PRN- CTRS Recreation Therapist

About Shepherd Center

With five decades of experience, Shepherd Center provides world-class clinical care, research, and family support for people experiencing the most complex conditions, including spinal cord and brain injuries, multi-trauma, traumatic amputations, stroke, multiple sclerosis, and pain. An elite center ranked by U.S. News as one of the nation's top hospitals for rehabilitation, Shepherd Center is also recognized as both Spinal Cord Injury and Traumatic Brain Injury Model Systems. Shepherd is the only rehabilitation facility in the nation with an intensive care unit on-site, allowing us to care for the most complex patients and begin the rehabilitation process sooner. Shepherd Center treats thousands of patients annually with unmatched expertise and unwavering compassion to help them begin again. Shepherd Center's culture is one of hope, humor, and hard work. You will enjoy career growth, strong relationships with co-workers, strong support from leadership, and fun activities that have kept over 12% of staff members working at Shepherd for more than 20 years. Since 2007, Shepherd Center's SHARE Military Initiative has provided evidence-based rehabilitation for military veterans, service members, and first responders who are ready to accept help and healing for their daily struggle with traumatic brain injuries and mental health concerns.

Responsibilities

• Plan, direct, and coordinate recreation leisure-based treatments to patients.
• Plan and implement programming of events to meet the needs of patients and appropriate community members with disabilities.
• Schedule patients for individual specialist meetings, classes, outings, and in-center activities on a weekly basis.
• Schedule and implement individual patient meetings on leisure education and skills are completed on a weekly basis, or more often if appropriate.
• Determine equipment needs in consultation with patient support system and other appropriate team members.
• Use evaluation findings to determine appropriate discharge planning needs.
• Develop and implement treatment program to further patient's functional skills, which is then periodically reassessed and adapted.
• Provide patient and/or family with resources for use after discharge.
• Facilitate community reintegration outings in accordance with policies and procedures for 1:1, group and/or team outings.
• Prepare for and effectively teach classes and lectures, conveying appropriate information and facilitating participant involvement to patients, family, and caregivers.
• Participate in and modify individual family training according to the needs of patient/family.
• Plan, implement, and recap inhouse and community programming throughout the year.
• Recognize and discuss age developmental differences between adolescent, adult, and geriatric patients, communicate effectively with all patients, and relate this to all aspects of treatment.
• Assign duties to supportive personnel (students, volunteers, aides, techs, nursing, therapists) and supervise performance.
• May float to inpatient, post-acute, or outpatient programs to provide patient evaluation or treatment sessions as needed.
• Practice proper safety techniques in accordance with Center and departmental policies and procedures.
• Responsible for the reporting of employee/patient/visitor injuries or accidents, or other safety issues to the supervisor and in the occurrence notification system.
• Monitor and ensure compliance with all regulatory requirements, organizational standards, and policies and procedures related to area of responsibility.
• Identify potential risk areas within area of responsibility and support problem resolution process.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree from accredited program in Therapeutic Recreation.
• Certification by NCTRC as a Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist (CTRS).
• Basic Life Support (BLS) within 90 days of start date.
• Two years of experience within the field of Recreation Therapy.
• Current Georgia driver's license and insurable by Shepherd Center's auto insurance policy preferred.

Physical Demands & Work Environment

Use body, tools, or special devices to safely, effectively, and efficiently move, guide, or place patients. Involves some latitude for judgement with regards to precision attained and the selection of what adaptive device(s) to utilize.

Normal patient care environment. Some potential for exposure to blood and body fluids. Some potential exposure to infectious viruses.