Pediatric Occupational Therapist (OT) PRN

Vanderbilt Health; Tullahoma (TN); On-site; USD 39,000 - 55,000; Part time

Job summary

Vanderbilt Tullahoma-Harton Hospital seeks a compassionate Occupational Therapist (OT) to join our rehabilitation team in a pediatric-focused PRN role. In this position, you will provide pediatric outpatient therapy with occasional adult acute care support within a hospital setting, ensuring high-quality patient-centered care.

The role emphasizes outpatient pediatrics (approximately 80%) with pediatric diagnoses and family education, and about 20% involvement in adult acute care.

Qualifications

• Graduate of an accredited Occupational Therapy program.
• Current Tennessee OT license.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
• Commitment to patient-centered care.

Responsibilities

• Performing occupational therapy evaluations and treatments.
• Developing individualized plans of care.
• Providing family education and caregiver training.
• Collaborating with providers and therapy team members.
• Supporting positive functional outcomes through evidence-based care.

Skills

Pediatrics

Communication

Team collaboration

Education

OT degree (ACOTE accredited)

Job description

Discover Vanderbilt University Medical Center

Located in Nashville, Tennessee, and operating at a global crossroads of teaching, discovery, and patient care, VUMC is a community of individuals who come to work each day with the simple aim of changing the world. It is a place where your expertise will be valued, your knowledge expanded, and your abilities challenged. Vanderbilt Health is committed to an environment where everyone has the chance to thrive and where your uniqueness is sought and celebrated. It is a place where employees know they are part of something that is bigger than themselves, take exceptional pride in their work and never settle for what was good enough yesterday. Vanderbilt's mission is to advance health and wellness through preeminent programs in patient care, education, and research.

Organization:

Occupational Therapy

Job Summary:

Responsible for administering and directing appropriate Occupational Therapy evaluation and treatment as prescribed by qualified physician. Responsible for effective communication and accurate documentation. Displays professional behavior in accordance with AOTA Code of Ethics and Vanderbilt Tullahoma Harton Hospital philosophy of service.

Occupational Therapist (OT) - Pediatrics | PRN

Location: Vanderbilt Tullahoma-Harton Hospital, Tullahoma, TN

Schedule: PRN | Tuesdays & Thursdays | 8:45 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.

Make a Meaningful Difference in Pediatric Care

Vanderbilt Tullahoma-Harton Hospital is seeking a compassionate and motivated Occupational Therapist (OT) to join our rehabilitation team in a pediatric-focused PRN role. This opportunity offers a consistent weekly schedule, an established outpatient pediatric caseload, and the chance to make an immediate impact in the lives of children and families within our community.

Approximately 80% of this role is dedicated to outpatient pediatric therapy, with occasional opportunities to support adult acute care services in a collaborative hospital environment. Whether you're an experienced pediatric therapist or a recent graduate with relevant fieldwork experience, you'll find a supportive team committed to delivering exceptional patient-centered care.

Why You'll Love This Opportunity

• Consistent PRN schedule every Tuesday and Thursday
• Established pediatric caseload with immediate patient need
• Primarily outpatient pediatrics (approximately 80%)
• Forty-five-minute treatment sessions
• Average of six patient visits per day
• Opportunity to build meaningful relationships with patients and families
• Clinical variety with limited acute care exposure
• Collaborative interdisciplinary team environment
• Access to Vanderbilt Health resources and professional development opportunities
• Opportunity to contribute to a growing pediatric therapy program

Pediatric Outpatient Practice (Approximately 80%)

In this role, you'll work with an established pediatric population and provide individualized treatment focused on helping children achieve functional independence and developmental milestones.

Common diagnoses include:

• Developmental delays
• Autism spectrum disorders
• Sensory processing challenges
• Fine motor skill deficits
• Neurological and developmental conditions affecting daily function

Responsibilities include:

• Performing occupational therapy evaluations and treatments
• Developing individualized plans of care
• Providing family education and caregiver training
• Collaborating with providers and therapy team members
• Supporting positive functional outcomes through evidence-based care

Adult Acute Care Support (Approximately 20%)

You'll also have the opportunity to maintain and expand your clinical skills by supporting adult acute care patients within the hospital setting.

Responsibilities may include:

• Evaluating and treating hospitalized patients
• Collaborating with physicians, nurses, and rehabilitation professionals
• Promoting safe discharge planning and functional independence
• Delivering patient-centered care in a collaborative environment

Key Responsibilities

• Evaluate and treat pediatric outpatient and adult acute care patients
• Develop and implement individualized treatment plans
• Collaborate with interdisciplinary care teams
• Educate patients and families to support successful outcomes
• Complete timely and accurate clinical documentation
• Supervise occupational therapy and occupational therapy assistant students following required experience guidelines
• Provide clinical direction to certified occupational therapy assistants and rehabilitation support staff
• Support departmental quality and patient experience initiatives

Qualifications

Required

• Graduate of an accredited Occupational Therapy program
• Current Tennessee Occupational Therapist license
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills
• Commitment to patient-centered care

Preferred

• Pediatric occupational therapy experience
• Experience in acute care, inpatient rehabilitation, skilled nursing, or related settings
• Experience working with developmental delays, autism spectrum disorders, and sensory processing challenges

New graduates with pediatric fieldwork experience are encouraged to apply.

Why Vanderbilt Tullahoma-Harton Hospital?

As part of Vanderbilt Health, Vanderbilt Tullahoma-Harton Hospital offers the unique combination of a community hospital environment and the resources of a nationally recognized healthcare system.

