School Based Occupational Therapist

Job Description: Occupational Therapist

Reports to: Director of Clinical Programming

Status: Full Time

Job Summary: Occupational therapists lead the process in development, implementation, and coordination of the occupational therapy program. This includes in-person and teletherapy services. Assessment/evaluation, intervention/treatment, IEP planning and implementation, discharge planning, related documentation, and communication between teachers, instructional assistants, related service providers, and families are provided for students identified with disabilities that interfere with their ability to perform or participate in daily life activities. Primary responsibility shall include student safety and appropriate collaboration and attention to each student's readiness to learn including needed guidance, discipline, and welfare. Must demonstrate strong skills in partnering with families.

Certifications and Qualifications:

Successful completion and graduation from an accredited Occupational Therapy program and completion of all fieldwork requirements

Current PA License as a certified Occupational Therapist

Current (dated within a year) Act 34, 114, and 151 clearances

Essential Duties and Competencies Required:

• Knowledge of occupational therapy theories, models of practice, principles, and evidence based practice.
• Ability to articulate the role of occupational therapy in the evaluation, intervention planning, and intervention process.
• Ability to analyze tasks relative to areas of occupation, performance skills, activity demands, contexts, and student factors to implement the intervention plan.
• Ability to recognize occupational performance deficits in the areas of personal care, student role/interactive skills, sensory processing skills and needs, play, community integration, and written communication.
• Skill in gathering screening and evaluation data, completing checklists, histories, and interviews.
• Ability to select, adapt, and sequence relevant occupations and purposeful activities that support intervention goals.
• Skill in effective oral and written communication.
• Ability to maintain safe environments, equipment, and materials.
• Ability to prepare and maintain accurate records and progress notes.
• Willingness to be educated and trained for specific program implementation.
• Initiative, strong work ethic, and the ability to positively interact and collaborate in a team environment.
• Ability to complete a thorough evaluation, including muscle tone, range of motion/mobility, orthopedic needs, movement analysis, perceptive/fine motor skills, sensory motor processing and functional activities of daily living.
• Educate and demonstrate (verbally or written) therapy techniques to parents that can be incorporated into the home.
• Develop and implement IEPs to meet the individual needs of the child.
• Attend staff meetings, in-service training, and continuing education courses as appropriate or required.
• Assess and make recommendations regarding the use of adaptive equipment as needed and provide written justification.
• Responsible for timely documentation of evaluation results, progress reports, discharge reports, daily notes, service tracker notes.
• Maintain professional clinical competency by attending certified CEU in-services and workshops.
• Travel between campuses as needed and directed.
• Duties can be performed in the building, community, or in other off-campus locations.

Additional Duties and Responsibilities:

• To read and abide by the Employee Handbook including updates and changes.
• To attend all mandatory meetings, including those that fall outside of regularly scheduled school hours and as described in the Employee Handbook.
• This job description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to be performed by this employee. The Occupational Therapist will be required to follow any other instructions and to perform any other related duties as assigned by the Head of School, Associate Head of School, Director of Educational programming, or other appropriate administrator.

Physical Requirements:

Sitting, standing, lifting and carrying (up to 50 pounds), reaching, squatting, climbing stairs, kneeling, and moving light furniture may be required. Adequate vision and hearing ability for monitoring children's verbal and non-verbal responses.

Safety and Health:

Knowledge of universal hygiene precautions.

Equipment/Material Handled:

The Occupational Therapist shall be assigned a variety of evaluation and consulting materials which are to be appropriately stored and accounted for. All media resources and borrowed material are to be judiciously used, and are to be maintained in a reasonably unsoiled and non- damaged fashion. Must know how to properly operate or be willing to learn to operate all multimedia equipment including current technology.

Work Environment:

The Occupational Therapist shall be assigned office and/or therapy space (building or virtual), amenable to individual and group therapy sessions. When working with individual students or groups of students (or staff) a reasonably clean and distraction-free area is to be maintained in accordance with their supervisor. It shall be the duty of the OT to maintain a travel schedule from one location to another, and to provide timely notices when published schedules cannot be maintained. Must be able to work within various degrees of noise, temperature, and air quality. Interruptions of work are routine. Flexibility and patience are required. Must be self-motivated and able to complete job assignments without direct supervision. Job responsibilities include both inside and outside assignments. Must be able to work under stressful conditions.

A Step Up Academy reserves the right to update, revise or change this job description and related duties at any time.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: From $70,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• Dental insurance
• Health insurance
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Tuition reimbursement
• Vision insurance

Education:

• Master's (Required)

License/Certification:

• Occupational Therapy License (Required)

Work Location: In person