Hand Therapy

Job Summary:

Responsible for the evaluation, plan of care, treatment, re-evaluation, discharge, and appropriate

communications to patients and customers. Develop treatment plans, supervise assistants and aides,

contribute to case management, and provide quality patient care. Maintain positive level of interaction

with facilities and clients. Enhance and expand client relations with facilities and their staff.

Essential Functions:

• Review the VibrantCare Clinical Operations Policies & Procedures Manual on a yearly basis and

adhere to the policies and procedures set forth.

• Complete all Medicare compliance trainings as required by regulations and/or VibrantCare

policies.

• Completes sufficient ongoing continuing education coursework to meet state licensure

requirements for the defined reporting period

• Evaluate, treat and develop patient plans of care in accordance with the American Occupational

Therapy Association (AOTA) standards of care.

• Evaluate and treat patients for whom occupational hand therapy is medically necessary and

document this clearly.

• Develop objective patient goals and establish the type, frequency and duration of occupational

therapy/hand therapy in collaboration with the referring physician.

• Responsible for the supervision and delegation of the occupational therapy/hand therapy care

for each patient within the guideline of state rules and regulations.

• Responsible for the alteration of each patient’s program as changes in the patient’s status occur.

• Responsible for ensuring the timely documentation of each patient’s evaluation and progress

notes to physicians and payer sources, case managers, etc. as indicated.

• Demonstrate completion of patient care responsibilities and documentation requirements in an

appropriate and timely manner.

• Participate in aspects of education, including but not limited to patient home programs,

community talks, site in-services.

• Participate in student clinical internships and affiliation programs in agreement with the AOTA’s

clinical education agreements from schools.

• Communicate pertinent patient information to referring physicians, staff, employers, insurance

carriers and rehabilitation specialists.

• Participate in the design and implementation of new programs or procedures with the approval

of manager and referring physicians.

• Comply with established policies and procedures, safety precautions and professional code of

ethics in all daily treatment procedures and interactions with patients, employees, physicians and

all other pertinent contacts.

• Ensure that treatment is carried out appropriately by staff members.

• Assist in monthly quality assurance monitoring as requested by manager.

• Assist in the daily, monthly, and quarterly maintenance of the center and equipment.

• Perform task analysis.

• Provide injured worker with guidelines for job modification and energy conservation in

accordance with physician.

• May incur some travel time.

• Custom fabricate splints/casts to meet a variety of complex diagnoses.

• Performs other duties or special projects as assigned.

Required Skills & Abilities:

• Ability to work effectively as a team member.

• Knowledge of tool design and experience with work station design parameters.

• Leadership skills sufficient to effectively direct and supervise the activities of assistants and aides

in delivering quality care to patients. Includes coaching and teaching skills.

• Strong organizational, time management and planning skills.

• Effective clinical problem solving skills (ex. identify and prioritize issues in responsive manner,

develop and execute sound, innovative action plans, ensure appropriate results, etc.).

• Strong communication skills for accurate, concise, and organized oral and written presentations

of information to patients and staff.

• Computer skills for effective management reporting including billing, payroll, etc.

Physical Requirements:

• Ability to lift patients using appropriate biomechanical techniques frequently throughout the

course of a work day/shift; must be capable of easily lifting fifty (50) pounds dead weight alone.

• Ability to walk, bend, stand and reach constantly during a work day/shift.

• Visual acuity (near and distant) sufficient to evaluate, diagnose and monitor patient needs and to

maintain accurate records, recognize people and provide directions.

• Ability to speak and hear sufficiently to understand and give directions.

• Ability to push wheeled equipment through the facility.

• Possess fine motor skills for legible and accurate writing of reports, charting, scheduling, daily

correspondence and presentations, either manually, via keyboard entry or through use of

dictation equipment.

• Possess fine motor skills for effective and efficient handling of diagnostic or therapeutic

equipment.

Required Credentials

• Graduate of an educational program for occupational therapists or occupational therapy

assistants that is approved by the board and accredited by the American Occupational Therapy

Association’s Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE), or accredited or

approved by the American Occupational Therapy Association’s (AOTA) predecessor organization,

or approved by AOTA’s Career Mobility Program.

• An occupational therapist providing advanced practices (Hand Therapy, The Use of Physical

Agent Modalities) shall have the knowledge, skill, and ability to do so and possess documentation

demonstrating to the satisfaction of the board that he or she has met educational training and

competency requirements.

• Documentation demonstrating to the satisfaction of the board that he or she has completed post

professional education and training in all of the following areas:

•

o Anatomy of the upper extremity and how it is altered by pathology.

o Histology as it relates to tissue healing and the effects of immobilization and mobilization

on connective tissue.

o Muscle, sensory, vascular, and connective tissue physiology.

o Kinesiology of the upper extremity, such as biomechanical principles of pulleys, intrinsic

and extrinsic muscle function, internal forces of muscles, and the effects of external

forces.

o The effects of temperature and electrical currents on nerve and connective tissue.

o Surgical procedures of the upper extremity and their postoperative course.

• Documentation demonstrating to the satisfaction of the board that he or she has completed post

professional education and training in all of the following areas:

•

o Anatomy and physiology of muscle, sensory, vascular, and connective tissue in response

to the application of physical agent modalities.

o Principles of chemistry and physics related to the selected modality.

o Physiological, neurophysiological, and electrophysiological changes that occur as a result

of the application of a modality.

o Guidelines for the preparation of the patient, including education about the process and

possible outcomes of treatment.

o Safety rules and precautions related to the selected modality.

o Methods for documenting immediate and long-term effects of treatment.

o Characteristics of the equipment, including safe operation, adjustment, indications of

malfunction, and care.

*An occupational therapist in the process of achieving the education, training, and competency

requirements established by the board for providing hand therapy or using physical agent modalities

may practice these techniques under the supervision of an occupational therapist who has already met

the requirements established by the board, a physical therapist, or a physician and surgeon.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $85,000.00 - $95,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• Dental insurance
• Health insurance
• Paid time off
• Vision insurance

Schedule:

• 8 hour shift
• Day shift
• Monday to Friday
• Weekends as needed

Experience:

• Occupational Therapy: 1 year (Required)

License/Certification:

• Occupational Therapy License (Required)

Work Location: In person

Salary : $85,000 - $95,000