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Summary NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this occupational series. For more information, refer to Required Documents below. This position is located in the Occupational Therapy Department of the Rehabilitation Care Service (RCS) line in the VA Puget Sound Health Care System. This position serves as the subject matter expert in powered mobility and acts as a consultant to OT staff and other medical center staff in treating veterans with disabilities. Responsibilities This position is located in the Occupational Therapy Department of the Rehabilitation Care Service (RCS) line in the VA Puget Sound Health Care System. This position serves as the subject matter expert in powered mobility and acts as a consultant to OT staff and other medical center staff in treating veterans with disabilities. Functions: Serve as a Senior OTA and subject matter expert in the area of Powered Mobility Serve as Clinical Educator (CE) for OTA students Provide instruction/training to other interdisciplinary staff members concerning the role of occupational therapy in the outpatient, inpatient, and/or long-term care environment and specialized techniques of evaluating the medically complex geriatric patient. Apply advance practice skills to treat patients with complex diagnoses Provide documentation of continuing education, which would support knowledge and skills well beyond entry level Establishes and maintains contact with other key staff involved in patient care via written, telephone, and personal communication on regular basis at VA Medical Center and VISN level Receives and interprets requests or instructions for procedures from the OT or physician Plans and implements specialized treatment programs and applies occupational therapy procedures to patients under the general supervision of an OT Completes a preliminary review/examination of patient data (including medical history), compiles and organizes pertinent information, and develops/presents a patient profile to be used in assessing patient's status Assists with or renders a course of treatment based on the assessed needs of the patient, developing progressive types of occupational therapy treatment programs Assists therapist in development of a comprehensive specialized treatment plan Persuades and motivates Veterans and family members to participate in treatment plans and comply with indicated regimens and post-discharge activities. Interacts with the patient and family regarding goals for treatment Assists in the performance of, or independently performs, highly specialized and diversified treatment procedures, with a focus on adaptive seating & positioning with powered mobility devices, based on the assessed needs of the patient Monitors and records patient condition during treatment. Utilizes the full range of therapy modalities. Instructs, motivates and assists patients to learn activities of daily living and improve functional activities Prepares and maintains appropriate equipment and supplies required for these treatments Varies procedures or positions to adjust for Veterans' medical conditions Modifies intervention environment, tools, materials, and activities in response to each veteran's response to treatment Prepares and presents written and oral reports for the physician, physiatrist, nursing staff, fellow therapists and all other professionals concerned with the patient's care Participates in family and multidisciplinary team meetings to identify patient's needs, report on patient's goals and progress and to assist in planning patient's treatment program Maintains a safe work environment Maintains a high level of competence through participation in continuing education programs Assists with the supervision and training of student OT Assistants, volunteers, work students and other healthcare practitioners Seeks advanced Powered Mobility/seating and positioning trainings and certifications, to provide excellent, evidenced-based treatment approaches to all Veterans who qualify for issuance of powered mobility devices Performs documentation in accordance with service and medical center policies in a timely manner Maintains appropriate timeline demands for services and communicates through spreadsheet for tracking equipment orders Schedules appointments for assigned patients as needed Performs other tasks as assigned by the Supervisor, Occupational Therapy Section, and the Rehabilitation Program Coordinator that is consistent with the mission of the Section, the Rehab Care Service Line and the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center Participates in the performance improvement activities for the service Responsible for collection and reporting of QI data as requested by Occupational Therapy Supervisor Demonstrates advanced knowledge of electronic documentation and computer skills Performs other related duties as assigned Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 7:00am - 3:30pm Compressed/Flexible: May be authorized Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position 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. 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 evaluation. 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 To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement. 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:. OTA candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f). Education: Individuals must meet at least one of the requirements below: Associate's [or higher] degree in occupational therapy from a college or university accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA). Completion of a military training program in an OTA program accredited by the ACOTE. Certification: OTAs must have written documentation that they have passed the entry-level certification examination for OTAs administered by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT). Licensure: OTAs must hold a full, current, and unrestricted state license to practice occupational therapy in a State, Territory, a Commonwealth of the United States (i.e. Puerto Rico) or in the District of Columbia. Loss of Credential: Management officials, in collaboration with Human Resource (HR) Office staff must remove employees in this occupation who fail to maintain the required state or territorial licensure and the NBCOT certification, both current and in good standing, which may result in termination of employment. 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 Therapy Assistant, GS-09 Education and Experience: One year of creditable experience comparable to the next lower grade level which demonstrates the knowledge, skills and abilities related to the duties of the position being filled. In addition, the candidate must demonstrate one of the following: A minimum of 2000 hours of clinical practice directly in the specialty area and completion of 60 contact hours of continuing education directly related to the specialty area. This time must be within the past five years; or Certification in specialty area; or An additional academic degree related to the healthcare mission. Knowledge, Skills and Abilities: In addition to the experience and education requirements above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs. Skill in the utilization of delegated assessment tools to assist in developing individualized treatment plan related to specialty area. Skill in developing protocols and procedures for specialized intervention techniques and programs. Ability to independently implement treatment plan using specialty skills and complex techniques. Ability to provide complex evidence-based interventions related to clinical specialty. Ability to provide consultation and mentoring to other healthcare practitioners and stakeholders in area of specialty. Assignment: For all assignments above the full performance level, the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope, complexity (difficulty), variety, and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time. Employees at this grade level serve as advanced OTAs with additional education and experience for treatment of patients with multiple comorbidities and diagnoses. Advanced OTAs apply advance practice skills to treat patients with complex diagnoses, including independently choosing personalized seating and positioning, creating and fabricating adaptive devices, etc. Advanced OTAs possess a higher-level of clinical competence and serve as a consultant to other OTAs. They serve as subject matter experts in comprehensive rehabilitation programs such as, but not limited to, assistive technology, driving and community mobility, environmental modification, low vision, safe patient handling, research, neurology (e.g., brain injury, spinal cord injury), geriatrics and mental health. Advanced OTAs may participate in clinical research/outcomes studies, applying related interventions, testing new products/techniques and protocol and program development. They mentor other staff to facilitate skill development related to area of expertise. Advanced OTAs provide education within the facility related to diverse specialty areas and on new trends in area of expertise. They promote occupational therapy within the facility, community, and/or nationally. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-9. Physical Requirements: Moderate Lifting (14-44 pounds); Reaching above shoulder; Use of fingers; Walking; Standing; crawling; Kneeling; Repeated bending; Near vision correctable at 13" to 16" to Jaeger 1 to 4; Far vision correctable in one eye to 20/20 and to 20/40 in the other; Depth Perception; Mental and emotional Stability Environmental Factors: Outside and Inside; Working Closely with others; Working Alone 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.