requirements: The Clinician must: Be able to walk/stand for prolonged periods of time while on duty.

Be able to use proper body mechanics while moving/lifting patients or objects. Be able to function effectively under rapidly changing conditions.

Frequently be required to do medium to heavy work consisting of lifting, pulling and/or pushing 20-50 pounds. Be able to safely push wheeled objects weighing in excess of 20-50 pounds.

Be exposed to repetitive activity approximately 40% of time with keyboard and mouse use. Clinician may be exposed to persons with infectious diseases. Major Duties:

A therapist functioning at the GS 12 level is expected to make changes to the treatment intervention based on patient response to treatment in a manner that utilizes creative thinking and problem solving that goes beyond the typical diagnosis-based treatment pathways in order to reach maximal outcomes.

Staff OT is responsible for providing assessment and treatment intervention. The candidate will work as part of an IDT in long term care.

Preferable experience in this setting is 2 years with knowledge of seating and positioning skills.

In addition, the therapist is responsible for his/her own professional development, keeping current with treatment techniques as well as licensure.

He/She may be assigned to all program areas which are covered by Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the Bruce W.

Carter Healthcare facility and provide professional, independent occupational therapy services in the assigned area.

The therapist is responsible for maintaining comprehensive knowledge and skills for each therapy area. He/She will be expected to work Saturdays/Holidays on a rotational basis.

Clinical Functions: The clinician must fully demonstrate: The candidate must fully demonstrate knowledge of contemporary and evidence based OT practice.

Interprets the prescriptions requesting OT using specialized skills and medical knowledge in the evaluation of the patients' medical condition.

Demonstrates skill in communicating both orally and in writing, with patients, families, caregivers and other health care professionals to facilitate the multidisciplinary treatment process.

Is considerate of stakeholders cultural needs and diversity. Skill in utilizing appropriate screening and evaluation techniques required to appropriately provide direct patient care.

Evaluates the patients' present functional levels and disabilities.

Ages of patients served at this facility range from the young adult age 20-30, middle aged patients age 30-40, to the elderly or geriatric patient age 60 and older.

There is great variance in the developmental needs of these patients.

Every effort will be taken to modify treatment in response to these variances so that optimal care can be provided for each patient referred for physical medicine and rehabilitation services.

Establishes meaningful therapeutic goals and designs a treatment plan to meet the goals established in the most efficient manner.

Completes appropriately timed re-evaluations for the patients and modifies the goals based on the information gained by re-evaluation.

The clinician will interact with all stakeholders in a courteous, respectful and helpful manner actively supporting the Mission and Vision of the Miami VAHCS and PMR.

Administrative Functions: The Clinician will: Documents clearly and concisely the physical findings noted during the evaluations as well as changes in medical status via progress notes.

A therapist at this level will be able to document appropriately to support the level of care provided to include understanding and practicing documentation and coding practices for appropriate billing.

Accurately maintains documentation in keeping with PMR service-level and Medical Center-wide policies.

Individual may perform ancillary assignments, including program management duties on an occasional basis, where the complexity and the amount of work is not substantial (less than 35% of duty time) i.e.

supervision of TWE or volunteers to PMR clinics.

The clinician can be assigned a student affiliate and will be responsible for offering feedback during supervision and completing all necessary evaluations during the internship period.

The therapist is responsible for maintaining comprehensive knowledge with The Joint Commission and CARF standards in order to be in compliance in the event of unannounced surveys and visits.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 7:00am - 3:30pm Telework: Not Authorized Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement #: 31895F Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized