Occupational Therapist

Occupational Therapist

Occupational therapists lead the process in the development, implementation, and coordination of the occupational therapy program. Screening, evaluation, educational program, and transition planning, therapeutic intervention, and exit planning are 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. An occupational therapist regularly collaborates with other disciplines and services at departmental and system levels. An 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 the liability of the school system and the therapist. Errors may result in serious harm to students. Direct supervision may be exercised over support personnel, such as occupational therapy assistants and clerical staff.

Illustrative Examples Of Work

Identification, Evaluation, and Planning

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 that 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.

Service Delivery

Provides targeted, evidence-based therapeutic intervention to facilitate student participation and occupational performance within the school environment.

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 the student, 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.

Program Administration and Management

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 the occupational therapy assistant, assuming responsibility for the students served by the assistant.

Supervises non-occupational therapy support personnel.

Adheres to federal and state legislation, regulations, and policies that affect occupational therapy practice.

Reviews occupational therapy services for quality improvement and makes changes as needed to ensure quality of services.

Education

Teaches, monitors, and collaborates with educational personnel, community agencies, parents, and students to increase understanding of the student's occupational performance.

Provides continuing education and in-services for educational personnel, parents, and community-based service providers.

Provides fieldwork education and supervision for occupational therapy and occupational therapy assistant students.

Professional Growth and Ethics

Participates in continuing education for professional development to ensure practice consistent with best practice and to meet N.C. 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, Skills, and Abilities

Knowledge of human development throughout the life span, and integrates with the student's unique developmental status.

Knowledge and appreciation of the influence of disabilities, socio-cultural, and socioeconomic factors on students' ability to participate in occupations.

Knowledge and use of occupational therapy theories, models of practice, principles, and evidence-based practice to guide intervention decisions.

Knowledge of the federal, state, and 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 it 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.

Ability to determine the need for an occupational therapy evaluation and to select and administer appropriate assessment tools to evaluate the student.

Ability to interpret the evaluation data and write a comprehensive report that reflects strengths and barriers to the student's participation and occupational performance.

Ability to participate collaboratively with multi-disciplinary educational teams to develop Individualized Education Programs to meet student needs.

Ability to develop occupationally based intervention plans based on evaluation information.

Ability to provide evidence-based occupational therapy intervention to improve the student's performance skills and participation.

Ability to adapt and modify environments, equipment, and materials, including assistive technology.

Ability to plan, coordinate, and conduct continuing education for educational personnel, parents, and students.

Ability to use professional literature, evidence-based research, and continuing education content to make practice decisions.

Ability to provide legal and ethical supervision of occupational therapy assistants.

Skill in effective oral and written communication.

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 the school system or other pediatric practice setting.

Special Requirements

Initial certification by the National Board for Certification of Occupational Therapy.

Current license by the North Carolina Board of Occupational Therapy.