Summary

This position is located in the Physical Medicine and PM&RS at Salisbury VA Medical Center complexity level 1B facility. The duties and responsibilities are carried out by the Supervisory Occupational Therapist throughout the medical center including all clinical and patient care areas involved with PM&RS staff in the following areas.

Duties

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The Supervisory Occupational Therapist 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.

Duties include, but not limited to the following:

• 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.
• The OT supervisor serves as an advocate and resource consultant to the therapy staff and facility-at-large through communication with other departments, physicians, and external agencies.
• The Supervisory Occupational Therapist also serves as the subject matter expert within the OT department and profession, the VA community, and the community at large.
• The incumbent Supervisory Occupational Therapist supervises and ensures coordination of rehabilitation services across multi discipline staff and/or multiple facilities that may be separated geographically.
• Other duties as assigned.

Work Schedule: 8:00AM-4:30PM

Compressed/Flexible:Not Authorized

Telework: Ad-hoc-at supervisory discretion.

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement #: 00000

Requirements

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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 identification 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

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. a7 7403(f).

Education. 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; 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
• 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
• Master's Degree or higher in occupational therapy.

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.

Supervisory Occupational Therapist, GS-14.

Education, Experience, and Licensure. Completion of one year of experience equivalent to at least the GS-13 level and directly related to the position being filled.

Demonstrated 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.

Preferred Experience: The candidate should demonstrate clinical and leadership experience in Occupational Therapy (OT), with proven success supervising multidisciplinary team across multiple clinical sites. Possess strong problem-solving, communication, and interpersonal skill, foster collaboration and maintain effective working relationships with all staff to endure cohesive team performance and coordinator patient care. The preferred candidate models VA I CARE values. Experience in clinical operations and management, program development, performance improvement, and compliance with the VA directives and accreditation standards is highly desirable. Prior supervisory or leadership experience is preferred.

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

Physical Requirements: Physical aspects associated with the work required for this assignment are typical for the occupation, see Duties section for essential job duties of the position. May require standing, lifting, carrying, sitting, stooping, bending, pulling, and pushing. May be required to wear personal protective equipment and undergo annual TB screening or testing as conditions of employment.

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 for 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.

Benefits

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A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

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Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.