Occupational Therapist - Part-Time

Job Description

Job Description

Description:

Job Overview:

This Part-Time Occupational Therapist will provide scheduled services to eligible children and their families in the natural or least restrictive setting. The service setting may include children’s homes, DOD Schools, childcare homes, childcare centers, and other military hospitals and clinics. Services shall be provided to hospitalized infants and toddlers by consultation only and under the close supervision of the physician responsible for the patient.

Specific Tasks:

• Participate in the screening of infants and toddlers from birth through two years of age (until the third birthday) to determine the likelihood of developmental delay.
• Participate as a member of an interdisciplinary/transdisciplinary evaluation team for infants and toddlers with potential delays to determine their level of functioning and strengths and concerns in the five developmental areas of cognitive, motor, communication, socio-emotional, and self-help/adaptive domains.
• The Occupational Therapist assists in determining appropriate curriculum, strategies, and outcomes for child and family programming that address delays or potential delays and family concerns across the five developmental areas.
• Ensure the adaptations and accommodations recommended by other practitioners are incorporated in the child’s daily activities.
• Participate in EDIS team meetings for pre-eligibility staffing and for meetings with families to determine eligibility.
• The Occupational Therapist will participate with the Early Intervention team and family to develop an appropriate Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP).
• Ensure that the goals reflect the family's concerns and priorities, are functional and meaningful to the child and family, and have measurable outcomes.
• Provide competent discipline-specific services to children and families determined eligible for EDIS services. These services may be provided through direct services, consultation, monitoring, or home-based treatment plans as appropriate.
• Provide discipline-specific in-service training to other EDIS staff to promote trans-disciplinary service delivery within the EDIS team.
• The Occupational Therapist will provide consultation and technical assistance to other team members, Child Development Services staff, and others.
• child health care providers, and extended family members to promote a comprehensive network of individualized services
• and implementation of home-based intervention plans.
• Provide a home program for parents to maintain progress between visits.
• The Occupational Therapist will explain parental rights and procedural safeguards in easily understood, family-friendly language.
• Maintain current, up-to-date documentation of service delivery and service coordination.
• Serve as service coordinator (case manager) for families and as liaison to school-based or other community-based service delivery programs.
• Initiate and provide appropriate contacts, including reports, letters, documents, and Privacy Act releases.
• The Occupational Therapist must become competent in using the Special Needs Program Management Information System (SNPMIS) for client information and for documenting service provision, and must maintain current information in the system.
• Assist parents with transition activities to ensure a smooth change in programming and location, with as little disruption to services as possible.
• Participate in EIS/EDIS team/group interactions, work groups, and decision-making procedures.
• Communicate effectively with families to promote understanding of EIS's philosophy and conceptual framework, in accordance with Congress's intent and IDEA.
• Support ongoing process improvement initiatives, quality assurance activities, preparations for monitoring and inspection visits, and other similar program support functions, as directed by the Government.
• Use language that is appropriate to the listener with minimal use of medical terminology.
• Take into consideration the family’s cultural differences in child development and promote respect for cultural differences within the program.
• The Occupational Therapist will perform occupational therapy prevention, maintenance, and restoration programs, as well as motor coordination and spatial orientation.
• Evaluate, develop treatment plans, and implement treatment regarding occupational performance (e.g., work, leisure, and self-care proficiencies) and performance components, which include motor, cognitive, social, and psychological function, IAW the professional standards established by the American Occupational Therapy Association.
• The Occupational Therapist continually evaluates progress toward functional goals, modifies the treatment plan accordingly, and discontinues treatment when appropriate.
• Discuss treatment plan and progress with families, physicians, other health professionals, and the EDIS team.
• Demonstrate strong customer service skills and foster their development throughout the entire MTF.
• Communicate and collaborate with the appropriate members of the EDIS program staff and the health care team to ensure the needs of assigned patients are met without duplicating effort.
• The Occupational Therapist will read all MTF mandatory training and education documents.
• Health care workers shall check their mailboxes each duty day (electronic and/or physical boxes).
• Make the health care and MTF system as responsive to patients’ needs as possible.
• The Occupational Therapist will establish liaisons with case managers.
• Coordinate services through the continuum of care for complex patients.

Contractually Provided Training

• Contractor personnel providing services under this contract shall attend one Government-approved/funded professional/technical skill update each year to ensure current competency related to the tasks performed under this contract.
• The training shall be no longer than one (1) week and shall be selected by the Government for course content that shall benefit the Government.
• Any continuing education units acceptable to the applicable professional organization or licensing board may be used to update licensure/certification, as the contractor employee chooses.
• However, the Government does not provide or otherwise pay for providers to receive training for the purpose of accruing continuing education credits to maintain licensure. The Government may require the contract personnel to perform additional travel at the Government’s expense.

Education and Qualification Requirements:

• Shall read, understand, speak, and write English fluently.
• A master’s degree in occupational therapy.
• Graduate of an accredited occupational therapy program approved by the American Occupational Therapy Association.
• The contractor, regardless of discipline, must have obtained at least a master’s degree from an accredited institution of higher learning.
• Certified in occupational therapy through the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT).
• At least two (2) years of experience within the past five (5) years serving infants and toddlers with developmental delays or disabilities.
• At least 1 year of experience providing services under IDEA to children of any age.
• Knowledge of current IDEA requirements regarding services in the least restrictive setting.
• Familiarity with Part C of IDEA and the requirements for measurable outcomes.
• Experience as a member of an interdisciplinary/transdisciplinary early intervention team, experience in providing family-centered intervention, or experience in a community-based service delivery system.
• Possess, and can use, interpersonal skills of compassion and empathy to assist those family members who may be emotionally distraught and exhibit depressed or angry behavior, to develop a sense of competence regarding the infant/toddler with disabilities.
• Have the knowledge, skills, and abilities to rightly evaluate children; assist and teach families; articulate the developmental needs of the child; consult with families, caregivers, and other professionals; explain the scope of services provided to families and county and state officials; and participate in team/group interactions, work groups, and decision-making.
• Experience in developing functional outcomes for Individualized Family Service Plans (IFSP).
• Have the skills and ability to provide competent face-to-face contact with infants/toddlers with disabilities, their families, other members of the Team, childcare providers, physicians, and county and state officials.
• Possess, and can use, interpersonal skills of valuing inter- and transdisciplinary work, handling professional disagreements effectively, and communicating the unique viewpoint and contributions in the field of early childhood occupational therapy during contacts with other professionals and childcare providers.
• Current, full, active, and unrestricted license to practice occupational therapy.

Job Types: Part-Time, Contract

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• Dental insurance
• Employee assistance program
• Flexible spending account
• Life insurance
• Vision insurance

Schedule:

• Day shift
• Approximately 20-30 scheduled hours a week

Ability to commute/relocate: Maxwell-Gunter AFB, AL: Reliably commute or planning to relocate before starting work (Required)