Occupational Therapist

Occupational Therapist

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. .25 -.5 FTE 10- 20 hours a week

Essential duties and responsibilities:

• 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.
• 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.
• Consults with the school-based team to achieve student outcomes.
• Monitors and reassess the effects of occupational therapy intervention and the need to continue, modify, or discontinue intervention.
• 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.
• 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.

Knowledge, skills, and abilities:

• Knowledge of human development throughout the life span and integrates with student's unique developmental status.
• 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 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 provide evidence based occupational therapy intervention to improve student's performance skills and participation.
• Ability to interpret the evaluation data and write a comprehensive report that reflects strengths and barriers to 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.

Qualifications and requirements:

• 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.
• Current license by the Arizona Board of Occupational Therapy.
• Demonstrated general proficiency in computer programs such as Microsoft Excel, Word and Outlook and with specialized computer-based equipment and software.

Physical demands:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of the job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is required to reach with hands and arms. Walking, standing, sitting, stooping, bending and operating a motor vehicle may be required as a normal part of the job. The employee may be required to lift or move up to 80 pounds.

Work environment:

Indoors, and outdoor environment, in all types of weather. The noise level in the work environment is generally moderate and may become excessively noisy at times. Will have contact with students, staff and the public.