Occupational Therapist (Clinical Specialist)

Occupational Therapist (Clinical Specialist)

Department: Department of Veterans Affairs

Location(s): Portland, Oregon

Salary Range: $115475 - $150119 Per Year

Job Summary: The Acute Psychiatry Occupational Therapist Mental Health Clinical Specialist is assigned to the Inpatient Psychiatry Unit. Veterans served by the unit have complex care needs, including chronic psychiatric disorders, cognitive impairments, substance use disorders, and physical disabilities limiting functional abilities

Major Duties:

• The duties of this position include, but are not limited to: Screening/triaging of OT consults as needed. Accepting and responding to OT consults in compliance with PM&RS and assigned program policies. Evaluating complex mental health patients to determine current level of functioning using advanced evaluation methodologies, standardized or specialized tests, interviews, observations, medical record review, and consultation with other professional staff. Involving the Veteran and their caregivers in the evaluation process using a patient-centered approach. Developing, implementing and communicating the occupational therapy intervention plan based on the evaluation, patient goals, current best evidence and clinical reasoning while considering the patient's capacities, occupations and the environments in which these occupations occur. Following defined protocols when standardized assessments are used. Recommending/entering additional consultations (i.e., to Physical or Recreational Therapy or prosthetic services) when the needs of the Veteran can best be served by the expertise of other professionals or services Responding to inappropriate referrals in writing or verbally with written documentation of such. Obtaining clarification on treatment or assessment requests from the referring provider. The OT may perform home or other off-site environmental assessments when appropriately justified and when training and competency in medical center policies governing home/off-site visits has been completed Treating Veterans with complex mental health problems by using comprehensive evidence-based knowledge and experience through individual and group interventions. Scheduling and coordinating treatment with other VA services. Treatment takes place within the Portland VA Medical Center and may be in-person or virtual, while maintaining privacy and confidentiality as appropriate. Providing occupational therapy treatment and caregiver training and education within the appropriate setting as indicated by the plan of care. Modifying the treatment plan, therapeutic activities and interventions based on the changing needs, goals and performance of the patient. Work Schedule: Sun-Thurs compressed tour 0800-17:30 with every other Thursday (wk 1) off Compressed/Flexible: Available Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 000000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Available Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

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.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. Education and/or Experience: (1) The individual must meet at least one of the following requirements below: (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. Foreign Graduates: Graduates of foreign occupational therapy programs meet the requirements of subparagraph 3b(2) if they have a current, full, active and unrestricted license referred to in subparagraph 3e of this appendix. 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. Loss of Credential: An employee in this occupation who fails to maintain the required state or territorial licensure and the NBCOT certification, both current and in good standing, must be removed from the occupation, which may result in termination of employment. English Proficiency: Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f). 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 Therapist (Clinical Specialist), GS-13 Education, Experience, and Licensure. Completion of one year of experience equivalent to at least the GS-12 grade level and directly related to the position being filled and one of the following: (a) A minimum of 2,000 hours of clinical practice directly in the advanced practice area. This time must be within the past five years; (b) Certification in an area recognized by the AOTA; (c) Completion of a fellowship/residency or advanced degree program in the advanced practice area; or (d) An additional advanced degree in a related field. Demonstrated KSAs. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: (a) Knowledge of contemporary occupational therapy across multiple areas of practice. (b) Ability to provide clinical guidance in the advanced practice area to other OT practitioners. (c) Knowledge of advanced specialized evaluation, interventions and services to independently develop treatment strategies for area of specialization. (d) Skill in developing protocols and procedures for intervention programs based on current occupational therapy theory, recent research, and practice. (e) Ability to provide consultation to other health care practitioners and outside groups about occupational therapy scope of practice for area of specialization. (f) Ability to implement, revise/update evidence based occupational therapy services and programming in area of specialization. Assignment. Clinical OT specialists at this grade level serve as subject matter experts and as consultants to occupational therapists and other medical center staff in evaluating and treating patients in the areas of occupational therapy that are beyond the general practice of occupational therapy. This individual must demonstrate skills and techniques for a specific patient population that has highly complex occupational and/or psychosocial impairments. Clinical OT specialist may initiate, lead, and support research projects related to clinical needs. This may include grant writing, guiding others in the process, and direct clinical participation in research. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019

How to Apply: All applicants are encouraged to apply online. To apply for this position, you must complete the full questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 05/14/2026 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12950456. To begin, click Apply Online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USA JOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire. Click Submit My Answers to submit your application package. NOTE: It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date.

Application Deadline: 2026-05-14