Occupational Therapist II - Hand Therapy

UNC Health; Mebane (NC); On-site; USD 54,000 - 76,000; Full time

Job summary

UNC Health in Chapel Hill, NC, is seeking an experienced Occupational Therapist II - Clinical Specialist for the Hand Therapy Clinic within the Ambulatory Care Center. The role focuses on advanced hand therapy, upper extremity rehabilitation, and custom orthosis fabrication in a fast-paced academic setting.

The OT II will provide one-on-one care, integrate advanced clinical reasoning, mentor colleagues, and participate in program development to enhance care delivery across UNC Health.

Qualifications

• Graduation from an accredited Occupational Therapy program.
• Licensed as an Occupational Therapist in North Carolina.

Responsibilities

• Provide comprehensive occupational therapy evaluation, consultation, skilled intervention, and education for complex upper extremity conditions.
• Administer and interpret evaluations, outcome measures, and diagnostic assessments.
• Evaluate and fabricate custom upper extremity orthoses, including static, dynamic, and static-progressive designs.
• Develop and progress evidence-based postoperative rehabilitation plans and functional recovery.
• Maintain timely clinical documentation, charges, and records.
• Mentor and support staff education and clinical competency development.
• Contribute to specialty program development, quality improvement, and outcomes reporting.
• Collaborate with hand surgeons, physicians, and interdisciplinary team to ensure coordinated patient care.

Skills

Clinical reasoning

Hand therapy

Upper extremity rehabilitation

Orthosis fabrication

Education

Accredited Occupational Therapy program

Tools

Licensed OT (North Carolina)

Job description

Description

Your passion belongs at UNC Health. Join more than 56,000 teammates working together to improve the health and well-being of the communities we serve across North Carolina.

Summary

UNC Hospitals Rehabilitation Services is seeking an experienced, compassionate, and clinically skilled Occupational Therapist II - Clinical Specialist to join our multidisciplinary Hand Therapy Clinic at the Ambulatory Care Center in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

This full-time position offers an opportunity to provide advanced, evidence-based hand therapy and upper extremity rehabilitation in a collaborative academic medical center. The ideal candidate brings strong clinical reasoning, experience managing complex upper extremity conditions, and an interest in mentoring colleagues, advancing specialty practice, and contributing to improvements in care delivery.

Our Hand Center provides preoperative, postoperative, nonoperative, acute, and chronic rehabilitation for a diverse population with musculoskeletal, neuromuscular, and soft tissue conditions. Typical diagnoses include fractures, tendon repairs and injuries, nerve injuries and compressions, ligament injuries, arthroplasties, joint stiffness, arthritis, complex trauma, and other conditions affecting hand and upper extremity function. Treatment emphasizes meaningful recovery in daily activities, work, recreation, and participation.

A defining feature of the Hand Center is custom splint and orthosis fabrication. The OT II will apply advanced clinical reasoning and technical skills to evaluate orthotic needs and fabricate, adjust, and progress static, dynamic, and static-progressive upper extremity orthoses. This includes tailoring interventions to surgical protocols, tissue healing, precautions, functional goals, and patient safety.

Our practice emphasizes individualized, one-on-one care with primarily 45-minute evaluations and treatments, supporting focused clinical decision-making, strong therapeutic relationships, and meaningful outcomes. Appointment durations may vary for postoperative needs, orthosis fabrication, walk-in services, or other clinical priorities. Documentation and administrative time are incorporated into clinic scheduling, with allocation determined by the assigned setting and operational needs.

The Hand Center fosters close collaboration with hand surgeons, orthopedic physicians, advanced practice providers, rehabilitation colleagues, learners, and other members of the interdisciplinary team. The OT II also has opportunities to provide clinical mentorship and education, support onboarding and competency development, contribute to evidence-based protocols, and participate in quality improvement, outreach, and program development.

Our patients reflect a broad range of socioeconomic, cultural, and language backgrounds, including individuals who face barriers to accessing specialty care. We value therapists who provide respectful, culturally responsive care and adapt treatment to each patient's individual goals and circumstances.

Work Location Flexibility: This position is affiliated with the UNC Hospitals Hand Center at the Ambulatory Care Center in Chapel Hill. Depending on clinical needs, staffing availability, and the selected candidate's qualifications and interests, the position may be assigned exclusively to the Hand Center or structured as a split-site outpatient therapy role. Potential additional practice locations include UNC Therapy Services locations in Mebane and Cary. Specific site assignments and clinical responsibilities will be determined based on operational and patient care needs.

- Full-time, 40 hours per week, across four 10-hour shifts.

- Preferred schedule: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday, with Thursdays off.

- Anticipated hours: 7:00 AM-5:30 PM or 7:30 AM-6:00 PM

- Onsite clinical care.

- Primary affiliation: UNC Hospitals Hand Center, Ambulatory Care Center, Chapel Hill, NC.

- Single-site or split-site outpatient therapy assignment may be offered based on clinical needs, staffing availability, and candidate qualifications and interests.

This role is suited to an experienced therapist seeking to combine advanced specialty patient care with professional growth, collaborative teaching, and opportunities to help strengthen upper extremity rehabilitation services across UNC Health.