Our therapists enjoy:

• A supportive, team-oriented culture
• Strong interdisciplinary collaboration
• Opportunities for professional growth and development
• The ability to provide personalized, high-quality patient care
• Meaningful connections with patients and families
• The opportunity to make a difference in an underserved community

Technical Capabilities:

• Rehab Therapist Patient Documentation (Novice): Demonstrates proficiency in documentation practices. Documents in the appropriate templates and utilizes only approved abbreviations within patient documentation. Meets institutional standards for quality and timeliness of documentation.
• Physical/Occupational Therapist Patient Education (Novice): Demonstrates proficiency in communicating functional impact of assessment findings, treatment interventions, treatment planning diagnosis, and disease process. Considers the communication needs/level of understanding of audience and may share appropriate information/literature. May supervise, educate and train students from professional programs of physical therapy, occupational therapy and athletic training.
• Treatment Implementation (Fundamental Awareness): Demonstrates proficiency in providing treatment consistent with physician prescription and established plan of care. Able to modify treatment plan as needed to demonstrate provision of skilled therapy services including progression of treatment throughout course of care, and revision of treatment interventions of goals not met. May supervise and direct certified athletic trainers (PT only), physical therapist / occupational therapist assistants, technicians and volunteers and students. Selects and follows correct protocol for care and utilize evidence based treatments.
• Treatment Planning & Goal Setting (Novice): Demonstrates sufficient proficiency in developing a plan of care that incorporates treatment interventions focused on meeting objective goals. Develops and documents patient focused short and long term goals that are functional and measurable. Identifies the need for and referral to other services, as needed.
• Rehabilitation Therapist Patient Evaluation (Novice): Demonstrates proficiency in evaluating patients with physical deficits including impairments, developmental disabilities, functional limitations, disabilities, or changes in physical function by obtaining information pertinent to the assessment and administering and scoring standardized tests and objective measures of deficit areas. Selects appropriate measures and performs a functional assessment to document patient's status requiring skilled therapy. Interprets the results of the assessment and their significance to the patient, family, referring physician and other members of the health care team.

Allied health is among the fastest growing occupations in healthcare today. This area can be defined as credentialed professionals who perform supportive, diagnostic, and therapeutic health care services to promote health and prevent disease in a variety of settings.

These areas are crucial to Vanderbilt Health's reputation for excellence in these areas that has made us a major center for patient referrals from throughout the Mid-South.

Each year, people throughout Tennessee and the southeast choose Vanderbilt Health for their health care because of our leadership in medical science and our dedication to treating patients with dignity and compassion.

Core Accountabilities:

Organizational Impact: Executes job responsibilities with the understanding of how output would affect and impact other areas related to own job area/team with occasional guidance. Problem Solving/ Complexity of work: Analyzes moderately complex problems using technical experience and judgment. Breadth of Knowledge: Has expanded knowledge gained through experience within a professional area. Team Interaction: Provides informal guidance and support to team members.

Core Capabilities :

Supporting Colleagues:- Develops Self and Others: Invests time, energy, and enthusiasm in developing self/others to help improve performance e and gain knowledge in new areas.- Builds and Maintains Relationships: Maintains regular contact with key colleagues and stakeholders using formal and informal opportunities to expand and strengthen relationships.- Communicates Effectively: Recognizes group interactions and modifies one's own communication style to suit different situations and audiences. Delivering Excellent Services:- Serves Others with Compassion: Seeks to understand current and future needs of relevant stakeholders and customizes services to better address them.- Solves Complex Problems: Approaches problems from different angles; Identifies new possibilities to interpret opportunities and develop concrete solutions.- Offers Meaningful Advice and Support: Provides ongoing support and coaching in a constructive manner to increase employees' effectiveness. Ensuring High Quality: - Performs Excellent Work: Engages regularly in formal and informal dialogue about quality; directly addresses quality issues promptly.- Ensures Continuous Improvement: Applies various learning experiences by looking beyond symptoms to uncover underlying causes of problems and identifies ways to resolve them. - Fulfills Safety and Regulatory Requirements: Understands all aspects of providing a safe environment and performs routine safety checks to prevent safety hazards from occurring. Managing Resources Effectively: - Demonstrates Accountability: Demonstrates a sense of ownership, focusing on and driving critical issues to closure.- Stewards Organizational Resources: Applies understanding of the departmental work to effectively manage resources for a department/area.- Makes Data Driven Decisions: Demonstrates strong understanding of the information or data to identify and elevate opportunities. Fostering Innovation:- Generates New Ideas: Proactively identifies new ideas/opportunities from multiple sources or methods to improve processes beyond conventional approaches.- Applies Technology: Demonstrates an enthusiasm for learning new technologies, tools, and procedures to address short‑term challenges.- Adapts to Change: Views difficult situations and/or problems as opportunities for improvement; actively embraces change instead of emphasizing negative elements.

Position Qualifications:

Responsibilities:

Certifications:

LIC-Occupational Therapy License - Licensure-Others

Work Experience:

Relevant Work Experience

Experience Level :

Less than 1 year

Education:

Bachelor's

This role offers the opportunity to make a meaningful impact within Vanderbilt Health, supported by a comprehensive benefits package which may include health, disability, retirement and/or wellness offerings to enhance your well‑being and professional growth.

Vanderbilt Health is committed to fostering an environment where everyone has the chance to thrive and is committed to the principles of equal opportunity. EOE/Vets/Disabled.