Supervisory Occupational Therapist

Description:

The incumbent serves as the Therapy Supervisor for Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Service (PM&RS). The work is performed in a regional acute care, rapid patient turnover facility, serving a complex patient population, for inpatient and outpatient, acute and chronic. Serves with and for the PM&RS Chief as a liaison to the Medical Center by providing a comprehensive range of administrative functions.

Requirements:

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 valid state drivers license is required as this position may require local travel through the use of a government owned or leased motor vehicle.

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 :

GS-14 Supervisory Occupational Therapist Experience: Completion of one year of experience equivalent to at least the GS-13 level and directly related to the position being filled. Supervisory occupational therapists at the GS-13 level are responsible for the supervision, administrative management and direction of the occupational therapy program in an OT section or equivalent work group. They have oversight for planning and directing the staff assignments in a variety of clinical settings. They interview candidates for positions; recommend appointments, advancements, or when appropriate, disciplinary actions; administer leave; and coordinate staffing needs.

GS-14 Supervisory Occupational Therapist Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs): In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all the following KSAs:

• Knowledge of evidence-based practices and clinical practice guidelines in multiple professional areas to use these resources to guide the program staff in providing clinically appropriate treatment interventions.
• Skill in interpersonal relationships and conflict resolution in dealing with employees, team leaders, and administrators.
• Ability to manage resources for a large, integrated service including not only occupational therapy, but also other focused rehabilitation, ancillary, or other health care services.
• Ability to communicate effectively orally and in writing with a group of professional staff.
• Ability to translate extensive rehabilitation knowledge into cogent and useful policy in complex facilities and/or across multiple sites.
• Skill in providing clinical and administrative oversight and supervision of multidisciplinary rehabilitation programs in complex facilities and/or across multiple sites.
• Ability to collaborate with strategic planning committees at local, VISN or national levels for new ventures addressing patient care delivery systems, facilities management, and system reorganizations.

Assignment: The supervisory OT, service care line manager or service chief is responsible for the supervision, administrative management, and direction of an occupational therapy program or equivalent service-level department which typically consists of a multi-discipline staff and/or multiple facilities that may be separated geographically. The incumbent provides supervision of clinical and training programs, including the overall technical oversight of the OT practitioners whom they supervise. They are responsible for the development and implementation of policies and procedures that address focused clinical needs and the overall services provided within the section or service. They provide a Veteran/client centered environment while enhancing staff engagement. OTs at this level demonstrate a great deal of autonomy in performing responsibilities that include, but are not limited to, assigning work to employees, monitoring workload and clinical volume, reviewing work of employees to assure accuracy and validity of submissions, assuring adequate clinical staffing, imposing disciplinary measures, and monitoring clinical privileges. The OT supervisor, service care line manager or service chief serves as an advocate and resource consultant to the therapy staff and facility-at- large through communication with other departments, physicians, and external agencies. They select and monitor quality and performance measures for process improvement and patient satisfaction; obtain data from national and local databases; review and analyze various reports and complex data, complete trend analysis relating to quality improvement to ensure desired outcomes; monitors clinical service's compliance with the standards of external bodies and accrediting agencies; and recommends and assures remedial action. This level of assignment is typically located at VA medical centers or healthcare systems that are complex in nature and are affiliated with local colleges and universities.

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

Physical Requirements: The physical requirements and work involve long periods of moving about the work unit. The work requires regular and recurring bending, lifting, stooping, stretching, lifting, repositioning and transferring patients. Incumbent may be exposed to patients who are combative, secondary to delirium, dementia, or psychiatric disorders and patients who require restraints. The incumbent must be a mature, sensible individual capable of working effectively in stressful situations, demonstrating cheerfulness, compassion, courtesy, and concern. Must be quick and dependable in taking emergency action in using initiative to prevent accidents. The incumbent must be able to perform all activities of the position without restriction. "Pre-placement and periodic physical examinations are required for hybrid occupations to ensure workers are placed in positions where they can perform the essential functions of their job considering their physical, mental and emotional capacities, without endangering their health or the health of their co-workers. See VA Directive and Handbook 5019."