Physical Therapist

Physical Therapist

A Physical Therapist is a professional position requiring specialized education, experience, and licensure. Under general supervision and as a part of an interdisciplinary treatment team, Physical Therapists are licensed health care practitioners who assist in, provide, and supervise the delivery of physical therapy treatment programs and services to individuals in accordance with Article 136 of the Education Law to assist individuals restore, maintain, and improve physical movement and function, and limit or prevent disabilities resulting from disease or injury. Such treatment programs are rendered via prescription or referral of a physician. This Physical Therapist position will include supervision of Physical Therapy Assistants and provide training to interdisciplinary & residential teams as needed.

The Physical Therapist would be assigned to the Article 16 Clinic and IPSIDD, and carry a caseload of treatment and evaluation cases.

Primary duties and responsibilities:

• Provides a variety of physical therapy treatment programs and services to assigned individuals.
• Obtains and reviews individuals' information, including health histories.
• Examines and evaluates individuals' condition, including physical and neurological status, and performs and interprets selected tests and measurements to assess individuals' potential and existing movement-related disorders.
• Develops and implements individual physical therapy treatment plans, including treatment goals and anticipated outcomes.
• Selects, administers, and monitors therapeutic treatment modalities, which may include heat, cold, light, air, water, sound, electricity, massage, mobilization, and therapeutic exercise with or without assistive devices.
• Conducts and supervises individual and group physical therapy activities and programs to assist individuals in attaining therapeutic goals, and provides instruction and training to individuals in activities of daily living.
• Observes and records individuals' progress, response, and behavior in accordance with program standards, and modifies treatment plans, interventions, and goals as needed.
• Provides training to interdisciplinary and residential treatment teams as needed. Attends individual case reviews and team meetings as the physical therapy representative, and coordinates physical therapy activities with those of other disciplines or therapy programs.
• Supervises Physical Therapy Assistants.
• Travels (up to 30%) and the travel catchment area includes Orange, Rockland, & Westchester counties.
• Participates in the development and implementation of physical therapy policies and procedures.
• Other duties as assigned.

You must have a valid driver's license to apply as travel is involved up to 30% in performance of the duties of this position. This may include a state-owned vehicle, as available, or the employee's own car. An employee who uses his/her own car will be reimbursed at current negotiated rates.

Minimum qualifications:

• Open Competitive: License and current registration as a Physical Therapist in New York State.
• Transfer: Candidates must have one year of permanent competitive or 55-b/c status in the posted title and be eligible for lateral transfer; OR be eligible to transfer via Section 70.1, 70.4, or 52.6 of Civil Service Law. The transfer cannot be a second consecutive transfer resulting in an advancement of more than two salary grades.

Additional comments:

This title is part of the New York Hiring for Emergency Limited Placement Statewide Program (NY HELPS). HELPS Program titles may be filled via a non-competitive appointment. This means that you do not need to take an exam to qualify, but you do need to meet the minimum qualifications of the title. At a future date (within one year of permanent appointment), employees hired under NY HELPS are expected to have their permanent non-competitive employment status converted to permanent competitive status. You will not have to take an exam to gain permanent competitive status.

Preference will be given to OPWDD employees impacted by closures. If you are being impacted by closure, please indicate this on your resume. All OPWDD employees must be eligible and maintain eligibility for full and unconditional participation in the Medicare and Medicaid programs. Continued employment will depend on maintaining eligibility.

Employees on long term leave can bid on positions but must be able to report to work within fourteen (14) days and be able to perform the essential functions of their positions with or without reasonable accommodation (RA).

If an employee or job applicant believes that they need a reasonable accommodation, they should contact the Reasonable Accommodation Unit at View phone number on click.appcast.io or email View email address on click.appcast.io to obtain information and RA forms.

Savings programs such as the U.S. Savings Bond and the College Savings Plan. Voluntary pre-tax savings programs such as Health Care Spending Account and the Dependent Care Advantage Account offer employees options to pay for uncovered health care expenses or dependent care expenses. Access to the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) an assessment and referral service that connects employees with local service providers and support services to address their personal needs. Life insurance and Disability insurance. The New York State Deferred Compensation Plan is a voluntary retirement plan that offers employees the option to invest a part of their salaries for retirement on a tax-deferred basis.

Paid Holidays and Leave: Thirteen (13) paid holidays each year. Thirteen (13) days of paid vacation leave initially. Five (5) days paid personal leave each year. Thirteen (13) days of paid sick leave each year (PEF/CSEA), which may carry over from year to year. Up to three (3) days professional leave each year to participate in professional development events.

Health Care Coverage: Employees and their eligible dependents can choose from a variety of affordable health insurance programs. Employees are provided family dental and vision plans at no extra cost.

Paid Parental Leave: Paid Parental Leave allows eligible employees to take up to 12 weeks of paid leave at full pay for each qualifying event. A qualifying event is defined as the birth of a child or placement of a child for adoption or foster care.

Retirement Program: Participate in The NYS Employees' Retirement System (ERS), which is recognized as one of the best-managed and best-funded public retirement systems in the nation.

Professional Development and Education and Training: NYS offers training programs and tuition assistance to eligible employees to maintain and increase their professional skills and prepare them for promotional opportunities. For more information, please visit

Additionally, the Public Service Workshops Program (PSWP) offers certain professional training opportunities for PEF represented and M/C designated employees that may grant continuing education credits towards maintaining professional licensure. For more information, please visit

OPWDD is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer dedicated to creating and sustaining a culture of inclusion. We believe that we are most effective in managing and improving our service system with a diverse team of employees. With such a large workforce, we rely on the collective individual differences, life experiences, knowledge, self-expression, ideas and talent that our employees bring to their work. This speaks to our culture and is a key part of our successes. As we continuously recruit people for our team, we welcome the unique contributions that applicants bring in terms of their education, culture, ethnicity, race, sex, gender identity and expression, nation of origin, age, languages spoken, veteran's status, color, religion, disability, sexual orientation and beliefs.

All people with disabilities are encouraged to apply.