Occupational Therapist-Inpatient/Acute

Education & Experience

B.S. or M.S. degree from an accredited occupational-therapy school. Previous hospital experience preferred.

Licensure, Certification & Registration

• Current licensure in the applicable state.
• CPR certification in Basic Life Support, Level C.

Responsibilities

• Adhere to hospital and departmental policies and procedures to promote a cooperative work environment.
• Provide patient-care assessment and treatment, ensuring evaluations and treatments are comprehensive, functional, and aligned with standards of practice.
• Exercise professional judgment in interpreting evaluation results and establishing realistic treatment plans with measurable goals.
• Encourage patients and significant others in goal-setting and respond to changes in the patient’s physiologic state.
• Recommend the next level of care and ensure quality patient outcomes.
• Supervise support staff assisting with patient care by providing direction and feedback.
• Maintain accurate, legible, and timely documentation (evaluations, progress notes, discharge notes, patient/family education, charges, departmental statistics, and ICD-10 codes).
• Meet departmental financial and productivity standards; adjust schedules to meet patient and department needs.
• Participate in process management to optimize quality and efficiency, identifying opportunities and suggesting evidence-based best practices.
• Promote professional development through in-service training, committee representation, and sharing clinical expertise with colleagues and students.
• Communicate effectively with patients, physicians, staff, and external customers in a professional and timely manner.
• Provide age- and developmentally-appropriate patient care, demonstrating knowledge of growth, development, and the aging process.

Skills & Qualifications

• Able to communicate professionally with physicians, nurses, and other health-care providers.
• Able to communicate with patients of all age groups and significant others at an appropriate comprehension level.
• Possesses clinical skills and knowledge to care for patients across the entire lifespan.

Work Environment

• Subject to stress conditions and moderate noise.
• Clean, well-lit, comfortable climate; occasional high-moisture conditions.
• Frequent exposure to bloodborne and airborne pathogens; may be exposed to infectious and contagious diseases.
• Contact with patients under varied circumstances, including home visits.
• Exposure to unpleasant patient elements, body fluids, electro-mechanical hazards, and cleaning chemicals.
• Occasionally handles emergency or crisis situations.
• Required personal protective equipment: eye protection, face protection, gown, mask, lab coat, sterile and non-sterile gloves, shoe covers.

Physical Requirements

• Standing: 35–65%
• Walking: 35–65%
• Sitting: 0–35%
• Bending: 35–65%
• Reaching with arms: 35–65%
• Finger and hand dexterity: 35–65%
• Talking: 35–65%
• Hearing: 35–65%
• Seeing: 65–100%
• Lifting, carrying, pushing, or pulling: up to 50 lbs. maximum; 20 lbs. frequently.