Occupational Therapist

Bancroft•Mountainside, NJ

34d•$80,000 - $100,000•Onsite

About The Position

Provides direct, consultative, and supportive diagnostic and therapeutic services in occupational therapy to students, family members, faculty, and staff members to enhance the students' potential for learning and assist students in the acquisition of functional performance skills needed to access, participate in, and benefit from, the educational environment.

Requirements

Master's degree in Occupational Therapy required with Registration by the National Board of Occupational Therapyand current licensing by the State of New Jersey.
Minimum of one year of work experience in occupational therapypreferred, working with neurologically-impaired individuals.

Responsibilities

Provides direct and consultative occupational therapy services, including assessments and treatments, in accordance with regulations, standards, and guidelines defined by the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) Code of Ethical Practice, National Board Certification of Occupational Therapists (NBCOT), Health Insurance Portability & Accountability Act (HIPAA), Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD), the students' Individual Program Plan (IPP) and Individual Education Plan (IEP), N.J. Department of Education (DOE), the students' approved behavior plan, and established Bancroft policies and procedures.
Conducts diagnostic assessments of the need for occupational therapy and treatment services and develops treatment plans for individual students, as needed or as assigned, to provide a comprehensive student profile: Reviews clinical records of individual students, administers standardized testing, performs formal and informal testing, performs classroom and clinical observations, conducts specialized screenings of ocular motor and hand skills, interprets assessment results, and provides recommendations for service delivery;
Based on assessment, develops and modified individual treatment plans based upon individual student's abilities, learning capacity, and development needs. Provides reassessment of students, focusing on targeted areas of need at established intervals;
Plans and develops goals specific to occupational therapy and treatment services that are educationally relevant, achievable, measurable, and can be effectively utilized in each individual's educational program.
Provides direct and consultative treatment services in occupational therapy to students, family members, residential direct care givers, education faculty, and staff members within the education environment: Effectively utilizes available information regarding therapy, treatment, and developmental information for each student.
Provides assistance in the development of occupational therapy and treatment specific individual educational goals and objectives; Assists faculty in the design of classroom strategies that enhance learning and create an environment best suited to students' profiles and needs. May conduct or assist in instruction within the classroom setting.
Provides individual, group, and integrated direct treatment, therapy, and/or special skill development/enhancement to students; Prompts and/or assists each person in the achievement of goals while actively encouraging the independence and competency of each person within his/her ability limit; Plans and schedules frequency and duration of sessions in accordance with individual needs and School District mandates; Provides suggestions regarding the utilization of techniques and/or materials to support and enhance learning abilities.
Recommends appropriate adaptive equipment to facilitate optimal functioning within the classroom environment, provides recommendations regarding classroom positioning, identifies barriers in an effort to minimize the impact on a student's access to educational programs, and recommends environmental accommodations to both support classroom functioning and facilitate the carryover of therapeutic goals; Demonstrates and instructs students and staff in the proper use of functional and adaptive equipment, devices, and occupational therapy strategies and techniques to further the fine motor, sensory, neuromuscular, visual motor/perceptual, and self-care skills of students; e.g., computer use, positioning and feeding equipment, handwriting strategies, manual therapy techniques, etc.;
Utilizes a system of documentation that is professional, efficient, accountable, and conforms to federal, state and School policies and procedures; develops and maintains progress reports, session notes, treatment summary reports, etc., as mandated by the IPP; Provides training on a variety of topics and specific to occupational therapy to faculty and staff members regarding the implementation and monitoring of treatment plans, etc.;
Communicates and consults with faculty, staff, family members, medical/healthcare providers, specialists, and agencies working with students regarding occupational therapy and treatment-specific needs and progress. Provides occupational therapy and treatment-specific strategies to facilitate positive parent/child interactions in the home and the carryover of treatment plans.
Facilitates a team approach to program development, implementation, and monitoring by effectively collaborating with all specialty/clinical disciplines, parents/guardians, school districts, etc., to identify and best meet the individual learning needs of each student. Maintains awareness of and utilizes established classroom management plans regarding the incorporation of occupational therapy and treatment-specific programs. Actively participates in team/departmental meetings. Serves as a member of the Interdisciplinary Team (IDT) process in conjunction with the Individual Program Plan (IPP). Communicates results of assessments and treatment plans to faculty, family members, School District, and students. Provides individual student progress reports for review and discussion at three-month review meetings.
As appropriate and according to schedule, participates in admission screenings for students to assess individual potential for learning from the applicable clinical perspective, provide recommendations for a potential student's appropriateness for the school program and class placements.