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Summary This position is assigned to the William S. Middleton Veterans Hospital in the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Service (PM&RS). It requires a fully licensed and registered Occupational Therapist that works independently with minimal guidance. The function of this position is direct patient care to a medically complex and diverse population and could include flexibility to the hospital outpatient, inpatient and CLC settings, based on staffing assignment and workload demand. Responsibilities Duties for this position include, but are not limited to: Occupational Therapy treatment duties include varied and extensive evaluations, treatment, and documentation, as well as patient/family education to enhance safety, wellness, and performance in ADL, IADL, education, work, play, leisure, and social participation. Emphasis on helping Veteran's regain function and assisting healthcare team to plan for a safe and successful discharge is expected in the inpatient setting. The incumbent must have knowledge, skills, and abilities to interact with, and provide treatment to, patients from young adulthood through geriatric age and be able to fulfill their age specific needs. Ensuring positive outcomes and efficacy of treatment. Occupational therapists select appropriate adaptive and/or durable medical equipment needed to substitute for loss of function or limited function or to maximize home safety or independence of individuals they treat. This individual will be expected to supervise Certified Occupational Therapy Assistants (COTAs), depending on assignment. Staff OTs at this level practice autonomously, making recommendations and referrals to other medical specialties/services as clinically indicated during ongoing assessment of patients under their care. The staff OT may also develop and provide individualized fieldwork experiences for occupational therapy students in facilities with established fieldwork experience rotations. Knowledge, Skill, and Abilities for this position: 1. 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. 2. Ability to effectively collaborate and communicate orally and in writing with all internal and external stakeholders. 3. 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. 4. Skill in procuring, fabricating, adjusting, adapting, and modifying orthoses, splints, and adaptive equipment for activities of daily living (inclusive of durable medical equipment). 5. Ability to conduct OT related in-service and clinical training. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 7:30am-4:30pm Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 000000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized 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. You may be required to serve a probationary period. 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). Qualifications 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 Proficiency. [Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).] Education(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. (2) 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. 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. Certification. Candidates must possess a current NBCOT certification as an OT.] 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).Preferred Experience: Completion of one year of experience equivalent to at the [GS-11 grade level and directly related to the position being filled.]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. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.This vacancy is at the full performance level. 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. Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. Physical Requirements: The individual will meet & maintain physical requirements for the position such as required. There will be periods of walking ambulating patients, providing patient transfers, some lifting of 50 pounds and supporting patience Education 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. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/. Additional Information Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: 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. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed. During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions. 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.