Occupational Therapist

TrulyHired; Monroe (NC); On-site; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

TrulyHired seeks an Occupational Therapist to develop, implement, and coordinate a school-based therapy program. You will screen, evaluate, and treat exceptional students with a focus on living skills and adaptive equipment, guided by individualized plans.

You will collaborate with the Exceptional Children's Director and school staff to schedule treatments, monitor progress, and maintain accurate records per state guidelines.

Qualifications

• Physical requirements: exerting up to 20 pounds of force occasionally and/or up to 10 pounds of force as frequently as needed to move objects.
• Interpersonal Communication: requires the ability to speak and/or signal people to convey or exchange information.
• Intelligence: ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out instructions furnished in written, oral or diagrammatic form.
• Verbal Aptitude: communicate effectively in Standard English.
• Numerical Aptitude: ability to perform basic arithmetic operations.
• Motor Coordination: coordinate eyes and hands to use keyboard.
• Interpersonal Temperament: adaptable under stress and able to work with others.
• Physical Communication: talk, write and hear effectively.
• Assessment: job performance reviewed annually per policy.
• Terms of Employment: salary and work year as established by the Board.

Responsibilities

• Evaluates students' abilities through functional and behavioral assessments and information gathering.
• Administers activities to improve planned functioning.
• Provides direct therapy to develop and maintain living skills.
• Participates in multidisciplinary meetings to develop Individual Education Plans.
• Designs or modifies equipment to meet individual needs.
• Instructs and monitors educational personnel, community agencies, and parents in the program.
• Coordinates the development and evaluation of a school-wide occupational therapy program.
• Maintains clinical and administrative records per state guidelines and school policy.
• Analyzes and measures students' behavior and progress.
• Prepares records and reports of students' progress.
• Collaborates with staff to schedule treatments and evaluate outcomes.
• Develops occupational therapy intervention plans based on evaluations.

Skills

Interpersonal communication

Verbal ability

Assessment planning

Children development knowledge

Education

Bachelor's degree in Occupational Therapy

Job description

Job Description

Occupational Therapist

Job Description

Position: Occupational Therapist

FLSA Status: Exempt

Reports to: Exceptional Children's Director

Purpose: Development, implementation and coordination of an occupational therapy program to provide screening, evaluation and treatment of exceptional students. Administers occupational therapy to students in providing living skills. The work is guided by individual plans with the assistant planning exact sequences of various activities. The employee must select, from a wide range of activities, the program activity appropriate for each student. Problems that arise in the treatment program are expected to be resolved independently. The employee is expected to initiate minor changes in the plan and make adaptations of equipment and therapeutic environment.

Major Duties and Responsibilities:

• Evaluates students' abilities through a variety of functional and behavioral assessments and collection of information to determine the extent of their limitations.
• Administers a variety of activities to accomplish the planned improvement in functioning.
• Provides direct therapy through various activities to develop and maintain living skills.
• Participates in the multi-disciplinary meetings to develop Individual Education Plans.
• Designs and constructs or modifies special equipment to meet individual needs.
• Instructs and monitors educational personnel, community agencies and parents in the program to increase strength and dexterity of exceptional students.
• Coordinates the development and evaluation of a school-wide occupational therapy program.
• Document need for equipment and materials.
• Maintains clinical and administrative records in accordance with State guidelines and school policy.
• Analyzes and measures students' behavior.
• Prepares records and reports of students' progress.
• Designs and adapts equipment to meet the needs of individual students.
• Instructs students and families in care and use of adaptive equipment.
• Consults with the Exceptional Children's Director and school staff to schedule students for treatments.

Additional Expectations:

• Thorough knowledge of the theory, principles and methods of occupational therapy.
• Working knowledge of general management practice.
• Skill in adapting or designing equipment for individual needs. Skill in administering treatment.
• Ability to select and administer appropriate assessment and treatment activities.
• Ability to plan, implement, administer and coordinate a physical therapy program.
• Ability to plan, coordinate and conduct on the job training and continuing education for a variety of individuals.
• Ability to communicate effectively orally and in writing.
• Skill in modifying and constructing adaptive equipment and devices.
• Skill in applying and using therapeutic equipment.
• Ability to communicate with students, parents and teachers.
• Ability to prepare and maintain accurate records.
• Knowledge of human development throughout the lifespan and integrates with a student's unique developmental status.
• Knowledge and appreciation of the influence of disabilities, socio-cultural and socioeconomic factors on a student's ability to participate in occupations.
• Knowledge and use of occupational therapy theories, models of practice, principles, and evidence based practice to guide intervention decisions.
• Knowledge of the federal, state, local legislation, regulations, policies and procedures that mandate and guide occupational therapy practice in schools.
• Ability to gather and assess outcomes, program evaluation data and to modify services at the programmatic level.
• Ability to maintain current reporting, documentation, scheduling, and billing in accordance with professional standards, state and local guidelines, and reimbursement requirements.
• Ability to determine the need for an occupational therapy evaluation and to select and administer appropriate assessment tools to evaluate the student.
• Ability to interpret the evaluation data and write a comprehensive report that reflects strengths and barriers to student's participation and occupational performance.
• Ability to participate collaboratively with multidisciplinary educational teams to develop Individualized Education Programs to meet student needs.
• Ability to develop occupationally based intervention plans based on evaluation information.

Other Responsibilities

Performs related work as required. (NOTE: The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related, or a logical assignment to the position.)

Desired Training and Hands-On experience

• Graduation from a four year accredited program of occupational therapy
• Two years of experience as an occupational therapist, preferably in school system or other pediatric practice setting or a master's degree in physical therapist
• Current license as an occupational therapist assistant in North Carolina

Minimum Qualifications or Standards required to perform essential job functions:

• Physical Requirements: Position requires exerting up to 20 pounds of force occasionally and/or up to 10 pounds of force as frequently as needed to move objects.
• Interpersonal Communication: Requires the ability to speak and/or signal people to convey or exchange information. This includes giving instructions, assignments or directions to parents, students, and staff.
• Intelligence: Requires the ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out instructions furnished in written, oral or diagrammatic form.
• Verbal Aptitude: Requires the ability to record and deliver information, to explain procedures, to follow written and oral instructions. You must be able to communicate effectively and efficiently in Standard English.
• Numerical Aptitude: Requires the ability to add, subtract, multiply and divide.
• Motor Coordination: Requires the ability to coordinate eyes and hands to use keyboard.
• Interpersonal Temperament: Requires the ability to deal with people beyond giving and receiving instructions. You must be adaptable top performing under minimal to moderate levels of stress.
• Physical Communication: Requires the ability to talk, write and hear.
• Assessment: Performance of this job will be assessed annually in accordance with provisions of the Board's policy on assessment of administrative personnel.
• Terms of Employment: Salary and work year as established by the Board.