OCCUPATIONAL THERAPIST

OCCUPATIONAL THERAPIST

Permanent Full-time Position 

General Statement of Job

Provides specialized occupational therapy services for eligible school students.  Evaluates students to determine a need for occupational therapy; develops appropriate therapy programs, including routines for classroom and home adaptation; and provides therapy to students.  Services include direct service and/or consultation with school staff, families, medical personnel, community agencies, and others as needed.

Required education and experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Occupational Therapy.
• Licensed as an occupational therapist by the NC Board of Occupational Therapy.
• Valid NC driver’s license.

Essential duties and responsibilities

• Assesses students using appropriate evaluation tools including standardized tests, clinical observations, and review of medical and educational reports to determine need for a therapy intervention plan.
• Develops and implements individualized therapy programs for qualifying students.
• Documents screenings, evaluations, Individual Education Plans, progress reports, classroom/home programs and other data, as required.
• Provides consultation with classroom teacher and other school staff regarding student’s optional function in the school environment.
• Provides classroom programs, instruction in management techniques, adapted equipment, and environmental modifications including the identification of architectural barriers.
• Consults with parents and/or guardians regarding students’ therapy programs.
• Adapts, fabricates and maintains specialized equipment required for therapy services or student needs.
• Investigates and recommends types of equipment available to meet student needs, funding sources, and vendor options, including insurance forms and letters of justification.
• Provides in-service training to teachers and other school personnel, as needed, assists with education, orientation, and preparation of receiving school staffs and students regarding issues, concerns and information about “inclusion” of exceptional children in regular school and classroom programs.
• Supervises occupational therapist assistants.
• Plans, orders and maintains departmental supplies and equipment; maintains records as required.
• Travels between locations where students require services.
• Maintains clinical and administrative records in accordance with state guidelines and school board policy.
• Other responsibilities assigned by the Executive Director of EC/Student Support Services.

Essential knowledge and abilities

• Ability to make decisions that may have medical, orthopedic or neurological implications.
• Thorough knowledge of the theory, principles and methods of occupational therapy.
• Ability to resolve problems that arise in the treatment program independently.
• Considerable knowledge of appropriate evaluating tools.
• Considerable knowledge of the equipment and assistive technology available to use in therapy.
• Considerable knowledge of current literature, trends and developments in the field of occupational therapy and general medicine.
• Considerable knowledge of feeding issues such as food consistency, oral motor functioning, adaptive equipment and specific feeding techniques.
• General knowledge of the principles of organization and administration.
• Skill in adapting or designing equipment for individual needs.
• Skill in administering and selecting appropriate assessment and treatment activities.
• Ability to plan, coordinate and conduct on-the-job training for a variety of individuals.
• Ability to accurately document sessions and to maintain complete and accurate records and to develop simple reports from those records.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships as necessitated by work assignments.
• Must be able to operate a variety of equipment including computers, power tools, wheelchairs, electronic feeders, standers, mechanical tools, craft tools, etc.
• Requires the ability to read a variety of correspondences< medical records, educational records, test results, directives, requests, etc.
• Must be able to exert up to 40 pounds of force occasionally and/or a negligible amount of force frequently or constantly to lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects.

The knowledge and abilities described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.