Physical Therapist Assistant, Inpatient

Community Health System•Fresno, CA

18h•Onsite

About The Position

All positions are located in Fresno/Clovis CA Community Regional Medical Center is the flagship hospital of Community Medical Centers – a private, not-for-profit healthcare system based in Fresno, California, and the largest healthcare provider and private employer in central California. We measure up with top hospitals nationally and are the 3 rd largest in California. With 685 beds , we are home to the only Level 1 Trauma and comprehensive burn centers between Los Angeles and Sacramento. The 56,000 square-foot emergency department is one of the largest and busiest in the state. We have an 84 bed Level 3 NICU and a brand new pediatric specialty care unit. Future plans include building a women and children’s facility on campus and expanding with 65 additional beds. Our hospital serves 2.5 million people within 9 counties, averaging a daily census of 641 patients. We’re affiliated with UCSF as a teaching facility and have trained 3,000 Medical Doctor’s to date plus remain investing in research and training grants. Responsibilities The Physical Therapist Assistant 1 (PTA1) is a novice to proficient clinician. Assists Physical Therapists in providing care to patients. Performs physical therapy procedures and treatments, as delegated by a Licensed Physical Therapist, designed to restore function, relieve pain and prevent permanent disability. Responsibilities include selecting therapeutic exercises and equipment most appropriate for treatment, assessing and recording patients' responses and progress, and determining when to adjust or advance patients from less to more strenuous exercises. Functions within established technical standards and guidelines, but may receive further technical guidance and direction from the Licensed Physical Therapist in handling unusual situations.

Requirements

High School Diploma, High School Equivalency (HSE) or Completion of a CHS Approved Individualized Education Plan (IEP) Certificate required
Successful completion of one of the following is required o Graduate of an accredited Physical Therapy Assistant or Physical Therapy degree program o Sat for the national examination and received a passing score to qualify for licensures occurring before January 1, 2010, as per Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
PTA - State of California Physical Therapist Assistant License required o Exception may be made for Physical Therapy Assistant License Applicant with a requirement to obtain licensure within 180 days of hire or transfer into position
BLS - Current Basic Life Support (BLS) for Healthcare Providers by American Heart Association (AHA) required

Responsibilities

Planning, Preparing and Documentation
Collects and prioritizes data in a systematic and ongoing process based on the patient’s immediate condition or anticipated needs.
Timely communication of response to treatment to the treatment team using the most effective method.
Anticipation of patient care issues considered in planning and preparation of treatment course.
Treatment, Implementation, Patient Education
Implements the patient’s plan of care established by a Physical Therapist/Occupational Therapist considering the current condition of the patient, patient/family teaching and care coordination.
Provides treatment in a competent manner within own scope of practice while complying with treatment contraindications and precautions.
Organizes patient care and discharge planning efficiently and prioritizes appropriately to create a collaborative and communicative environment for all members of the healthcare team.
Evaluates the effectiveness of the patient’s plan of care in an ongoing, systematic and criterion-based process, including patient responses and the attainment of expected outcomes.
For CCS-eligible patients, assists with the coordination of referral to a CCS-paneled provider or a CCS/MTU for the patient who may continue to require therapy services after hospital discharge.
Clearly and appropriately communicates with the primary therapist all pertinent information regarding the patient’s response to treatment, patient’s progress, and needs for reassessment or therapist intervention.
Provides patient and family education specific to the plan set forth by the primary therapist including evaluation of the effectiveness of the teaching and clear documentation of education provided.
Quality of Practice and Patient Safety
Participates in unit and hospital-based quality improvement activities.
Demonstrates an ongoing awareness of patient condition and environment to optimize patient safety and reduce risk.
Suggests program modification to primary therapist, including actively seeking assistance with patient care when appropriate.
Education and Professional Practice Evaluation
Participates in ongoing hospital and unit specific educational activities.
Demonstrates a commitment to lifelong learning by in-services, projects, and competencies, seeking both formal and independent learning experiences to maintain and develop clinical and professional skills and knowledge that reflect current specialty practice.
Engages in self-evaluation of practice, identifying areas of strength as well as areas where professional development would be beneficial.
Acknowledges informal feedback regarding one’s own practice from patients, peers, professional colleagues, and others and takes action to improve performance.
Collegiality, Leadership and Research
Shares knowledge and skills with peers and provides feedback regarding their practice and/or role performance.
Communicates in a professional, caring manner at all times to support a healthy work environment.
Embraces teamwork to meet organizational goals through direct participation or supporting active team participants.
Teaches others to succeed by mentoring and/or preceptorship.
Utilized evidence-based practice to guide clinical practice.
Ethics
Adheres to laws, rules, and ethics pertinent to licensure.
Uses the Patient Bill of Rights to guide practice and deliver care in a manner that preserves and protects patient autonomy, dignity and rights.
Acts as a patient advocate by initiating action to improve healthcare.
Participates in resolving ethical issues of patients, colleagues, or systems via chain of command and Ethics Committee referral, as appropriate. Complies with reporting of illegal, incompetent, or impaired practice.
Competence in Skills
Demonstrates competence in all required clinical skills based on functional and positional (unit/department) work assignment.
Demonstrates competence in using function-specific and position specific computer applications and other technology and successfully utilizes them to perform all required duties.
Demonstrates effective time management including meeting productivity targets including accurate and timely charge entry, appropriate co-signature as required by licensure and hospital policy and communication with primary therapist as indicated.
Performs other job-related duties as assigned.