Occupational Therapist - Acute Care Inpatient

Discover Vanderbilt University Medical Center : Located in Nashville, Tennessee, and operating at a global crossroads of teaching, discovery, and patient care, VUMC is a community of individuals who come to work each day with the simple aim of changing the world. It is a place where your expertise will be valued, your knowledge expanded, and your abilities challenged. Vanderbilt Health is committed to an environment where everyone has the chance to thrive and where your uniqueness is sought and celebrated. It is a place where employees know they are part of something that is bigger than themselves, take exceptional pride in their work and never settle for what was good enough yesterday. Vanderbilt’s mission is to advance health and wellness through preeminent programs in patient care, education, and research.

Organization:

VCH Occupational Therapy

Job Summary:

JOB SUMMARY

Responsible for administering and directing appropriate Occupational Therapy evaluation and treatment as prescribed by qualified physician. Responsible for effective communication and accurate documentation. Displays professional behavior in accordance with AOTA Code of Ethics.

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Occupational Therapist – Acute Care Inpatient

Organization: Vanderbilt Clarksville Hospital

Location: Clarksville, TN

Department: Occupational Therapy – Acute Care

Schedule: Full-time: 40 hours per week

Job Summary

An occupational therapist (OT) at Vanderbilt Clarksville Hospital provides inpatient rehabilitation services within an acute care hospital setting. The role supports adult inpatients across multiple units, contributing to interdisciplinary care focused on recovery, safety, and discharge planning.

Unit & Patient Population Overview

Occupational Therapists at Vanderbilt Clarksville Hospital work with adult inpatients across Medical–Surgical units, Progressive Care/Step-Down, and the Intensive Care Unit, as appropriate to competency and acuity. Patients commonly include orthopedic and general surgery cases, medically complex admissions, and critically ill individuals. OTs address activities of daily living, cognitive and perceptual function, safety awareness, functional mobility, and discharge readiness, partnering closely with nursing, Physical Therapy, Speech-Language Pathology, physicians, and case management.

Key Responsibilities

• Evaluate and treat adult inpatients according to physician orders and established plan of care.

• Collaborate with physicians, nursing, therapy colleagues, and care management teams.

• Document evaluations, progress notes, and discharge recommendations per hospital standards.

• Support safe discharge planning and transitions of care.

Qualifications

• Graduate of an accredited program in the applicable therapy discipline.

• Current Tennessee licensure or eligibility.

• Prior acute care or hospital-based experience preferred

About Vanderbilt Health

Vanderbilt Health is a leader in patient- and family-centered care, combining excellence in clinical care, research, and education. Through our regional hospitals, Vanderbilt Health delivers high-quality care close to home while maintaining strong connections to academic medicine.

Apply Today

Join Vanderbilt Clarksville Hospital and be part of a collaborative, patient-focused care team.

Vanderbilt Health. Personalized care. Close to Home

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Supervises OT and OTA students after one year of experience

• Provides clinical supervision to COTA’s and technicians

• Routinely interacts with other employees, patients, families, vendors, physicians and visitors.

• Reports to Director of Rehabilitation Services

TECHNICAL CAPABILITIES

• Physical/Occupational Therapist Patient Education (Novice): Demonstrates proficiency in communicating functional impact of assessment findings, treatment interventions, treatment planning diagnosis, and disease process. Considers the communication needs/level of understanding of audience and may share appropriate information/literature. May supervise, educate and train students from professional programs of physical therapy, occupational therapy and athletic training.

• Rehabilitation Therapist Patient Evaluation (Novice): Demonstrates proficiency in evaluating patients with physical deficits including impairments, developmental disabilities, functional limitations, disabilities, or changes in physical function by obtaining information pertinent to the assessment and administering and scoring standardized tests and objective measures of deficit areas. Selects appropriate measures and performs a functional assessment to document patient's status requiring skilled therapy. Interprets the results of the assessment and their significance to the patient, family, referring physician and other members of the health care team.

