Occupational Therapist

Occupational Therapist

The Westwood Public Schools are looking for a full-time Occupational Therapist.

Nature And Scope

Occupational therapists lead the process in development, implementation, and coordination of the occupational therapy program. Screening, evaluation, educational program and transition planning, therapeutic intervention, and exit planning is provided for students identified with or suspected of having disabilities that interfere with their ability to perform daily life activities or participate in necessary or desired occupations. Professional judgment and clinical knowledge are used to develop individualized programming based on occupational performance deficits in the areas of personal care, student role, interaction skills, process skills, play, community integration/work, and graphic communication.

Essential Functions/Responsibilities

• Occupational therapist regularly collaborates with other disciplines and services at departmental and system levels.
• The occupational therapist is expected to independently review outcomes and modify intervention programs.
• Clinical reasoning and professional judgment are essential to ensuring the safety of students and protecting liability of the school system and the therapist.
• Direct supervision may be exercised over support personnel, such as occupational therapy assistants and clerical staff.
• Collaborates with other disciplines to ensure team understanding of student occupational performance strengths and needs, through evaluation, educational program planning, and service delivery.
• Evaluates the student's ability and formulates the student's occupational profile through a variety of functional, behavioral, and standardized assessments, skilled observation, checklists, histories, and interviews.
• Synthesizes evaluation results into a comprehensive written report which reflects strengths and barriers to student participation in the educational environment; directs program development; and guides evidence-based intervention.
• Develops occupationally based intervention plans based on student needs and evaluation results.
• Participates in multidisciplinary meetings to review evaluation results, integrate findings with other disciplines, offer recommendations, and develop individual education plans and intervention plans to achieve IEP goals.
• Provides targeted, evidence-based therapeutic intervention to facilitate student participation and occupational performance within the school environment.

Knowledge, Ability, And Skill

• Consults with the school-based team to achieve student outcomes.
• Adapts and modifies the environment, including assistive technology and training instructional staff to meet individual needs and to help students function as independently as possible.
• Educates students, educational personnel, and family to facilitate skills in areas of occupation as well as health maintenance and safety.
• Monitors and reassesses the effects of occupational therapy intervention and the need to continue, modify, or discontinue intervention.
• Documents occupational therapy services to ensure accountability of service provision and to meet standards for reimbursement of services as appropriate.
• Able to manage administrative functions of role including but not limited to:
• Prioritizes and schedules work tasks independently.
• Manages inventory of therapeutic equipment and assessments, and project needs for budget planning.
• Maintains clinical and administrative records in accordance with professional standards, state guidelines, and school system policy.
• Provides legal and ethical supervision of occupational therapy assistant, assuming responsibility for the students served by assistant.
• Supervises non-occupational therapy support personnel.
• Adheres to federal and state legislation, regulation, and policies that affect occupational therapy practice.
• Reviews occupational therapy services for quality improvement and makes changes as needed to ensure quality of services.
• Evidences a high level of ethical behavior including but not limited to:
• Participates in continuing education for professional development to ensure practice consistent with best practice and to meet MA Licensure requirements.
• Uses professional literature, evidence-based research, and continuing education content to make practice decisions.
• Uses professional Code of Ethics and standards of practice to guide ethical decision-making in practice.
• Knowledge of human development including but not limited to:
• Knowledge of human development throughout the life span and integrates with student's unique developmental status.
• Knowledge and appreciation of the influence of disabilities, socio-cultural and socioeconomic factors on student's ability to participate in occupations.
• Skill in effective oral and written communication.
• Knowledge and use of occupational therapy theories, models of practice, principles, and evidence-based practice to guide intervention decisions.
• Knowledge of the federal, state, local legislation, regulations, policies, and procedures that mandate and guide occupational therapy practice in schools.
• Ability to gather and assess outcomes program evaluation data and to use to modify services at the programmatic level.
• Ability to maintain current reporting, documentation, scheduling, and billing in accordance with professional standards, state and local guidelines, and reimbursement requirements.

Required Qualifications

Education And Experience:

• Have successfully completed and graduated from an accredited occupational therapy professional program recognized by NBCOT and have completed all fieldwork requirements.
• Two years of experience as an occupational therapist, preferably in school system or other pediatric practice setting.

Special Requirements:

• Initial certification by National Board for Certification of Occupational Therapy.
• Current license by the Massachusetts Board of Occupational Therapy.

Personal Qualities

• A flexible child-centered approach to occupational therapy practice.
• A belief in inclusive practices in the least restrictive environment as the guiding principle for decision making around service delivery and support of students.

Job Environment

Work takes place in classrooms and other building rooms/areas, including offices, auditorium, gym, lunchroom, and hallways, within a school building setting, primarily indoors. Job takes place in a high-performing school district with high expectations for all students.

Physical Requirements

• Sufficient vision to read printed documents and to view detail on a computer screen for extended periods.
• Ability to hear sounds clearly up to forty feet.
• Ability to lift to forty pounds and participate as needed in activities of daily living (ADL's) with students who may require support with feeding, bathing, toileting, personal hygiene, food preparation, daily household activities, travel training, augmentative and adaptive communication.

The Westwood Public Schools does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, gender expression, age, national origin, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status.