Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant, JCH

About the role

The Certified Occupational Therapist Assistant (COTA), under the supervision of an Occupational Therapist and within determined levels of competency, assists with the evaluation and treatment of performance deficits in daily living or work activities, self-care tasks, and leisure activities due to illness, injuries, and disabilities. The COTA assists with occupational therapy programs in hospital, outpatient, educational, and/or community settings to facilitate performance development and independence in activities across infant (birth to 1 year), pediatric (1 year to 12 years), adolescent (13‑17 years), adult (18‑64 years), and geriatric (65 years and above) populations. This position is located at Jefferson County Hospital in Waurika, Oklahoma.

Responsibilities

• Patient and family education/training, plus counseling individuals and families on ways to cope with functional impairments and disabilities.
• Provides rehabilitative services to persons with mental, physical, emotional, or developmental impairments under the direction of a licensed occupational therapist.
• Instructs and counsels patients by describing therapeutic regimens, giving normal growth and development information, and promoting wellness and health maintenance.
• Helps develop and implement purposeful goals with the supervising occupational therapist.
• Helps clients improve their quality of life by helping them compensate for limitations using therapeutic and self‑care activities designed to improve function (e.g., helping injured workers improve motor skills and re‑enter the labor force; teaching persons with learning disabilities to prepare meals or use public transportation to increase independence).
• Observes patients during treatments, compiles and evaluates data on patients’ responses to treatments and progress, and reports verbally or in writing to the occupational therapist.
• Maintains current state licensure by completing licensing board and state requirements.
• Contributes to an occupational therapist’s effectiveness by identifying patient care issues and administering treatment programs for patients.
• Complies with federal and state occupational therapy regulations.
• Maintains a safe and clean working environment by complying with procedures, rules, and regulations, and adhering to infection‑control policies and protocols.
• Demonstrates understanding of the obligation to preserve the confidentiality of customer and staff health and financial information and circumstances.
• Takes responsibility for care given to patient by support staff, which includes orienting, instructing, and directing work activities of students and techs.
• Completes administrative tasks including documenting billing information and keeping timely and accurate records of daily notes, treatment progress, and any treatment plan notes as required by law and hospital policy and procedures.
• Maintains legal and accreditation compliance by adhering to policy positions concerning federal, state, and local regulations and Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JACHO) standards.
• Ensures regular attendance and punctuality for scheduled shifts.
• Appropriately adapts assessment, treatment, and/or care methods to accommodate the physical, cultural, age‑specific, and other developmental needs of each person served.
• Maintains professional and technical knowledge through continuing education opportunities including internal and external educational offerings.
• Utilization of assistive devices for lifting is mandatory.
• Must adhere to safety protocols at all times.
• Implements DRH Standards of Behavior and exhibits behaviors consistent with DRH core values.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Communication skills including fluency in oral and written English.
• Basic computer skills including the ability to send/receive/email, navigate information technology associated with the position, and use Electronic Health Record information tools.
• Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills; ability to remain flexible to quickly adapt to urgent situations.
• Ability to adapt procedures, processes, tools, equipment, and techniques to accomplish the requirements of the position.
• Analytical skills for selecting the best diagnostic tools and analyzing results to identify an accurate diagnosis while developing an effective treatment plan; ability to read, analyze, and interpret the most complex documents.
• Communication skills for communicating diagnoses, test results, and available treatments in terms that clients and their families can understand.
• Compassion when working with individuals frustrated by the difficulties they are experiencing.
• Ability to respond effectively to the most sensitive inquiries or complaints.
• Critical thinking skills for adjusting treatment plans as required and identifying alternative ways to help.
• Attention to detail for maintaining notes on treatment and progress.
• Listening skills for listening to concerns and symptoms of clients so they can decide the most appropriate course of treatment.
• Ability to apply mathematical operations to such tasks as frequency distribution, determination of test reliability and validity, analysis of variance, correlation techniques.
• Ability to apply principles of logical or scientific thinking to a wide range of intellectual and practical problems.
• Education and/or Experience: Graduate of an accredited Occupational Therapy Assistant program; at least one (1) year COTA experience preferred.
• Safety‑Sensitive Position: This is a “Safety‑Sensitive” Position as defined by Oklahoma law. Applicants cannot test positive for THC in pre‑employment or any subsequent drug tests, even if they possess a valid medical marijuana card. Team members in safety‑sensitive positions are not permitted to test positive for THC in any drug test administered after employment begins.
• This position requires respirator and fit testing; required testing will be performed on all team members at risk for exposure to airborne infectious diseases, droplet‑producing procedures, or any caustic chemicals.
• As a condition of employment, vaccinations are required per DRH Policy; medical and religious exemptions are available upon request.