What are the responsibilities and job description for the Therapeutic Activity Specialist position at WellSpan Health Services?
PRN - As needed
Must work 24 hours in 6 weeks
General Summary
In concert with the therapy team, treatment team members, and nursing staff, this position works collaboratively to facilitate a stable and smooth operation of the program and provides therapeutic interventions in accordance with best practice guidelines, treatment plans, and policies and procedures.
Duties and Responsibilities
Essential Functions:
- Provides day-to-day oversight of activities. Identifies times of needed patient engagement and facilitates activities on all units.
- Documents weekly group topics and assists with program performance improvement measures and outcomes.
- Promotes client attendance and participation in groups and activities and documents participation.
- Assumes responsibility for awareness of individual treatment goals in collaboration with the client and team to provide support as appropriate.
- Assumes responsibility for awareness of behavioral management plans for acute patients in cooperation with treatment team
- Participates in completing client-centered questionnaires as assigned.
- Provides direct support to teach behavioral symptom management techniques and assists clients in adapting to and/or coping with internal and external stresses.
- Provides support to clients and families by maintaining communication between support person(s), patient and team.
- Communicates relevant client progress to team members to promote continuity of treatment information.
- Provides practical help and side-by-side coaching and problems solving to help clients obtain necessities of daily living.
- Provides care to clients in a manner that considers safety, comfort, and the therapeutic environment.
- Exhibits clinically appropriate relational (e.g., accurate empathy, active listening) skills.
- Manages behavioral crises including 1:1 observation, redirection, physical restraint, and team crisis interventions.
- Participation when requested in non-clinical tasks to meet patient needs and requests that do not require delegation from an RN.
Common Expectations:
- Demonstrates leadership through collaboration with other team members, maintaining positive solution-focused communication, taking initiative, leading by example, demonstrating open and consistent communication, understanding of diagnosis and clinical interventions, and investing in the development of growth of staff and the program.
- Demonstrates knowledge of the principles of growth and development over the life span of the assigned client population.
- Assesses and interprets client age specific data and provides appropriate, age specific treatment.
- Establishes and maintains positive therapeutic relationships with clients.
- Demonstrates commitment to clients, visitors, and other staff by complying with all applicable safety regulations, identifying opportunities to standardize processes and "error proof" systems that will lead to increased safety, and participating in safety education programs and performance improvement as required.
- Maintains established policies and procedures, objectives, quality assessment, safety, environmental and infection control standards.
- Enhances professional growth and development through participation in educational programs, current literature, in-service meetings, and workshops.
- Provides outstanding service to all customers; fosters teamwork; and practices fiscal responsibility through improvement and innovation
- Attends scheduled meetings as required.
- Maintains proficiency in principals of de-escalation.
- Completes documentation according to established standards.
- All other responsibilities as assigned by the manager/designee.
WellSpan Health’s vision is to reimagine healthcare through the delivery of comprehensive, equitable health and wellness solutions throughout our continuum of care. As an integrated delivery system focused on leading in value-based care, we encompass more than 2,300 employed providers, 250 locations, nine award-winning hospitals, home care and a behavioral health organization serving central Pennsylvania and northern Maryland. Our high-performing Medicare Accountable Care Organization (ACO) is the region’s largest and one of the best in the nation. With a team 23,000 strong, WellSpan experts provide a range of services, from wellness and employer services solutions to advanced care for complex medical and behavioral conditions. Our clinically integrated network of 3,000 aligned physicians and advanced practice providers is dedicated to providing the highest quality and safety, inspiring our patients and communities to be their healthiest.
WellSpan York Hospital
Built on a solid 140-year legacy of providing high-quality, high-volume, community-based care, WellSpan York Hospital, the largest of WellSpan’s eight hospitals, is a 596-bed acute care community teaching hospital that employs nearly 5,000 people, making WellSpan the largest employer in York County. Driven by a mission to provide exceptional care to all, WellSpan York Hospital serves a diverse population of more than 520,000 residents from the greater York County area. WellSpan York Hospital was one of several WellSpan Health hospitals honored by U.S. News & World Report with the High Performing recognition for 2022-23.
The hospital offers services and programs that feature highly skilled clinical staff, life-saving technology and state-of-the-art facilities to address some of the most complex medical, surgical and behavioral health conditions.
WellSpan York Hospital’s Regional Resource/Level 1 Trauma Center has been accredited by the Pennsylvania Trauma Systems Foundation and is the only accredited trauma center in York, Adams and Franklin counties. It is a nationally recognized teaching hospital with nine residency programs, six allied health schools and other training programs. More than 700 physicians and other professionals are members of WellSpan York Hospital’s medical and dental staff.
WellSpan York Hospital in embarking on a significant five-year project. The centerpiece will be a new, eight-story surgical and critical care tower, which will dramatically expand the hospital’s intensive care unit as well as develop new state of-the-art surgical suites, making it one of the top 10 largest hospitals in Pennsylvania with approximately 600 beds.
Qualifications
Minimum Education:
- High School Diploma or GED Required and
- Bachelors Degree Preferred
Work Experience:
- 1 year Of group development/facilitation programming with Bachelor’s Degree Required or
- 3 years Of group development/facilitation programming without Bachelor’s Degree Required and
- Behavioral/mental health, social science Required
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
- Excellent human relations and oral/written communication skills.
- Analytical skills.
- Organization and time management.
- Mental and visual ability to observe client behavior and document findings.
- Teaching ability.
- Customer service awareness and capability.
- Knowledge of current activities, therapy principals and group counseling skills/techniques.
