Occupational Therapist - Inpatient Services

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About Duke University Hospital

Pursue your passion for caring with Duke University Hospital in Durham, North Carolina, which is consistently ranked among the best in the United States and is the number one hospital in North Carolina, according to U.S. News and World Report for 2023-2024. Duke University Hospital is the largest of Duke Health's three hospitals and features 1048 patient beds, 65 operating rooms, as well as comprehensive diagnostic and therapeutic facilities, including a regional emergency/trauma center, an endo-surgery center, and more.

Occ Summary

Develop, improve, or restore skills in activities of daily living, work or productive activities and play or leisure. Intervention involves therapeutic use of meaningful and purposeful occupations, adaptation of environments, promotion of health and wellness, graded tasks and activities as prerequisites to engagement in occupations, design, fabrication, application or training in the use of assistive technology or orthotic/prosthetic devices, application of physical agent modalities and application of ergonomic principles to the performance of occupations. Serve as a resource person for the team and department; participates in orientation of new staff therapists, physicians and other health personnel. The senior participates in teaching activities for occupational therapy and other health related students.

Work Performed

See departmental criteria for clinical ladder advancement eligibility. Demonstrate and articulate sound clinical reasoning in synthesizing complex evaluation data identifying diagnosis and developing a comprehensive plan of care. Develop and update appropriate plan of care in collaboration with the patient/family and related to the person's age and lifestyle with measurable long- and short-term goals and a defined D/C plan. Understand the role of occupational therapy in the context of the patient's age, total needs perspective and environment. Select and administer appropriate assessment and treatment techniques. Perform age appropriate competency skills in area of practice and with respect to individual patient's problems. Follow intervention protocols and revise interventions appropriately. Discharge patient when goals have been met or medical necessity is no longer indicated. Establish provisions for continuing services/follow up as needed. Meet competency skills for evaluations in area of practice. Consistently meet patient care productivity standard as established for job classification. Work cooperatively with supervisors and peers to contribute to the overall productivity of the team. Utilize support personnel (aides, senior aides, assistants) as appropriate and available. Actively support and participate in patient coverage efforts across all divisions within the department as necessary. Assess the learning needs and capabilities of patients and caregivers. Initiate patient and family education in a timely manner relative to age, LOS, readiness to learn, and emotional status. Utilize appropriate methods and materials for effective learning, monitoring response to education, and adapting program appropriately. Ensure that patient/family understands when and how to access further intervention. Patient care documentation is timely, legible, and efficient. Documentation is concise, pertinent and meets the professions and departments documentation standards. Oral reporting is clear, concise, relevant, and timely. Perform all required data collection for the department accurately and within expected time frame. Peer review standards are consistently met. Collaborate effectively with other members of the health care team. Take one to two students for short-term clinical rotation. Adjust supervisory techniques for individual students' needs. Provide in-services on clinical education attended. Perform other related duties incidental to the work described herein.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

Ability to push-pull, lift-carry, and transfer patients.

Level Characteristics

See Clinical Ladder administration document

Minimum Qualifications

Education

Bachelor's degree in Occupational Therapy required, with Master's degree preferred.

Experience

None beyond required education, although more experience may be preferred at times.

Degrees, Licensures, Certifications

Current Occupational Therapy license in North Carolina.

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Essential Physical Job Functions: Certain jobs at Duke University and Duke University Health System may include essentialjob functions that require specific physical and/or mental abilities. Additional information and provision for requests for reasonable accommodation will be provided by each hiring department.