OCCUPATIONAL THERAPIST - Ponce Health & Rehabilitation Center

OVERVIEW:

Occupational therapy practitioners focus on “achieving health, well-being, and participation in life and address training in self-care skills; training in the use of adaptive equipment, compensatory techniques, and environmental modifications; and behavioral and mental health issues.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

·         Remediating instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) related to the patient’s discharge environment, such as preparing a meal or managing one’s home or finances

·         Training in functional mobility, such as how to prepare a meal while using an ambulatory device

·         Preparing the client and family for community reintegration (as appropriate for the client’s discharge site) with activities such as public dining or emergency response management

·         Assessing the need for and recommending potential home modifications and safety equipment to reduce barriers and promote safe functioning upon discharge

·         Exploring adaptations and compensatory strategies for return to volunteer or paid employment

·         Assessing current leisure skills to determine whether modifications are needed to continue participation and/or assisting with exploring new leisure pursuits

·         Teaching functional mobility, including using an ambulatory device and/or transfers to different surfaces, such as a bed, chair, toilet, or shower in order to perform self-care and personal tasks; and training in wheelchair mobility and safety appropriate for the resident’s level of cognition and perception

·         Remediating or enhancing IADLs, such as ability to use the telephone or the emergency staff call system

·         Teaching residents with cognitive and perceptual deficits in compensatory techniques to maximize abilities in areas such as attention span, orientation, sequencing, and/or memory

·         Teaching residents with low vision how to maximize their remaining vision and enhance safety through compensatory techniques, environmental modifications, assistive technology, and adaptive equipment

·         Instructing residents and caregivers in techniques to improve positioning, reduce the need for restraints, and maintain skin integrity

·         Modifying the environment and adapting tasks for safety (e.g., falls prevention, fatigue management)

·         Educating caregivers on ways to enhance function and preserve dignity by using the remaining abilities of adults with dementia

·         Providing opportunities for engagement in meaningful activities despite client limitations

QUALIFICATIONS:

EDUCATION / EXPERIENCE:

·         Master of Science in Occupational Therapy from an accredited program

·         Successful completion of National Certification Examination

·         1 year of verifiable, supervised professional experience within the last 3 years

·         Valid OT license in the state of practice

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES:

·         This position has no supervisory responsibilities.

WORK ENVIRONMENT:

·         This job operates in a health care setting. This role requires regular walking to various locations around the care center.

·         Incumbent may be exposed to virus, disease and infection from patients and specimens in working environment.

·         Incumbent may be required to work extended periods of time at a video display terminal.

·         Incumbent may experience traumatic situations, including psychiatric, and deceased patients.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:

·         The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

·         While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk and hear.  Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus

·         This position is very active and requires standing, walking, bending, kneeling, stooping, crouching, crawling and climbing all day.

·         The employee must frequently lift or move objects and patients weighing over 50 pounds.

TRAVEL: 

·         No travel is expected for this position