Occupational Therapist – NICU (Level IV)

Vanderbilt University Medical Center • Nashville, TN

21h • Onsite

About The Position

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: MCJCHV Peds Rehab Job Summary: JOB SUMMARY Provides occupational therapy services to patients who have impairments, developmental disabilities, functional limitations, disabilities, or changes in physical function and health status resulting from injury, disease or other causes under occasional guidance. Actively collaborates with the health care/educational team to meet patient care, outcomes and system improvement objectives. . Job Title: Occupational Therapist – NICU Location: Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, Nashville, TN Department: Pediatric Rehabilitation Services Schedule: Full-Time | Tuesday–Saturday | 8-hour shifts Advance Neonatal Occupational Therapy at a Top-Ranked Children’s Hospital Are you an Occupational Therapist specializing in neonatal care who is passionate about delivering evidence-based, family-centered therapy in a Level IV NICU? Join Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, home to one of the largest and most advanced Level IV NICUs in the nation, and help shape the future of neonatal therapy at a nationally recognized pediatric academic medical center. Ranked No. 1 Children’s Hospital in Tennessee and top-ranked in the Southeast in the 2025–2026 U.S. News & World Report Best Children’s Hospitals, Vanderbilt Children’s is a destination for complex neonatal care, innovation, and interdisciplinary collaboration. Position Overview: Neonatal Occupational Therapist (NICU) The NICU Occupational Therapist provides comprehensive, developmentally supportive care to medically complex neonates and their families. This role is embedded within a highly specialized interdisciplinary NICU team, supporting neurodevelopmental outcomes from birth through transition to home and early intervention. This is an ideal opportunity for an Occupational Therapist with Level III or Level IV NICU experience seeking professional growth in a nationally respected neonatal program.

Requirements

• Master’s or Doctorate in Occupational Therapy from an accredited program
• Active Tennessee Occupational Therapy license or eligibility
• Minimum of 3 years of pediatric occupational therapy experience, preferably in a Level III or Level IV NICU
• Rehab Therapist Patient Documentation (Intermediate): 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. May complete accurate chart audits of co-workers in the same classification category
• Treatment Planning & Goal Setting (Intermediate): Demonstrates mastery 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. May serve as a mentor for other clinical staff to develop their skills in treatment planning. May consult with team members or implement new procedures.
• Rehabilitation Therapist Patient Evaluation (Intermediate): Demonstrates mastery 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 the 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. Demonstrates experience in clinical evaluation skills and may serve as a mentor for other clinical staff to develop their skills in evaluation techniques. Contributes to the development of best practices for the organization. May consult with team members to implement new procedures.
• Treatment Implementation (Intermediate): Demonstrates mastery in providing treatment consistent with the physician's prescription and the established plan of care. Able to modify treatment plan as needed to demonstrate provision of skilled therapy services, including progression of treatment throughout the course of care, and revision of treatment interventions of goals not met. Supervises and directs certified athletic trainers (PT only), physical therapist / occupational therapist assistants, technicians, volunteers and students. Selects and follows correct protocol for care, as established, and actively seeks out, utilize and mentors/teaches others on current evidence-based treatment strategies. May consult with team members to offer suggestions for treatment strategies. May serve as a clinical content expert for practice area, initiates consultation with team members for advanced treatment of patients, develop forum for staff members to utilize clinical expertise.
• Physical/Occupational Therapist Patient Education (Intermediate): Demonstrates mastery in communicating functional impact of assessment findings, treatment interventions, treatment planning, diagnosis, and disease process. Able to adapt communication to the needs/level of understanding of the audience and share appropriate information/literature. May supervise, educate, and train students from professional programs of physical therapy, occupational therapy, and athletic training and/or students and staff from other departments. Contributes in the development of patient education best practices for the organization.
• LIC-Occupational Therapy License - Licensure-Others
• Relevant Work Experience Experience Level : 1 year
• Bachelor's

Nice To Haves

• Membership in the National Association of Neonatal Therapists (NANT)
• Certified Neonatal Therapist (CNT) or actively pursuing certification
• Advanced training in neonatal therapy, sensory integration, or feeding and developmental care
• Experience in an academic medical center or children’s hospital setting

Responsibilities

• Conduct comprehensive neonatal occupational therapy evaluations in a Level IV NICU
• Develop and implement individualized, evidence-based intervention plans
• Collaborate with neonatologists, nurses, and rehabilitation specialists to deliver coordinated care
• Support feeding readiness, sensory regulation, positioning, neurodevelopment, and parent education
• Provide family-centered care, coaching caregivers at the bedside
• Document patient progress accurately and communicate effectively across interdisciplinary teams
• Support safe discharge planning and transitions to early intervention and community services
• Analyzes comprehensive information from formal and informal assessments that is pertinent to the patient's care and management to determine a rehabilitation treatment diagnosis.
• Collaborates with stakeholders in establishing the plan of care, coordinates and implements care delivery while anticipating patient care needs across the rehabilitation continuum.
• Applies appropriate, evidence-based interventions to ensure effective outcomes and re-evaluates performance to assess the patient's progress towards goals.
• Employs strategies to promote successful return to home, community, and school/vocational environments.

Benefits

• Day One benefits, including medical, dental, vision, retirement, and paid time off
• Participate in robust continuing education, mentorship, and professional development programs

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees