Certified Hand Therapist/Occupational Therapist

Role Purpose:

The Certified Hand Therapist/Occupational Therapist provides patient care in accordance with accepted Occupational Therapy/ Certified Hand Therapist techniques, upon the referral of a physician or physician’s assistant.  The Certified Hand Therapist/Occupational Therapist performs initial evaluations, develops treatment plans and sets appropriate goals to assist patients in achieving their maximum functional level. The Certified Hand Therapist/Occupational Therapist also actively participates in Hand Clinics, including evaluation and treatment of patients during shared appointments with the Hand Surgeon and/ or Hand Physician Assistants.

Responsibilities:

1. Performs evaluations, sets functional and objective goals and plan treatment programs for each patient referral.  Reevaluates the plan and goals in a timely manner.

2. Accepts realistic work load, takes initiative to maximize use of clinical schedule.

3. Displays competent, current clinical decision-making.

a. Utilizing clinic and department resources for the maximum benefit of the patient

b. Recognizing when care is outside the scope of your practice.

i. Communicating unmet patient care needs to referring physician and appropriately offering suggestions for possible resources to meet patient needs.

4. Ensures that appropriate treatment is carried out and integrated with other needs of the patient

a. Social services

b. Psychiatry or Behavioral Medicine

c. Speech or Vocational Therapy

d. Equipment

e. Community Services and Resources

5. Enhance patient care through appropriate use of support personnel, including necessary training and keeping support staff up-to-date in clinical issues.

6. Participates in department and personal development:

a. Assist with programming for services in the department

b. Attends clinical continuing education, relevant to the practice

c. Takes responsibility for personal development and improvements

d. Participates in community and/or employee education

7. Completes documentation promptly within department expectations:

a. Follows Rehabilitation Agency requirements for documentation

b. Initial evaluations, daily notes, and progress notes completed within 24 hours

c. Recertification and prior authorization paperwork completed with designated time frames.

d. Discharge summaries completed on a timely basis. 

e. Encounter forms completed on a daily basis

f. Progress Notes and letters to physicians

g. Department forms

8. Contributes to the effective organization of the department

a. Keeps office and treatment areas clean and orderly

b. Learns and utilizes department equipment and systems

c. Participates in community and/or employee education

d. Performs other duties, as requested

e. Ensure that your specific responsibilities are carried out in your absence related to specialty programming, patient care, etc…

9. Accepts and responds to constructive critical feedback in a professional manner

10. Conforms to appropriate Medical Center and Therapy Services department policies, as well as Service Excellence Initiatives

a. Infection control policies with regard to blood and body fluids

b. Rehabilitation Agency requirements

c. Displays safety in administering patient treatment and department operations

i. Recognizes safety concerns

ii. Communicates and acts on safety concerns.

11. Conducts practice in accordance with American Occupational Therapy Association Code of Ethics

Required:

1. Bachelor’s or Master’s degree from an approved school of Occupational Therapy

2. Wisconsin State licensure.

3. 5 years of clinical experience as an Occupational Therapist (OTR) or Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant (COTA), with at least 3 of those years licensed as an OTR, including 4,000 hours or more in direct practice in hand therapy.

4. Successfully pass a comprehensive test of advanced clinical skills and theory in upper quarter rehabilitation and gain initial certification through the Hand Therapy Certification Commission (HTCC) as a Certified Hand Therapist.

5. Demonstrate continued professional development and competency by Recertification through the HTCC every 5 years (2,000 hours of work experience and 80 contact hours of professional development).

6. Participation in Dean Medical Group Occupational Therapy / Hand Therapy clinical education program (educate, mentor and/ or serve as a clinical instructor to students).

7. Ability to travel to other sites.

Preferred:

1. Outpatient Orthopedic experience

2. Experience with physical agents/modalities

3. Advanced upper extremity orthotic fabrication skills (including static, static-progressive and dynamic orthoses).

4. Experience with casting of the upper extremity

5. Experience with mentoring newer graduates and students

6. Experience in interpretation and application of clinical research and outcome studies

Essential Physical Functions:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

1. Ability to sit or stand for extended periods.

2. Ability to hear and converse on the phone and in person.

3. Ability to continuously perform fine motor tasks, such as setting up therapy equipment and machines, working on the computer, writing or phone tasks.

4. Ability to lift and to push/pull boxes, charts or therapy equipment weighing up to 20 pounds.  Directly working with patient handling / ambulation tasks.

5. Ability to work with and to wear appropriate Personal Protective Equipment when working with bloodborne pathogens or other chemicals.

6. Ability to drive a personal vehicle on a weekly basis to attend meetings or float to another site.

7. Ability to use small tools such as drills, hole punches, heat guns, cast saw, etc. (Tools typically used for splinting and casting).

About SSM Health Dean Clinic-

Based in Madison, Wis., Dean Clinic consists of a network of more than 60 clinics in south-central Wisconsin. Our more than 500 physicians provide primary, specialty and tertiary care in the clinics as well as eye care through our Davis Duehr Dean locations. Dean Clinic also offers urgent care services and operates outpatient surgery centers. Dean Clinic joined SSM Health in 2013.