Occupational Therapist

State of North Carolina•Morganton, NC

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

As a member of a multidisciplinary clinical team, the Occupational Therapist provides occupational therapy evaluations and treatment as required and conducts developmental evaluations of 0-3-year-old children to determine eligibility for the Infant-Toddler Program and to assess child and family needs for early intervention supports and services, including evaluation for appropriate assistive technology. The Occupational Therapist (OT) functions as a member of a multidisciplinary team and is responsible for conducting Occupational Therapy evaluations and other related assessments to determine eligibility and planning services for children and families receiving early intervention services under the NC Infant Toddler Program. Assessments are typically conducted in the child’s natural environment, although center-based evaluations may occur. Motor/adaptive concerns may be a referral concern, and the OT administers and interprets a variety of evaluation and assessment instruments including standardized instruments. The OT may also screen/assess other developmental domains in order to determine the status of motor/adaptive development in relation to other skill areas and overall levels of functioning. The OT may also provide direct treatment if no other resource for occupational therapy services exists in the CDSA provider network. Responsibilities in the physical domain include evaluating children to determine the degree of developmental delay and implementing a program to improve the child’s ability to function in his/her daily environment. The OT may design, fabricate, fit, and instruct regarding a variety of dynamic, static or functional splints, or adaptive equipment. The OT may be called upon to perform duties in the psychosocial domain, which may include the design and implementation of programs that encourage the infants and toddlers to develop interpersonal and behavioral skills that restore or improve their performance capacities in functional real-life tasks and situations. Duties in the developmental disabilities area include evaluation through standardized and/or formal testing procedures and behavioral assessments and designing and implementing a treatment program specific to the evaluative findings to habilitate or rehabilitate per the child’s outcomes that will improve functioning. In all areas, the OT is expected to integrate the family into the intervention process and provide coaching on how the parent or other caregiver can facilitate and support skill development on an ongoing basis using the child’s everyday routines. The OT must document activities in progress/billing notes clearly and in a timely fashion. The OT may function as part of the Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) team, which includes the family, service coordinator, additional staff as needed and may include other individuals of the family’s choice. The OT interprets evaluation and assessment results and facilitates understanding of how the child’s current skills and abilities may impact daily routines and activities and may assist the family in developing outcomes to be incorporated into the IFSP. The OT may also provide activities appropriate to the individual child which will assist in meeting these outcomes. 10% Consultation and Training: Provides consultation and technical assistance to families and to other community providers in understanding developmental delays, impacts on learning and development, and interpreting assessment results, as requested. Assists with planning and delivery of in-service training to CDSA staff and other provider agencies serving the 0-3 population. 5% Administrative Duties: Maintains client records in accordance with CDSA/ITP and 3rd party reimbursement standards Attends scheduled staff meetings and trainings and completes required daily/monthly documentation activities (e.g. time and travel, billing, etc.). Attends professional development events to stay current on recommended and evidence-based practices. Follows departmental, division, and agency policies and procedures. Performs other related duties as assigned. 5% Other Duties: The Occupational Therapist may participate in Quality Assurance/Improvement activities, such as child record reviews and specific QA/QI initiatives. The Occupational Therapist may act as a representative of the CDSA in providing trainings to families and other agencies on various topics. The Occupational Therapist may represent the CDSA on local boards and committees, as requested by the CDSA Director. Performs other related duties as assigned.

Requirements

Licensed to practice as an Occupational Therapist in the State of North Carolina.
Ability to travel to homes, childcare centers, and community settings to provide services.
Ability to sit, stand, bend, reach, and move about in a variety of environments, including floor-level interaction with infants and toddlers.
Ability to lift and carry materials and equipment up to 20-25 pounds.
Ability to observe, assess, and interact with children in natural environments, which may require getting on the floor, kneeling, or positioning oneself at a child's level.
Ability to communicate effectively in person, by phone, and in writing.
Ability to operate a computer and mobile devices for documentation and communication.
Ability to drive and maintain a valid driver's license for field-based service delivery.

Nice To Haves

Knowledge of the principles, techniques, and methods of occupational therapy as applicable to children birth to three, including sensory integration, self-help, fine motor, positioning, social-emotional, assistive technology and oral-motor skills.
Working knowledge of Assistive Technology options and devices for this population.
Skills in the design and fabrication of a variety of splints and self-help devices specific to individual patients.
Ability to evaluate patient response and progress and to present evaluative reports in case staffing and multi-disciplinary team meetings.
Ability to work effectively with patients, patients' families, medical personnel, and other CDSA staff members, and to deal professionally and tactfully with the public.
Experience in a multi-disciplinary team setting.
Experience with pediatrics.

Responsibilities

Provides occupational therapy evaluations and treatment.
Conducts developmental evaluations of 0-3-year-old children to determine eligibility for the Infant-Toddler Program.
Assesses child and family needs for early intervention supports and services.
Evaluates for appropriate assistive technology.
Administers and interprets a variety of evaluation and assessment instruments, including standardized instruments.
Screens/assesses other developmental domains to determine the status of motor/adaptive development.
Provides direct treatment if no other resource for occupational therapy services exists in the CDSA provider network.
Evaluates children to determine the degree of developmental delay and implements a program to improve the child’s ability to function in his/her daily environment.
Designs, fabricates, fits, and instructs regarding a variety of dynamic, static or functional splints, or adaptive equipment.
Performs duties in the psychosocial domain, including the design and implementation of programs that encourage infants and toddlers to develop interpersonal and behavioral skills.
Evaluates through standardized and/or formal testing procedures and behavioral assessments and designs and implements a treatment program specific to the evaluative findings.
Integrates the family into the intervention process and provides coaching on how the parent or other caregiver can facilitate and support skill development.
Documents activities in progress/billing notes clearly and in a timely fashion.
Functions as part of the Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) team.
Interprets evaluation and assessment results and facilitates understanding of how the child’s current skills and abilities may impact daily routines and activities.
Assists the family in developing outcomes to be incorporated into the IFSP.
Provides activities appropriate to the individual child which will assist in meeting these outcomes.
Provides consultation and technical assistance to families and to other community providers.
Assists with planning and delivery of in-service training to CDSA staff and other provider agencies.
Maintains client records in accordance with CDSA/ITP and 3rd party reimbursement standards.
Attends scheduled staff meetings and trainings.
Completes required daily/monthly documentation activities.
Attends professional development events to stay current on recommended and evidence-based practices.
Follows departmental, division, and agency policies and procedures.
Participates in Quality Assurance/Improvement activities.
Acts as a representative of the CDSA in providing trainings to families and other agencies.
Represents the CDSA on local boards and committees, as requested by the CDSA Director.