This job originated on www.usajobs.gov. For the full announcement and to apply, visit www.usajobs.gov/job/463897200. Only resumes submitted according to the instructions on the job announcement listed at www.usajobs.gov will be considered.
As a VA professional, your opportunities are endless. With many openings in the multiple functions of VA, you will have a wide range of opportunities and leadership positions at your fingertips. Not only is it the largest, most technologically advanced integrated health care system in the Nation, but we also provide many other services to Veterans through the Benefits Administration and National Cemeteries. VA professionals feel good about their careers and their ability to balance work and home life. VA offers generous paid time off and a variety of predictable and flexible scheduling opportunities. For more information on the Department of Veterans Affairs, go to http://www.vacareers.va.gov/
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.
WHO MAY APPLY: U.S. Citizens and Current Permanent Federal Employees of Other Agencies
Learn more about this agency02/08/2017 to 03/01/2017
$58,939 - $85,465 per year
GS 07 - 11
1 vacancy in the following location:
Occasional travel - Selectee may be required to work at any Boston Healthcare System campus, as needed.
No
Permanent
Full-time - Full Time
11
No
RS-17-PJ-1898186-BU
463897200
The Occupational Therapist will be independent with managing an assigned caseload in our acute hospital setting. Recent experience treating adult/older adult patients with a variety of medical conditions, both simple and complex, is preferred. The duties include but are not limited to: perform independent patient evaluations using appropriate standardized tests; independently develop, implement, and modify occupational therapy treatment programs; recognize contraindications and appropriateness of treatment prescribed by referring provider; provide timely and accurate written documentation of patient status, progress with therapy, therapy plan, and patient response to treatment in accordance with policy; interact professionally and courteously with all VA staff, patients, and patients' families/caregivers, and managing caseload at a productive standard.
A more detailed position description is available in Human Resources Management Service.
WORK SCHEDULE: Full-Time 7:30 am to 4:00 pm (40 hours per week). Occasional weekend coverage is required.
Functional Statement #: GS-7:910020, GS-9:900850 and GS-11:900850
NOTE: This position is an AFGE Bargaining Unit position.
NOTE: This position is covered by special salary rate.
NOTE: Travel and relocation expenses are not authorized.
NOTE: Selectee may be required to work at any Boston Healthcare System campus, as needed.
NOTE: Candidates who meet the qualification requirements within 15 calendar days following the closing date of the announcement will be considered.
NOTE: Incomplete applications will not be considered.
NOTE: Permanent appointments are subject to the recommendation of a professional standards board and approval by the Medical Center Director. Grade and salary will be recommended by the board and is based on the personal qualifications of the candidate (i.e. education, certification, experience, etc.)
NOTE: Current Federal Employees must submit copies of their most recent SF-50, (Notice of Personnel Action). The SF-50 must identify the position title, series, grade, step, tenure and type of service (Competitive or Excepted). In some cases, more than one SF-50 may be required to show a higher grade previously held.
NOTE: Veterans' preference does not apply for other current permanent Federal agency employees.
(c) Assignment. OTs at this grade level must meet state regulatory requirements for assignment at this grade level, and are considered to be at the full performance level. Staff OTs at this level practice independently and are responsible for performing occupational therapy assessment and treatment interventions. Staff OTs demonstrate a full professional understanding of the theories of treatment in occupational therapy and their proper application through the use of activity analysis, behavioral intervention, frame of references, and therapeutic procedures. They are assigned to all program areas which are covered by Rehabilitation Services and provide professional, independent occupational therapy services in the assigned area. OTs at this level may be given general assignments in any occupational therapy program area where the advanced specialized knowledge is not required on a recurring basis due to the patient population served and complexity of the facility and/or treatment area or may serve as the sole OT at a less complex facility. Individuals may perform ancillary assignments, including program management duties on an occasional basis, where the complexity and amount of work is not substantial (less than 25% of the duty time).
Preferred Experience: Experience within the last three years treating adult/older patients with a variety of metal health and medical conditions.
Physical Requirements: The work involves standing, stooping, lifting (frequently greater than 50 pounds), sitting, pulling, assisting patients in transferring from various devices (bed, W/C, floor, motorized vehicles, mats etc.). Additionally, moving patient and supplies and pushing patient in their manual or motorized W/C's. Additionally, the OT is required to work at a computer workstation to complete his/her documentation of incidents involving a patient and the progress in the patient's overall OT Program. Occasionally, The OT may need to drive a government vehicle.
BASIC REQUIREMENTS:
a. Citizenship. To be eligible for appointment in VHA, an applicant must be citizen of United States.
b. Education.
(1) Graduation from a degree program in occupational therapy approved by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) or predecessor organizations to include an internship (supervised fieldwork experience required by the educational institution). The ACOTE is the only accreditation agency recognized by the United States Department of Education (USDE) and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). 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.
