Clarification from the agency

This is ONLY open to current permanent federal employee at the Salt Lake City VAHS, VA nationwide employees, and all other federal employees. NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information, refer to Required Documents below.

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• Responsible for the day-to-day operation of the HBPC program. This includes planning, directing, budgeting, monitoring, & evaluating the program. Determine HBPC program goals, working independently & with HBPC Medical Director in the development of plans for the attainment of these goals.
• Identifies program resource requirements, ensures appropriate acquisition & allocation of essential resources & account for the effective utilization of available resources in support of program activities.
• Identifies & implements changes in the organizational structure of the HBPC program essential to ensuring confluence with changes in the treatment needs of the patient population.
• Consider, from an informed perspective, a broad spectrum of factors when making programmatic decisions or recommendations to management including labor-management relations, public policy positions, effects on other VA & non-VA organizations/activities.
• Ensures effective integration of program efforts/activities with other medical Center operations & with community-based agencies & activities.
• Establishes, comprehends, interprets, & effectively communicates program emphasis, operating policy, & overall treatment philosophy to other operational entities.
• Manages general personnel policies & established practices regarding program operations as they relate to key employees & management actions with possible serious repercussions.
• Ensures compliance with local & system-wide program policy manuals & directives.
• Serves as a resource person in the medical center for questions regarding HBPC.
• Demonstrates leadership in addressing ethical issues that impact patients & staff in or beyond the organization & in the local health care community.
• Develops educational programs for staff & students of various disciplines, including fellows & residents. Forecast new knowledge needs for a changing environment. Plans, implements, & evaluates strategies to meet those needs.
• Acts as a liaison for the HBPC program to assure compliance with local & system-wide program policies & directives.
• Aggregates, benchmarks, & analyzes data at a facility, programmatic, & VISN level.
• Directs the clinical services offered by the program to ensure that the program complies with all VHA & Joint Commission Standards for Accreditation of Home Care, as well as VISN & VACO priorities.
• Ensures the HBPC program follows all requirements of the Joint Commission Manual for Home Care, including chapters on medication management, safety, infection control, & human resources.
• Tracks & trends data on the success of patient safety goals as appropriate, patient satisfaction, & infection control; this data is compared & presented within the VISN to provide benchmarking & opportunities for improvement.
• Manages deadlines for special projects requiring significant expenditures of time & effort while maintaining the smooth operations of the program.
• Ensures that all program reports, data analysis, & ad hoc reports are completed accurately & submitted timely.
• Assists the team in developing & implementing local HBPC policies & procedures, including performance improvement, patient safety, utilization review, emergency preparedness, staff safety, & implementation of National Patient Safety Goals.
• Responsible for the reporting mechanisms for patient satisfaction, emergency management, & infection control to the appropriate committees.
• Manages human resources for the HBPC program, including selecting qualified staff in collaboration with the HBPC Medical Director & the appropriate Service Chief, orienting & mentoring the staff, & promoting the staff development & professional growth to ensure competency.
• Directs & tracks program resources, as well as monitoring & assessing staff productivity, to include collaborating with the Office of Information Technology to ensure accurate reporting of HBPC clinical, administrative & workload data.
• Provides programmatic direction, advice, counsel, & instructions to individual professional staff members on clinical & administrative matters in the HBPC program.
• Uses conflict management & negotiation skills in order to work with other managers.
• Demonstrates & adheres to the National VA ICARE Values (Integrity, Commitment, Advocacy, Respect Excellence) & demonstrates servant leadership in all aspects of leadership & program staff management.
• Conducts in-home supervisory visits with HBPC staff.

Work Schedule: M-F 8am-4:30pm
Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not authorized
Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized
Pay: Competitive salary & regular salary increases When setting pay, a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of higher or unique qualifications or special needs of the VA (Above Minimum Rate of the Grade).
Telework: Not Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 56274-0
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

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 (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). 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.

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.

Qualifications

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: Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).

Education: 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). 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;
• Bachelor's degree in occupational therapy and two (2) full years of graduate education in a related field;
• Master's Degree or higher in occupational therapy.

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.

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 education requirements if they have a current, full, active and unrestricted 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.).
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.

Drivers License: A current, Valid State issued Driver's License is required for this position.

Grade Determinations:

GS-13 Occupational Therapist Program Coordinator Experience: In addition to meeting the basic requirements, you must have one year of experience equivalent to at least the GS-12 grade level and directly related to the position being filled. The required specialized experience for this position consists of evaluate, plan and direct a program to ensure proper coordination of care within the local facility inclusive of regional/national stakeholders such as The Joint Commission and the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF), Universities, AOTA, and the VHA, Office of Academic Affiliation as appropriate. The OT program coordinator has full responsibility for managing the day-to-day activities of the program.

GS-13 Occupational Therapist - Program Coordinator Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs): In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all the following KSAs

(a) Knowledge of contemporary occupational therapy within specialty area to provide clinical guidance, training, or education for internal and external stakeholders.
(b) Ability to set priorities, delegate tasks, meet multiple deadlines, and balance responsibilities.
(c) Ability to articulate and communicate the assignment, project, problem to be solved, actionable events, and objectives; as well as provide direction on work methods, practices and procedures in administration and/or education methodologies.
(d) Ability to monitor and report on the status and progress of work, evaluate the program to ensure that methods, deadlines and quality have been met, and ensure adjustments to the work process are in accordance with priorities.
(e) Ability to develop and coordinate treatment and/or educational programs within a concentrated field or specialty area, such as amputee, spinal cord injury, chronic pain, student clinical education/residency programming, polytrauma/traumatic or brain injury.
(f) Ability to effectively motivate and manage a clinical staff with widely divergent backgrounds, interests, and points of view

Preferred Experience: Prior experience with Home Based Primary Care

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

Physical Requirements: Physical Requirements: The work is primarily office based. Some standing, bending and carrying light items such as books, medical recordsand paper are required. Due to the nature of the work, the incumbent may come in contact with veteran patients who are confused, intoxicated or have a contagious condition. Ability to drive a car and have a valid state license is required. Exposure to dangerous situations in the community from traffic accidents to crime is also possible. Position often places the incumbent in a position of stress.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Your application, resume, C.V., and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment.

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.

The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.