Occupational Therapist III - Hand Therapist

About the role

The Occupational Therapist III – Hand Therapist at UChicago Medicine’s Hyde Park Campus specializes in the management of complex hand and upper extremity conditions. This role provides advanced comprehensive evaluations, treatment, and rehabilitation services, collaborates with hand surgeons and multidisciplinary providers, and leads performance and quality improvement initiatives.

Responsibilities

• Demonstrates and shares advanced knowledge and application of patient care protocols addressing physical, psychosocial, and developmental needs of neonatal, pediatric, adult, and geriatric populations.
• Collaborates with interdisciplinary teams to establish patient disposition.
• Develops and leads performance and quality improvement activities.
• Develops occupational therapy interventions in collaboration with patients/families, referring practitioners, and treatment team goals.
• Performs advanced occupational therapy techniques and procedures.
• Ensures continuity of care through timely and effective communication with team members and other treating disciplines.
• Attends rounds, conferences, and clinics as assigned, providing patient updates and discharge recommendations.
• Identifies and recommends necessary patient care equipment prior to discharge and assists with procurement as appropriate.
• Accurately documents evaluations, progress notes, and all procedures performed within established timeframes.
• Completes compliant, timely, and accurate patient billing at the end of each day.
• Instructs patients and families in home exercise programs.
• Provides education on therapy diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment plans.
• Persistent pursuit of advanced level of practice or specialty.
• Leads departmental and/or organizational committees.
• Assumes lead responsibility in the absence of the supervisor or manager as assigned.
• Participates in assigned, pre-defined aspects of affiliated OT/OTA student training and post graduate training (13-16 weeks required).
• Contributes to the body of OT professional knowledge through presentation, journal submission, research, teaching, section/task force participation, or other quantifiable activities.
• Actively participates and takes leadership role in local, state, or national professional communities.
• Leads designing, monitoring, and implementing Performance and Quality Improvement (PI) processes to enhance service delivery and advance clinical care initiatives.
• Spearheads research and/or program development designing, monitoring, and implementing initiatives.
• Supports department operations through logistics, scheduling, and environment-of-care tasks.

Qualifications

• Graduation from an approved occupational therapy school.
• Minimum of 4 years clinical occupational therapy experience.
• Advanced certification or degree beyond entry level.
• Demonstrated sustained leadership in performance and quality improvement initiatives and program development and/or research.
• Completion of AOTA Fieldwork Educators Workshop.
• Current occupational therapy license in the State of Illinois (or eligibility to practice).
• CPR/BLS certification.

Skills

• Advanced clinical knowledge and skills necessary to provide age-specific and appropriate care for the patient populations served.
• Consistent accomplishment of basic accountabilities and initiative and leadership to take on additional responsibilities.
• Proficiency in supervision and mentorship of staff and students.
• Basic computer proficiency.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills for effective interaction with patients, families, the multidisciplinary team, and external partners.