NOTE: Effective January 1, 2007, candidates for certification as an Occupational Therapist Registered (OTR) must be a graduate from a post-baccalaureate accredited occupational therapy program approved by NBCOT or be a graduate from a degree program recognized by NBCOT or considered equivalent to the American Occupational Therapy education standard.
c. Certification/Examination. Possession of written documentation that the individual has passed the entry-level certification examination for OTs which is administered by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT).
d. State Licensure/Certification/Registration/Trademark (hereafter referred to as state regulatory requirement). The OT must hold a full, current, and unrestricted state license, certification, or registration or trademark to practice occupational therapy in a State, Territory, a Commonwealth of the United States (i.e., Puerto Rico), or in the District of Columbia.
NOTE: OTs who are graduates from an approved occupational therapy program but do not possess the NBCOT OTR certification and/or do not meet the state regulatory requirements, may be given a temporary appointment as a graduate OT not-to-exceed two years under the authority of 38 U.S.C. § 7405(c)(2). This appointment may not be extended..
e. English Language Proficiency. OTs must be proficient in spoken and written English.
GRADE REQUIREMENTS
a. Creditable Experience
(1) Knowledge of Occupational Therapy Practice. To be creditable, the experience must have required the use of knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics 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:
(a) Active professional practice. Active professional practice means paid/non-paid employment as a professional OT as defined by AOTA. Experience gained after graduation but prior to licensure is creditable provided the candidate was utilized as a graduate OT and subsequently passed the NBCOT certification and the required state regulatory requirements.
(b) Completion of a post-graduate fellowship or a post-graduate residency program may substitute 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.
(2) 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 also 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.
(3) Content Specialty. Specialized content areas of occupational therapy practice include, but are not limited to, certified hand specialist, ergonomic specialist, blind/visual rehabilitation assistive technology specialist, functional capacity examination specialist, polytrauma, traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, geriatrics, mental health, driver rehabilitation, home based primary care, etc.
(4) Part-time Experience. Part-time experience is creditable according to its relationship to a full-time workweek. For example, an OT employed 20 hours per week, or on a half time basis, would receive 1 full-time workweek of credit for each 2 weeks of service.
NOTE: Although examples of titles are offered in each section throughout this Standard, there is little standardization of titles, or duties associated with those titles, across VHA. The OT is to be evaluated based upon the function and scope of job responsibilities rather than only an assignment title. OTs hold leadership responsibilities that are known by a wide variety of titles within their individual facility, VISN, or national program. Such titles are to be considered as being within one of the assignments described provided that the responsibilities meet the corresponding grade determining criteria.
b. Grade Determinations
In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates
GS-7 Staff Occupational Therapist
(a) Experience or Education. None beyond the basic requirements. Candidates at this level may have a baccalaureate degree from an approved program prior to the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) January 1, 2005.
(b) Assignment. Employees at this level serve in an entry level OT career development position practicing under close supervision of an OT at or above the full-performance level.
GS-9 Staff Occupational Therapist
(a) Experience or Education. In addition to meeting the basic requirements, candidate must have:
1. At least 1 year of post-graduate progressively responsible experience equivalent to the next lower grade level; or
2. Education equivalent to two full years of progressively higher level graduate education in a field related to the practice of occupational therapy; or
3. Master's Degree in Occupational Therapy or a closely related field accredited by ACOTE.
(b) Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, Abilities, and Other Characteristics (KSAOs). In addition to meeting the experience or educational requirements for this grade level, the candidate must fully demonstrate the following KSAOs:
1. Knowledge of occupational therapy practice.
2. Ability to administer and interpret occupational therapy assessment and evaluation tools.
3. Ability to interpret evaluation findings to develop and coordinate intervention plans, including goals and methods to achieve stated goals.
4. Ability to implement the intervention plans directly or in collaboration with others.
5. Skill to monitor the individual's response to interventions and modify treatment plan and reevaluates as indicated.
6. Skill and ability to communicate and or collaborate with the patients, family members, caregivers, interdisciplinary professionals or other individuals verbally and in writing.
7. Knowledge and ability to apply all health and safety regulations to minimize and mitigate risks in the provision of patient care and environmental maintenance.
8. Knowledge and ability to comply with all applicable regulations governing documentation, medical records, reimbursement and workload statistics in accordance with established professional practice and VHA.
(c) Assignments. Candidates at this grade level serve as staff OTs in a career development position progressively expanding their ability to provide assessment and treatment interventions for a wider range of human function systems. OTs at this level require less direction and guidance, but practice under the direction of an OT at or above the full performance level.
GS-11 Occupational Therapist
(a) Education and Experience. In addition to meeting the basic requirements, completion of one year of progressively complex experience and a broader scope of experience equivalent to the next lower grade directly related to the position being filled, or 3 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a degree in occupational therapy or a directly related field.
(b) Demonstrated KSAOs. In addition to the basic requirements, individuals assigned as GS-11 OTs must demonstrate all of the following KSAOs:
1. Knowledge of advanced occupational therapy techniques to perform functions associated within the occupational therapy scope of practice.
