Rehabilitation Therapy Aide - Physical Therapy - Per Diem 8 Hour Days (Non-Exempt) (Union)

University of Southern California•Los Angeles, CA

4d•Onsite

About The Position

The Rehabilitation Therapy Aide assists with direct and indirect patient care under the direction of the Department Director and as delegated by therapists, chiefs, or the director. The role supports patient scheduling and referral coordination, prepares and assists with treatments, maintains treatment areas and equipment, stocks supplies, performs clerical duties, and communicates and documents effectively. The aide also performs assigned departmental activities and special projects. Scheduling and administrative responsibilities include documenting schedules, listing expected admissions, keeping scheduling tags current, completing schedules within required time frames, locating surgery schedules, and identifying potential rehabilitation admissions. The aide manages clerical duties for the assigned practice area, maintains current forms, and orients new staff and registry personnel to routine forms and processes. The aide supports physical and occupational therapists during treatment by communicating patient responses and assistance levels, providing cues, gathering treatment-plan information, and preparing patient and treatment areas. Duties also include ordering supplies and completing assigned responsibilities such as temperature logs, equipment checklists, and gym cleaning. For outpatient services, the aide pulls charts for the next business day, checks that required documentation is present and correctly prepared, alerts front office staff when prescriptions or authorizations need attention, and prepares discharged charts for medical-record scanning. In wound care, the aide gathers supplies, prepares a clean field, correctly prepares, drapes, and positions patients, and prepares and organizes the treatment room. Other duties may be assigned. Keck Hospital of USC is a 343-bed acute care hospital providing specialized care for complex medical and surgical conditions. The hospital is an academic medical center with clinical trials conducted at the hospital and affiliated research institutions.

Requirements

High school diploma or equivalent.
Knowledge and skills necessary to assist therapists in providing care appropriate to adolescent, adult, and geriatric patients.
Demonstrated excellent customer service behavior.
Proficiency with Microsoft Word and internet access and use.
Ability to communicate effectively in English, verbally and in writing.
Basic Life Support (BLS) Healthcare Provider certification from the American Heart Association.
Fire Life Safety Training (LA City) is required within LA City; if not held at hire, it must be obtained within 30 days of hire and maintained through renewal before expiration.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree in a related field.
Six to twelve months of volunteer or paid experience in a rehabilitation setting, either in a hospital or private practice.

Responsibilities

Assist therapists with patient scheduling, referral updates, scheduling tags, schedule transcription, and schedule distribution to nursing units.
Document schedules, list expected admissions, keep tags updated, and complete daily schedules within required time frames.
Locate surgery schedules, identify potential rehabilitation admissions, and assign identified admissions to a team as appropriate.
Perform clerical duties for the assigned practice area and keep forms current.
Orient new staff and registry personnel to routinely used forms and processes, including billing forms and time logs.
Assist physical and occupational therapists with patient care according to policy and scheduled treatment times.
Communicate patient responses and assistance levels to therapists, seek and provide treatment-plan information, and cue patients to facilitate treatment.
Prepare, set up, clean, and organize patient and treatment areas before and after treatment, including attending to patients’ setup needs.
Order supplies according to department needs and requirements; stock linen and supplies.
Complete assigned aide duties, including daily temperature logs, equipment checklists, and gym cleaning.
Undertake special projects assigned by the Department Director or Supervisor.
For outpatient services, pull charts for the next business day and verify that documentation, prescriptions, and authorizations are appropriately prepared and current; bring issues to the attention of front office staff.
Prepare discharged outpatient charts for scanning by medical records.
For wound care, gather supplies, prepare a clean field, prepare, drape, and position patients, and organize the treatment room.
Perform other duties as assigned.