Occupational Therapist

Occupational Therapist

Summary:

Assess, plan, organize and participate in rehabilitative programs that improve mobility, relieve pain, increase strength, decrease or prevent deformity of patients suffering from disease or injury.

*In addition to the above listed description, pediatric occupational therapists provide habilitative programs to children to develop fine motor skills and oral motor skills not yet achieved.

Job Functions:

• Plan, prepare, and carry out individually designed programs of treatment to maintain, improve or restore physical functioning, alleviate pain and prevent dysfunction in patients.
• Test and measure patient's strength, fine motor development and function, sensory perception, functional capacity, cognition, ADL/IADLS, and ROM.
• Performs and documents initial evaluations, treatment goals and plans of care; regularly updates documentation and maintains prescriptions and signatures.
• Reviews the physician's referral and patient's medical records in addition to performing an initial evaluation to determine patient diagnosis, prognosis and subsequent treatment interventions.
• Discusses diagnoses and prognoses with patients and/or caregivers as well as treatment plans and goals of occupational therapy.
• Performs treatment interventions, including use of therapeutic exercises and/or manual therapy interventions, to help relieve pain, increase patient strength or decrease or prevent deformity, along with improving functional ability
• Evaluates effects of treatment at various states and adjusts treatments to achieve maximum benefits.
• Identify and document goals, anticipated progress and plans for re-evaluation
• Provide information to the patient and/or caregivers about the proposed intervention, its material risks and expected benefits and any reasonable alternatives.
• Fabricate elbow, wrist, hand/finger splints PRN along with recommending prefabricated splints when appropriate
• Provide splinting protocols and precautions to all patients that receive splints
• Instruct patient and/or caregivers in treatment procedures to be continued at home
• Confer with the patient and/or caregivers, medical practitioners and appropriate others to plan, implement and assess the intervention program
• Discharge patients from occupational therapy when goals or projected outcomes have been attained and provide appropriate follow up care or referrals
• Directs, supervises, accesses and communicates with support personnel including occupational therapist assistants and medical assistants.
• Supervises occupational therapy and occupational therapist assistant students.
• Performs other duties as assigned.
• Review and sign COTA daily notes, re-evaluations and discharges in a timely manner per company policy

Required Skills/Abilities:

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Perform essential duties to satisfaction
• Thorough understanding of injury treatment and prevention. Pediatrics: thorough understanding of typical/atypical motor development.
• Be able to perform math such as add, subtract, multiply and divide in all units of measure using whole numbers, common fractions and decimals. Ability to compute rate, ratio and to draw and interpret bar graphs
• CPR certification
• Excellent problem-solving skills
• Computer skills: to perform this job successfully, an individual should have knowledge of word processing software, spreadsheet software, internet software, electronic medical records software and database software.

Education and Experience:

• Graduate from an accredited OT program with a Bachelors, Masters or Doctorate in Occupational Therapy
• Must continue to maintain current standards of practice as per guidelines of AOTA
• Must practice as per the standards of AOTA and the NYS Practice Act
• NYS Licensure in good standing as an Occupational therapist
• Maintain current standard of CEUs per year

Physical Requirements:

• Must be in excellent health
• Ability to regularly stand, walk, use hands, reach with hands and arms, stoop, kneel, crouch, crawl and squat
• Ability to sit
• Ability to lift and move up to 75 pounds
• Specific vision ability includes close vision, distance vision, depth perception, ability to adjust focus and see color
• Ability to carry, push, pull and lift equipment necessary for care
• Ability to transfer patients

Work Environment:

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently exposed to work near moving mechanical parts and vibration.

The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

Limitations and Disclaimer:

The Chautauqua Center is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer and does not discriminate in employment opportunities or practices on the basis of race, creed, color, religion, sex, national origin, nationality, ancestry, age, disability or status as a disabled veteran or veteran of the Vietnam era, pregnancy, affectional or sexual orientation, gender identify or expression, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, veteran status, citizenship or membership in any other legally protected class.