• Treatment Implementation (Fundamental Awareness): Demonstrates proficiency in providing treatment consistent with physician prescription and established plan of care. Able to modify treatment plan as needed to demonstrate provision of skilled therapy services including progression of treatment throughout course of care, and revision of treatment interventions of goals not met. May supervise and direct certified athletic trainers (PT only), physical therapist / occupational therapist assistants, technicians and volunteers and students. Selects and follows correct protocol for care and utilize evidence based treatments.

• Treatment Planning & Goal Setting (Novice): Demonstrates sufficient proficiency in developing a plan of care that incorporates treatment interventions focused on meeting objective goals. Develops and documents patient focused short and long term goals that are functional and measurable. Identifies the need for and referral to other services, as needed.

• Rehab Therapist Patient Documentation (Novice): Demonstrates proficiency in documentation practices. Documents in the appropriate templates and utilizes only approved abbreviations within patient documentation. Meets institutional standards for quality and timeliness of documentation.

Allied health is among the fastest growing occupations in healthcare today. This area can be defined as credentialed professionals who perform supportive, diagnostic, and therapeutic health care services to promote health and prevent disease in a variety of settings.

These areas are crucial to Vanderbilt Health’s reputation for excellence in these areas that has made us a major center for patient referrals from throughout the Mid-South.

Each year, people throughout Tennessee and the southeast choose Vanderbilt Health for their health care because of our leadership in medical science and our dedication to treating patients with dignity and compassion.

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Core Accountabilities:

Organizational Impact: Executes job responsibilities with the understanding of how output would affect and impact other areas related to own job area/team with occasional guidance. Problem Solving/ Complexity of work: Analyzes moderately complex problems using technical experience and judgment. Breadth of Knowledge: Has expanded knowledge gained through experience within a professional area. Team Interaction: Provides informal guidance and support to team members.

Core Capabilities :

Supporting Colleagues:- Develops Self and Others: Invests time, energy, and enthusiasm in developing self/others to help improve performance e and gain knowledge in new areas.- Builds and Maintains Relationships: Maintains regular contact with key colleagues and stakeholders using formal and informal opportunities to expand and strengthen relationships.- Communicates Effectively: Recognizes group interactions and modifies one's own communication style to suit different situations and audiences. Delivering Excellent Services:- Serves Others with Compassion: Seeks to understand current and future needs of relevant stakeholders and customizes services to better address them.- Solves Complex Problems: Approaches problems from different angles; Identifies new possibilities to interpret opportunities and develop concrete solutions.- Offers Meaningful Advice and Support: Provides ongoing support and coaching in a constructive manner to increase employees' effectiveness. Ensuring High Quality: - Performs Excellent Work: Engages regularly in formal and informal dialogue about quality; directly addresses quality issues promptly.- Ensures Continuous Improvement: Applies various learning experiences by looking beyond symptoms to uncover underlying causes of problems and identifies ways to resolve them. - Fulfills Safety and Regulatory Requirements: Understands all aspects of providing a safe environment and performs routine safety checks to prevent safety hazards from occurring. Managing Resources Effectively: - Demonstrates Accountability: Demonstrates a sense of ownership, focusing on and driving critical issues to closure.- Stewards Organizational Resources: Applies understanding of the departmental work to effectively manage resources for a department/area.- Makes Data Driven Decisions: Demonstrates strong understanding of the information or data to identify and elevate opportunities. Fostering Innovation:- Generates New Ideas: Proactively identifies new ideas/opportunities from multiple sources or methods to improve processes beyond conventional approaches.- Applies Technology: Demonstrates an enthusiasm for learning new technologies, tools, and procedures to address short-term challenges.- Adapts to Change: Views difficult situations and/or problems as opportunities for improvement; actively embraces change instead of emphasizing negative elements.

Position Qualifications:

Responsibilities:

Certifications:

LIC-Occupational Therapy License - Licensure-Others

Work Experience:

Relevant Work Experience

Experience Level :

Less than 1 year

Education:

Bachelor's

This role offers the opportunity to make a meaningful impact within Vanderbilt Health, supported by a comprehensive benefits package which may include health, disability, retirement and/or wellness offerings to enhance your well-being and professional growth.

Vanderbilt Health is committed to fostering an environment where everyone has the chance to thrive and is committed to the principles of equal opportunity. EOE/Vets/Disabled.