Lead Physical Therapist

About the Role

Performs patient care at a minimum of Senior II Therapist level, with duties as outlined in the Senior II job description. The frequency of patient care hours is determined by the Site Manager and may fluctuate based on unit operational demands. Supports the Site Manager in administrative and operational oversight of the therapy unit(s), acting in their absence. Responsibilities include human resources, operational oversight, therapy intervention coordination, fiscal management, regulatory compliance, and performance improvement initiatives.

Responsibilities

• Human Resources:
  • Employee orientation, mentoring, and staff satisfaction initiatives.
  • Performance management of employees up to the coaching level.
• Operations:
  • Staffing, scheduling, and coordination of day-to-day activities.
  • Ensuring unit safety and regulatory compliance.
  • Managing employee mandatory education and health compliance.
  • Marketing and contributing to policy and procedure development.
  • Overseeing and coordinating therapy interventions as directed by the Site Manager.
• Fiscal:
  • Materials management and purchasing of supplies within designated budget guidelines.
  • Conducting billing audits.
• Regulatory and Compliance:
  • Ensuring unit compliance with external regulatory body standards.
  • Assisting with the implementation of performance improvement initiatives.
• Education and Professional Development:
  • Supervising, training, and assessing therapy students during clinical affiliations.
  • Staying abreast of developments in the field through literature, colleague discussions, and professional conferences.
  • Preparing and delivering lectures to therapy students at academic programs on clinical expertise topics.
  • Initiating, facilitating, and moderating classroom discussions.
• Patient/Customer Service:
  • Ensuring communication and collaboration with supervisors and colleagues to serve patients and customers.
  • Maintaining professionalism in actions and appearance.
  • Complying with regulatory parameters and using resources wisely.
  • Demonstrating understanding and ownership of role in achieving departmental and health system success.
  • Committing to a clean and safe working environment.
  • Anticipating and addressing patient/customer needs to enhance satisfaction.
  • Analyzing problems from the customer’s perspective and honoring confidentiality.
  • Seeking and providing feedback for performance improvement.
  • Presenting professionally and valuing diversity in others.
• Clinical Education:
  • Serving as a clinical instructor for students (if available).
  • Assisting with clinical education of students if not the primary clinical instructor.
• Staff Education:
  • Providing formal presentations of evidence-based information (e.g., in-services).
• Scholarly Activity:
  • Attending institutional in-services, staff meetings, and continuing education programs.
• Professional Presentations:
  • Presenting professionally and communicating accurate, evidence-based information to professional groups outside the department.
• Patient/Employee Safety:
  • Participating in entity and department-wide safety initiatives.
  • Demonstrating awareness of safety in daily responsibilities.
  • Validating annual competencies required for the position.
• Operational Compliance:
  • Ensuring full compliance with licensure requirements and ethical/legal practice standards.
  • Providing patient care to the fullest extent of licensure guidelines.
  • Conducting therapy documentation compliance audits (2 charts reviewed quarterly by Site Manager or senior therapist, in 2 out of 4 quarters per year).
  • Performing at least one qualitative chart audit per year.
  • Meeting productivity expectations and wearing Health System ID as per policy.
  • Ensuring regulatory compliance of the unit and supporting daily operations as directed by the Site Manager.
  • Participating in Clinical Effectiveness Quality Improvement (CEQI) initiatives.

Qualifications

• Education:
  • Bachelor’s Degree in Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, or Speech Language Pathology required.
  • Associate’s degree for Physical Therapy Assistant or Occupational Therapy Assistant required.
  • Master’s Degree or planned enrollment in an advanced degree program required.
• Work Experience:
  • 4-6 years of clinical experience required.
  • A competent generalist with demonstrated advanced clinical skills in one or more areas.
• Licenses/Certifications:
  • Clinical license in the appropriate discipline required.