Physical Therapist – Acute Care (PRN)

Vanderbilt University Medical Center•Nashville, TN

10d•Onsite

About The Position

Provides physical therapy services to patients who have impairments, 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. This PRN (As Needed) position offers flexibility with meaningful clinical impact. Vanderbilt Health is seeking an experienced Acute Care Physical Therapist to join one of the nation's leading academic health systems. Whether you're maintaining your acute care expertise, supplementing your current role, or seeking a schedule that better fits your lifestyle, you'll have the opportunity to make a meaningful impact while caring for some of healthcare's most medically complex patients. PRN Commitment: Minimum availability of 2 shifts per month and 1 hard-to-staff day every 6 months. Flexible Orientation Experience: PRN therapists provide available training dates in 8-hour blocks, allowing for a more flexible onboarding process that accommodates varying schedules rather than requiring a traditional consecutive Monday through Friday commitment. Practice Where Expertise Matters Most: As part of Vanderbilt Health, you'll work at a Level 1 Trauma Center and the nation's largest transplant center by volume, collaborating with nationally recognized physicians, nurses, and rehabilitation professionals. Our Acute Care Rehabilitation team provides services throughout Vanderbilt University Hospital, including Trauma Services, Transplant Services, Burn Center, Emergency Services, Women's Health/OB, Neurosciences, Cardiovascular Services, Medical and Surgical ICUs, and Specialty Medicine Services. You'll join one of the region's largest acute care rehabilitation teams, working alongside approximately 130 rehabilitation professionals dedicated to exceptional patient outcomes. Together, the team manages more than 140 new rehabilitation consults daily and provides care for over 550 patients each day.

Requirements

Licensed Physical Therapist (or license-eligible) in Tennessee
Acute care or hospital-based experience preferred
Strong clinical reasoning and communication skills
Ability to work effectively within interdisciplinary teams
Commitment to exceptional patient-centered care
Rehab Therapist Patient Documentation (Novice): 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.
Treatment Planning & Goal Setting (Novice): Demonstrates sufficient proficiency 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.
Rehabilitation Therapist Patient Evaluation (Novice): Demonstrates proficiency 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 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.
Treatment Implementation (Novice): Demonstrates proficiency in providing treatment consistent with physician prescription and established plan of care. Able to modify treatment plan as needed to demonstrate provision of skilled therapy services including progression of treatment throughout course of care, and revision of treatment interventions of goals not met. May supervise and direct certified athletic trainers (PT only), physical therapist / occupational therapist assistants, technicians and volunteers and students. Selects and follows correct protocol for care and utilize evidence based treatments. Has completed at least one year of clinical experience in treatment implementation.
Physical/Occupational Therapist Patient Education (Novice): Demonstrates proficiency in communicating functional impact of assessment findings, treatment interventions, treatment planning diagnosis, and disease process. Considers the communication needs/level of understanding of audience and may share appropriate information/literature. May supervise, educate and train students from professional programs of physical therapy, occupational therapy and athletic training.

Nice To Haves

Less than 1 year experience

Responsibilities

Perform evidence-based evaluations and treatment interventions for hospitalized patients with complex medical and surgical diagnoses.
Develop individualized treatment plans that promote mobility, safety, functional recovery, and independence.
Collaborate with physicians, nurses, occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists, case managers, and other healthcare professionals.
Educate patients and caregivers regarding mobility strategies, equipment recommendations, fall prevention, and discharge planning.
Apply strong clinical reasoning to assess patient progress and modify treatment plans as patient needs evolve.
Document care in accordance with hospital, regulatory, and professional standards.
Contribute to a culture of clinical excellence, teamwork, and compassionate patient-centered care.
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.
The responsibilities listed are a general overview of the position and additional duties may be assigned.