Physical Therapist
About The Position
The Physical Therapist helps patients rebuild or maintain physical wellbeing, function at their best level, reduce pain, and improve quality of life. The therapist performs initial evaluations and assessments, develops and updates individualized plans of care, provides direct treatments, and conducts re-evaluations as needed for patients with functional mobility or self-care deficits. The role includes meeting patient-care productivity standards, scheduling patients, maintaining medical records and documentation, entering daily patient charges, and communicating treatment results, progress, concerns, and discharge plans to patients, families, case management, nursing, and the interdisciplinary team. The position provides PRN weekend coverage and performs duties with minimal supervision of the director. The therapist is expected to demonstrate professional behavior, maintain licensure and certification, complete annual certification requirements and mandatory learning, participate in quality improvement and accreditation activities, and collaborate with and share knowledge among healthcare professionals, therapists, assistants, technicians, students, and staff. The role also requires a patient-centered customer-service approach, effective verbal and written communication, adaptability, sound time management, and compliance with safety, privacy, and hospital policies and procedures.
Requirements
- Graduate of an accredited Physical Therapist program.
- Currently meets, or will acquire within one year from date of hire, qualifications for direct access.
- Basic Life Support (CPR) certification upon hire.
- Tennessee Physical Therapist licensure upon hire.
- Strong age-appropriate competency skills.
- Excellent communication abilities and a collaborative, patient-centered approach to care.
Responsibilities
- Perform patient evaluations, assessments, treatments, and re-evaluations to establish and carry out treatment plans for functional mobility and self-care deficits.
- Develop and update individualized plans of care and provide direct treatments to help patients improve or maintain function, reduce pain, and improve quality of life.
- Communicate evaluation and treatment results, progress, concerns, and discharge plans to patients, families, case management, nursing, and the interdisciplinary team.
- Recognize changes in patients’ medical status and notify nursing when appropriate; identify changes or additions that could benefit treatment programs.
- Maintain medical records and plan-of-care documentation, schedule patients, and complete daily patient charges and required reporting-system entries.
- Meet patient-care productivity standards and complete assignments in a quality and timely manner, demonstrating effective time management.
- Use good body mechanics when lifting and transferring patients.
- Complete annual certification requirements and mandatory in-services and online learning; participate in required accreditation classes and activities.
- Share knowledge with other therapists, assistants, technicians, students, and healthcare professionals; assess staff learning needs and orient personnel as needed.
- Provide and respond to constructive feedback, maintain cooperative working relationships, and assist peers.
- Maintain appropriate licensure and certification and pursue relevant continuing education; share acquired knowledge with others.
- Provide positive customer service by listening and responding promptly to customer needs, maintaining positive interactions, handling stressful situations effectively, and looking for service improvements.
- Follow dress-code, privacy, confidentiality, safety, and hospital policies and procedures; help maintain a safe patient environment and keep noise and clutter to a minimum.
- Ensure equipment is working properly and promptly report malfunctions, abuse, or loss.
- Work over as patient volume requires to meet customer needs.
- Perform duties with minimal supervision of the director.