2. Ability to communicate orally and in writing.
3. Ability to adapt assessment tools and treatment to the complexity of the diagnosis or disabilities and demonstrate the clinical reasoning necessary to identify the need for further in depth specific assessment of function and utilization of non-standard methods and techniques.
4. Knowledge of principles and techniques in the occupational therapy assessment and treatment of occupational, cognitive, and psychological functional deficits.
5. Ability to interact with patients, families, and other health care providers.
6. Ability to facilitate and instruct in-service and clinical training programs.
7. Knowledge and ability to apply all health and safety regulations to minimize and mitigate risks in the provision of patient care and environmental maintenance.
It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.
This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.
This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status.
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
The Department of Veteran Affairs must provide reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities where appropriate.
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; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.
IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.
Your application, résumé and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment.
NOTE: The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-11. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-7 to GS-11. The Professional Standards Board (a peer-review group) will recommend the grade and salary for new appointments. For internal selectees being promoted, the board will determine grade and HR will determine step in accordance with policy.
PLEASE 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.
All applicants are required to submit the following supporting document type(s):
·Other (10-2850C)
·Resume
Applicants may also submit the following supporting document type(s),which may not be required for all applicants:
The following documents are required for a complete Application Package. Incomplete applications will be found ineligible.
1. VA Form 10-2850c Application for Associated Health Occupations (Available at http://www.va.gov/vaforms/search_action.asp?FormNo=10-2850&tkey=&Action=Search)
2. Responses to Online Questionnaire
3. Current or former Federal employees must submit copies of their most recent SF50, Notification of Personnel Action. The SF50 must identify the position, title, series, grade, step, tenure, and type of service (Competitive or Excepted). In some cases, more than one SF50 may be required to show a higher grade previously held.
4. If using education to meet experience requirement, submit proof of education. Unofficial transcript may be submitted with application. If selected, you will be required to submit an official transcript.
5. Other documents - use this checklist to make sure you have included other documents required for your application, such as a copy of your transcript (if using education to qualify), documentation to support Veterans Preference claims, or ICTAP/CTAP documentation (for displaced Federal employees). You will not be contacted for additional information.
Veterans' Preference: When applying
for Federal Jobs, eligible Veterans should claim preference on the
Occupational Questionnaire in the section provided and provide a legible
copy of your DD214(s) and/or documentation related to your active duty
service which shows dates of service, character of service (honorable,
general, etc.), or dates of impending separation. Additionally,
disabled veterans and others eligible for 10-point preference (such as
widows or mothers of eligible Veterans) must also submit an SF-15
"Application for 10 Point Veterans Preference" with required proof as
stated on the form. For more information, please review the information
for disabled Veterans in the application checklist or visit http://www.fedshirevets.gov/job/vetpref/index.aspx.
Faxing Applications or Supporting Documents:
You are encouraged to apply online. Applying online will allow you to review and track the status of your application. If you are unable to apply online or unable to upload your supporting documents to your online application, follow the directions located at the following site: Fax Options. The Vacancy ID of the job opportunity announcement is 1898186.
NOTE: If you applied online and your application is complete, do not fax the paper application (1203-FX) as this will overwrite your prior online responses and may result in you being found ineligible.
Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
All applicants are encouraged to apply online.
To apply for this position, you must complete the View Occupational Questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below.
The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on Wednesday, March 01, 2017 to receive consideration.
1. To begin, click Apply Online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USAJOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire.
2. Click Submit My Answers to submit your application package.
NOTE: It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date.
To verify your application is complete, log into your USAJOBS account, https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login, select the Application Status link and then select the more information link for this position. The Details page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and any correspondence the agency has sent related to this application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
To return to an incomplete application, log into your USAJOBS account and click Update Application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.
After we receive application packages (including all required documents) and the vacancy announcement closes, we will review applications to ensure qualification and eligibility requirements are met. During our review, if your résumé and application package do not support your questionnaire answers, we will adjust your rating accordingly. After the review is complete, a referral certificate(s) is issued and applicants will be notified of their status by email (if provided); otherwise, applicants will receive a notification letter via the U.S. Postal Service. Referred applicants will be notified as such and may be contacted directly by the hiring office for an interview. All referred applicants receive a final notification once a selection decision has been made.
You may check the status of your application at any time by logging into your USAJOBS account and clicking on "Application Status." For a more detailed update of your status, click on "more information." Information regarding applicant notification points can be found in the USAJobs Resource Center.
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
This job originated on www.usajobs.gov. For the full announcement and to apply, visit www.usajobs.gov/job/463897200. Only resumes submitted according to the instructions on the job announcement listed at www.usajobs.gov will be considered.
Learn more about
SERVICE: PM&RS
Vacancy Identification Number (VIN) 1898186
***THIS POSITION IS LOCATED AT THE WEST ROXBURY, MA CAMPUS***
APPLICANTS MUST SUBMIT THE FOLLOWING DOCUMENTS: VA Form 10-2850c, Resume