Occupational Therapist – Pediatric Acute Care Inpatient

Vanderbilt University Medical Center • Nashville, TN

2d • 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. Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt is seeking a Pediatric Occupational Therapist to join our Acute Care Rehabilitation Team, delivering high-quality inpatient therapy services to infants, children, and adolescents with complex medical needs. This role offers the opportunity to practice pediatric acute care occupational therapy within a nationally recognized children’s hospital and academic medical center. Our therapists play a vital role in helping children regain function, promote development, and safely transition through hospitalization, while supporting families during some of life’s most challenging moments.
About Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt
Ranked among the nation’s leading children’s hospitals, Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt provides comprehensive, family-centered pediatric care across a wide range of acute inpatient units. Patients are cared for across medical, surgical, neurological, traumatic, and specialty service lines in a highly collaborative academic environment.
About the Pediatric Acute Care Rehabilitation Team
The Acute Care Rehabilitation Team provides inpatient physical and occupational therapy services throughout the hospital using a true multidisciplinary model. Occupational Therapists are essential members of the care team and collaborate closely with physicians, nurses, physical therapists, speech-language pathologists, child life specialists, social work, case management, patients, and families. Therapists evaluate and treat children with complex medical conditions, post-surgical needs, neurological diagnoses, trauma, and chronic illnesses, contributing to individualized, goal-driven plans of care that support development, function, caregiver education, and safe discharge planning. This role is ideal for therapists who value teamwork, enjoy variety in their caseload, and are passionate about helping children and families navigate hospitalization while promoting function, independence, and quality of life.

Requirements

• Graduate of an accredited Occupational Therapy program
• Current Tennessee Occupational Therapy license or eligibility to obtain
• BLS certification required
• Relevant Work Experience Experience Level : 1 year

Nice To Haves

• Pediatric acute care or inpatient pediatric experience strongly preferred

Responsibilities

• Evaluate and treat pediatric patients with developmental, neurological, orthopedic, post-surgical, and medically complex conditions
• Provide inpatient pediatric occupational therapy services across acute care units; outpatient pediatric occupational therapy services may be provided based on clinic needs
• Develop and implement individualized, evidence-based, goal-oriented treatment plans
• Educate and support patients and caregivers to promote functional carryover and long-term outcomes
• Collaborate effectively with an interdisciplinary healthcare team
• Complete evaluations, treatment documentation, progress notes, and outcomes in accordance with hospital, state, and regulatory standards
• Analyzes comprehensive information from formal and informal assessment 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 patient's progress towards goals.
• Employs strategies to promote successful return to home, community, and school/vocational environments.

Benefits

• Practice within a nationally recognized healthcare system
• Be part of a collaborative, mission-driven pediatric rehabilitation team
• Work in an environment focused on excellence, innovation, and compassionate care
• Access professional development and continuing education opportunities

What This Job Offers

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