Occupational Therapist

Overview

Job Description:  Provides professional occupational therapy in accordance with applicable regulatory guidelines and licensure requirements.  Maintains compliance with Agency policies and procedures.  Formulates, coordinates, and delegates all occupational therapy care and practice in order to meet the healthcare needs of clients, their families, and the community.

Responsibilities

• Assesses the client using age-appropriate norms and principles of growth and development.
• Formulates plans of care to address functional needs in collaboration with client and clinical supervisor and with physician approval.
• Identifies unmet client needs and refers to appropriate disciplines.
• Provides education/instruction to client/caregiver to enhance their self-care abilities.
• Plans and delivers services in a cost-effective and efficient manner.
• Provides occupational therapy services as prescribed by a physician, which can be safely provided in the home; assists the physician in evaluating the client’s level of function by applying diagnostic and prognostic procedures.
• Reports to the physician, RN case manager, and/or clinical supervisor the client’s response to treatment and any changes in the client’s condition.
• Utilizes professional skills and judgment in treating clients to increase strength, coordination, range-of-motion, and function of affected extremities to retrain damaged nerve pathways or to teach compensation utilizing remaining innervations.
• Guides the client in his/her use of therapeutic, creative, and self-care activities for the purpose of improving function.
• Uses activities and exercises to improve range-of-motion, strength, and coordination of the upper extremities
• Provides sensory or perceptual motor training when needed.
• Provides splints or other special equipment needed to improve physical functioning, to prevent deformities, and to increase independence.
• Instructs client, family members, and other health team personnel in the client’s occupational therapy program, including the use of assistive devices and special techniques.
• Develops a maintenance program and provides direction in environment adaptation and specific homemaking and ADL skills.
• Documents the assessments, interventions, and client’s activities and responses according to regulations and Agency policies.
• Utilizes electronic documentation of client care and complies with Agency policy regarding timeliness in submission of documentation.
• Participates in case conferences and discharge planning.
• Supervises and evaluates the performance of Occupational Therapy Assistants (OTA) and Home Health Aides (HH Aides) who are performing services as an extension of therapy care.
• Provides documentation of additional supervision, instruction, and evaluation of OTAs and HH Aides regarding their application of occupational therapy services.
• Has knowledge of and adheres to federal and state regulations, as well as Agency and professional standards.
• Performs additional duties assigned in response to client/department/Agency needs.

Qualifications

• Holds a current Occupational Therapy License.
• Has graduated from an occupational therapy curriculum jointly accredited by the committee on Allied Health Education and Accreditation of the American Medical Association and the American Occupational Therapy Association, or eligibility for the national Registration Examination of the American Occupation Therapy Association; of, if initially licensed before 1978, has two years of appropriate experience and a passing grade on a proficiency exam of the U.S. Public Health Service.
• Holds a bachelor’s degree in Occupational Therapy.
• One-year clinical experience; prefer one-year home health experience.
• Has current CPR certification.
• Has excellent communication, organizational, and human relations skills.
• Is able to function with minimal supervision.
• Is able to manage multiple projects/changing priorities.
• Is able to employ critical thinking skills.