Core Responsibilities

Advanced Patient Evaluation & Care:

Provide comprehensive occupational therapy evaluation, consultation, skilled intervention, and patient and caregiver education for individuals with complex upper extremity conditions. Integrate advanced clinical reasoning, evidence, functional measures, and patient priorities to deliver safe, effective, individualized care across surgical and nonsurgical populations.

Clinical Assessment & Decision‑Making:

Administer and interpret basic and complex evaluations, standardized outcome measures, diagnostic assessments, and specialty testing within the occupational therapy scope of practice. Synthesize clinical findings, medical precautions, tissue-healing considerations, and functional goals to establish and modify plans of care. Serve as a consultative resource to colleagues for complex cases and specialty clinical questions.

Hand Therapy & Custom Orthosis Fabrication:

Demonstrate advanced competency in evaluating, designing, fabricating, fitting, modifying, and progressing custom upper extremity orthoses, including static, dynamic, and static-progressive designs. Apply knowledge of anatomy, biomechanics, postoperative protocols, tissue healing, and orthotic principles to protect healing structures, restore mobility, improve function, and support patient-specific goals.

Treatment Planning & Implementation:

Develop and progress evidence-based interventions for postoperative rehabilitation, tendon and nerve injuries, fractures, joint conditions, edema, scar management, pain, strength, motion, coordination and functional recovery. Evaluate treatment response, reassess outcomes, and coordinate plan adjustments with referring providers and the interdisciplinary team as appropriate.

Documentation, Billing & Caseload Management:

Maintain timely, accurate clinical documentation, charges, and required records consistent with departmental, payer, and regulatory expectations. Manage a specialty caseload effectively while meeting applicable productivity standards, supporting patient access and continuity of care, and maintaining quality and safety.

Clinical Mentorship & Staff Development:

Serve as a clinical resource for less experienced therapists and rehabilitation personnel. Support orientation, competency development, student education, and clinical mentorship as assigned. Provide feedback, instruction, and consultation that strengthens team skills and promotes evidence-based specialty practice, including custom orthosis fabrication.

Specialty Program Development & Quality Improvement:

Contribute to the development, implementation, and evaluation of specialty programs, treatment protocols, patient access initiatives, and quality improvement activities. Help identify opportunities to improve care delivery, patient outcomes, workflow efficiency, and consistency of clinical practice. Participate in evidence-based practice reviews and clinical research activities when appropriate to the position.

Interdisciplinary Collaboration & Education:

Collaborate closely with hand surgeons, orthopedic physicians, advanced practice providers, nursing staff, rehabilitation therapists, and other healthcare professionals. Support coordinated patient care, clinical education, and communication about precautions, progression, outcomes, and complex treatment decisions. Provide in-services or specialty education as Appropriate.

Leadership, Outreach & Professional Contribution:

Demonstrate professional leadership through sound judgement, teamwork, mentorship, and participation in departmental initiatives. Contribute to community outreach, educational events, professional activities, and service improvement efforts aligned with clinical responsibilities and organizational priorities.

Other Information

Other information:

• Education Requirements: Graduation from an accredited Occupational Therapy program.
• Licensure/Certification Requirements: Licensed as an Occupational Therapist in the state of North Carolina.
• Certified Hand Therapist (CHT) credential preferred, but not required. Active pursuit of CHT certification is encouraged when eligible.

Professional Experience Requirements:

• Five (5) years of occupational therapy experience including one (1) year in the specialty field of work to which assigned.
• Experience in outpatient hand therapy and upper extremity rehabilitation strongly preferred.
• Experience with custom splinting and orthosis fabrication strongly preferred.

Knowledge/Skills/and Abilities Requirements:

• Advanced clinical skills demonstrated through specialty experience, additional training, and/or certification.
• Strong clinical reasoning in upper extremity assessment, complex treatment planning, postoperative rehabilitation, and custom orthosis fabrication.
• Ability to manage complex specialty cases and provide appropriate clinical consultation and mentorship.
• Effective communication, patient education, documentation, time management, and interdisciplinary collaboration skills.
• Ability to support evidence-based protocols, quality improvement, professional education, and specialty program development.
• Commitment to respectful, culturally responsive care for patients with diverse functional, medical, socioeconomic, and language-related needs.
• Ability to perform the physical responsibilities associated with occupational therapy evaluation and treatment, with reasonable accommodations as applicable.

Job Details

Legal Employer: STATE

Entity: UNC Medical Center

Organization Unit: Occupational Therapy Hand ACC

Work Type: Full Time

Standard Hours Per Week: 40.00

Salary Range: $38.55 - $55.43 per hour (Hiring Range)

Pay offers are determined by experience and internal equity

Work Assignment Type: Onsite

Work Schedule: Day Job

Location of Job: US:NC:Chapel Hill

Exempt From Overtime: Exempt: Yes

This is a State position employed by UNC Health Care System with UNC Health benefits. If, however, you are presently an employee of another North Carolina agency and currently participate in TSERS or the ORP, you will be eligible to continue participating in those plans at UNC Health.

Qualified applicants will be considered without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, genetic information, disability, status as a protected veteran or political affiliation.

UNC Health makes reasonable accommodations for applicants' and employees' religious practices and beliefs, as well as applicants or employees with disabilities. All interested applicants are invited to apply for career opportunities. Please email if you need a reasonable accommodation to search and/or to apply for a career opportunity.