Sr Occupational Therapist

Shriners Children's•Portland, OR

12d

About The Position

The Senior Occupational Therapist leads and mentors staff in compliant, current evidence-based practice while supporting the local manager or director of rehabilitation and therapy services. The role serves as a subject matter expert and provides patient-centered, comprehensive clinical care in an efficient, age-appropriate, and culturally sensitive manner. The therapist communicates effectively, supports staff and student development, works cooperatively in teams, and facilitates program development and improvement at the patient, department, and facility levels. In cooperation with local leaders, the therapist provides care according to Shriners Children’s FOCUSED©™ Program, a system-wide model emphasizing patient- and family-centered care. The therapist evaluates patients referred by a licensed independent practitioner using a systematic examination and a comprehensive patient- and family-centered approach, incorporating the ICF model and AMA CPT Codes. The therapist gathers clinical data through history, systems review, and appropriate tests and measures; establishes therapy diagnoses, prognoses, goals, and individualized plans of care; and designs and modifies evidence-based treatment plans and home programs. The role may involve collaboration with patients, families, multidisciplinary teams, vendors, and payers to arrange orthotic devices, adaptive equipment, pressure garments, assistive technology, prosthetics, and durable medical equipment, as well as fabricating orthotic devices when indicated. The therapist coordinates discharge planning with patients, families, care management, community resources, and multidisciplinary teams; assesses and addresses educational needs; and communicates instructions and referrals in ways appropriate to the patient’s and family’s understanding. The role maintains timely, accurate, objective, factual, and HIPAA-compliant documentation that supports medical necessity, skilled interventions, progress, and applicable revenue-cycle and regulatory requirements. The Senior Occupational Therapist mentors colleagues, supports orientation and education, helps ensure staff competencies, supervises student clinical education and appropriate non-professional staff training, and promotes a safe, organized, and compliant work environment. The role supports clinical program development, practice guidelines, quality and organizational improvement, committee participation, and the integration of equipment or technology to support care. The therapist pursues professional development, participates in staff education and research-related evidence-based practice, and upholds professional, ethical, technical, and organizational standards.

Requirements

Five years of pediatric rehabilitation experience.
Licensed in the state of practice.
Specialty certification meeting the stated criteria: prerequisite requirements for application, an examination or review process, recertification or maintenance requirements, relevance to evidence-based practice, and external recognition as supplemental to the field of practice.
Basic Life Support (BLS).

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree in a related field.
Master’s degree in a related field.
Bachelor’s degree from an accredited program (identified as a minimal requirement in the preferred qualifications).
Graduate degree.
AOTA fieldwork educator certificate, APTA credentialed clinical instructor credential, or ASHA clinical fellowship mentor qualification.

Responsibilities

Examine and evaluate referred patients using a systematic, comprehensive, patient- and family-centered approach informed by the ICF model and AMA CPT Codes.
Select and administer tests and measures, interpret clinical findings, establish therapy diagnoses and prognoses, and develop quantifiable, reachable goals and individualized plans of care with patients and families.
Design, implement, monitor, and modify evidence-based treatment plans and home programs for patients from infancy through young adulthood.
Collaborate with patients, families, multidisciplinary teams, vendors, and third-party payers to identify and obtain appropriate orthotic devices, adaptive equipment, pressure garments, assistive technology, prosthetics, and durable medical equipment.
Maintain skills to fabricate orthotic devices when indicated by the treatment plan and help develop clinical programs and practice guidelines.
Ensure interventions comply with department policy, professional standards, and applicable state regulations.
Coordinate discharge plans with patients, families, care management, community resources, schools, outside therapy clinics, and multidisciplinary teams.
Assess patient and caregiver education needs and provide understandable discharge instructions and home-program, exercise, activity, splint, and equipment-use education.
Provide discharge referrals and communicate with medical vendors and outside therapeutic services as needed.
Maintain timely, accurate, objective, factual, and HIPAA-compliant documentation that meets payer, regulatory, and professional requirements and supports medical necessity, skilled services, and patient progress.
Assist with documentation audits and complete revenue-cycle, scheduling, adaptive-equipment, and patient-care-statistics paperwork accurately and on time.
Mentor colleagues and serve as a subject matter expert and role model, promoting open communication and a positive, organized, compliant, and safe work environment.
Promote critical thinking and evidence-based decision-making and help plan, implement, evaluate, and modify clinical programs and interventions.
Use data to identify and implement organizational improvements, address recurring clinical practice issues, and make recommendations to enhance treatment decisions.
Participate in orientation and education of new employees, support completion of discipline competencies, and supervise student clinical education and appropriate training and oversight of non-professional staff.
Support program development, departmental responsibilities, committee participation, and adherence to deadlines and clinical standards, guidelines, and protocols.
Identify opportunities to integrate new equipment or technology and communicate staff concerns to the director as needed.
Reflect on personal practice and pursue clinical education and professional growth; participate in staff in-services, competency activities, and identification of educational needs.
Review applicable federal, state, payer, AMA CPT coding, and State Practice Act requirements and assist peers in meeting them.
Support and advance evidence-based practice, including through involvement in research, and uphold high ethical, professional, and technical standards and organizational core values.