Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Program Coordinator (Interdisciplinary) Occupational Therapist

Veterans Health Administration • Garland, TX

12d • Onsite

About The Position

The Occupational Therapy Program Coordinator evaluates, plans, and directs a program to coordinate care within the local facility and with regional and national stakeholders. The coordinator manages the program’s day-to-day activities and collaborates with leadership, supervisors, and staff to support efficient delivery of patient-centered care.

The role applies advanced occupational therapy knowledge in specialty areas such as amputee care, geriatrics, and seating and mobility. It includes complex patient examinations and evaluations, review of medical records and diagnostic findings, selection of clinical tests and measures, development of evidence-based plans of care, establishing diagnoses within the scope of occupational therapy, determining prognosis and goals, and modifying treatment based on patient response.

The coordinator monitors program outcomes and safety data, supports performance evaluation and improvement, helps triage and coordinate outsourced rehabilitation referrals, oversees safety standards and clinical practice policies, and coordinates occupational and physical therapy student placements. The position also provides administrative direction for assigned patient-care services and collaborates with rehabilitation staff, nursing, and interdisciplinary teams.

The role contributes to education and professional development by identifying learning activities, conducting in-services, mentoring, developing patient education materials, and serving as a resource for the facility. The work schedule is 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.; occasional weekends and holidays may be needed for patient care. Telework and virtual work are not available. The position is sedentary overall but may involve movement between facilities, walking or standing, lifting items under 15 pounds, driving, frequent daily travel, and occasional overnight travel.

Requirements

• U.S. citizenship, except where non-citizens may be appointed under VA policy when qualified citizens cannot be recruited.
• Proficiency in written and spoken English.
• Current National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) certification as an occupational therapist.
• Full, current, unrestricted state licensure to practice occupational therapy in a U.S. state, territory, commonwealth, or the District of Columbia.
• Meet one qualifying education/experience pathway: a qualifying bachelor’s degree in occupational therapy plus two years of occupational therapist experience; a qualifying bachelor’s degree plus two full years of graduate education in a related field; or a master’s degree or higher in occupational therapy. Foreign program graduates must have a current, full, active, unrestricted license.
• For GS-13: one year of experience equivalent to at least GS-12 and directly related to the position.
• Demonstrated knowledge of contemporary occupational therapy in a specialty area to provide clinical guidance, training, or education.
• Ability to set priorities, delegate tasks, meet deadlines, and balance responsibilities.
• Ability to communicate assignments, projects, problems, actionable events, and objectives, and to direct work methods and administrative or educational procedures.
• Ability to monitor and report work progress, evaluate program quality and deadlines, and adjust processes to priorities.
• Ability to develop and coordinate treatment or educational programs in a specialty area.
• Ability to motivate and manage clinical staff with varied backgrounds and perspectives.
• Pass a pre-employment physical examination and required background/security investigation; comply with applicable drug-testing and seasonal influenza vaccination requirements.
• Serve a one- or two-year trial period if selected.
• For education-based qualification, provide transcripts; degrees must be from appropriately accredited programs and recognized institutions.

Nice To Haves

• Two or more years of rehabilitation experience in an acute and/or sub-acute setting.
• Experience reviewing charts, evaluating patients, and developing treatment plans for acute or chronic conditions such as amputation, musculoskeletal, neurological, orthopedic, cardiopulmonary, pain-management, or cancer-related impairments.
• Experience directly supervising physical therapy assistants and/or physical therapy students.
• Experience mentoring peers and educating other healthcare services about rehabilitation.
• Leadership development or project development experience.

Responsibilities

• Evaluate, plan, direct, and manage day-to-day activities of the occupational therapy program, coordinating care within the facility and with regional and national stakeholders.
• Provide clinical guidance, training, and education based on contemporary occupational therapy practice in specialty areas including amputee care, geriatrics, and seating and mobility.
• Conduct complex examinations and evaluations; review medical records and test findings; select clinical tests and measures; develop evidence-based plans of care, diagnoses, prognoses, and treatment goals.
• Modify treatment plans based on patient response, identify adverse reactions, and document treatment progression and changes.
• Monitor outcomes and provide data related to community care rehabilitation services, student trainee programming, and patient and staff safety.
• Help collect and analyze patient-care information for program performance evaluation and performance-improvement projects.
• Assist with triage and coordination of outsourced rehabilitation referrals and recommend appropriate levels of care.
• Oversee PM&R safety work standards, patient handling, and clinical practice policies.
• Coordinate occupational and physical therapy student affiliations and placements with the facility’s Education Service.
• Collaborate with PM&R specialists, coordinators, leads, the Safe Patient Handling and Mobility Facility Coordinator, rehabilitation managers, nursing, and interdisciplinary teams to support program operations and compliance.
• Provide administrative direction and make decisions for designated direct patient-care service areas.
• Participate in interdisciplinary meetings, rounds, family conferences, and other meetings as needed.
• Assess Veterans in their homes and make environmental modifications when needed to support patient and caregiver safety.
• Identify learning activities; contribute to knowledge and technique advancement through in-services and mentoring; coordinate and conduct interdisciplinary in-services; develop patient education materials; and serve as a facility resource.
• Provide two in-services per year to staff on rehabilitation services, techniques, and protocols.

Benefits

• Federal employee benefits package for eligible employees and their families.
• Potential credit toward annual leave accrual based on prior work or military service, subject to request and approval.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior