ACUPUNCTURIST

The acupuncturist will utilize standard medical evaluation procedures and East Asian Medicine evaluation to formulate a differential diagnosis and develop an acupuncture treatment plan. Educate patients on healthy lifestyle changes and other matters related to acupuncture care. The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this occupational series. For more information, refer to Required Documents below.

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. Individual must meet one of the requirements below: (1) Master's degree in acupuncture or oriental medicine from a program accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (ACAOM). OR (2) Advanced-level degree in acupuncture or oriental medicine from a program accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (ACAOM). Certification. Acupuncturists hired in the VHA must be board-certified through the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM). The board certification must be current and the acupuncturist must abide by the certifying body's requirements for continuing education. Licensure. Current, full, active, and unrestricted license to practice acupuncture in a State, Territory or Commonwealth (i.e. Puerto Rico) of the United States, or District of Columbia. English Language Proficiency. Candidates will not be appointed under authority of 38 U.S.C. chapters 73 or 74, to serve in a direct patient-care capacity in VHA who are not proficient in written and spoken English. See Chapter 2, section D, paragraph 5a, this part. Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates: Acupuncturist, GS-12 (Advanced Level) Experience. In addition to the basic requirements, completion of a minimum of one year of progressively complex experience equivalent to the GS-11 grade level. Example of GS-11 Experience: Analyzing medical histories and physical findings to formulate a differential diagnosis based on oriental and western medicine paradigms; communicating with patients about any abnormal or unexpected results or responses to treatment and advises patients regarding lifestyle changes including nutrition, exercise, sleeping habits, stress management, mind body techniques and other matters related to acupuncture care; submitting referrals and requests for devices, materials and appliances available and commonly used by the acupuncture profession; documenting information related to patient care including assessment, diagnosis, treatment, response to treatment, plan of care, and patient education as well as identification and documentation of appropriate coding for each patient encounter; providing information regarding the patient consultation to other health care providers; managing clinical workload demands, and serving as a mentor to new staff or less experienced staff and students. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs). In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: Skill and ability to perform safe and effective advanced acupuncture techniques. Knowledge of complex issues surrounding the delivery of care as it relates to acupuncture services, such as evidence-based and cost-effectiveness. Ability to apply and adapt acupuncture to new and changing programs. Knowledge of research strategies, methodologies, and principles. Ability to problem-solve issues surrounding the delivery of acupuncture. Assignments. For all assignments above the full performance level, the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope, complexity, difficulty, range of variety, and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time. Employees at this level carry out assigned tasks independently in all areas of acupuncture, which substantially exceed the full performance level and require advanced knowledge in all areas of acupuncture. Regardless of the nature of the specific assignment, the work must be of sufficient scope and complexity to meet the Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs) to perform at this grade level. The advanced-level acupuncturist serves as the leader of an interdisciplinary team to provide evaluation, monitoring, planning, and coordination of care for patients for acupuncture services. At this level of employment, the acupuncturist provides advanced acupuncture techniques that may include, but are not limited to, injections at acupuncture points. Duties include participating in case reviews and treatment plan discussions, demonstrating advanced knowledge of techniques and discussing theory, as well as promoting and maintaining effective communication with staff and others. The acupuncturist participates in the creation of new programs or interventions that may include group acupuncture, combining acupuncture with other interventions, and expansion of acupuncture care into new populations or new settings. The incumbent works with others on improvement projects to discover, examine, and test knowledge, theories, and innovative Oriental Medicine approaches. The advanced-level acupuncturist may participate in clinical research projects that strengthen the scientific basis of acupuncture and related complementary and alternative medical treatments. Duties include participation in teaching principles of acupuncture to staff, students, and residents, including journal clubs, grand rounds, and in-service trainings. The incumbent provides assistance as needed for issues or problems that arise in relation to the acupuncture practice or service and serves as a preceptor to new staff or less experienced staff, and students. The advanced-level acupuncturist serves as an advisor to leadership on issues pertaining to acupuncture. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. The full performance level of this vacancy is 12. Physical Requirements: Sitting, standing, light lifting (up to 20 lbs.)