Occupational Therapist

JOB DESCRIPTION : Therapist

POSITION : Occupational Therapist

REPORTS TO : Executive Director of Exceptional Children

SALARY GRADE : 76

NATURE OF WORK :

Occupational therapists lead the process in development, implementation, and coordination of the occupational therapy program. Screening, evaluation, educational program and transition planning, therapeutic intervention, and exit planning is provided for students identified with or suspected of having disabilities that interfere with their ability to perform daily life activities or participate in necessary or desired occupations. Professional judgment and clinical knowledge are used to develop individualized programming based on occupational performance deficits in the areas of personal care, student role, interaction skills, process skills, play, community integration / work, and graphic communication. Occupational therapist regularly collaborates with other disciplines and services at departmental and system levels. Occupational therapist is expected to independently review outcomes and modify intervention programs. Clinical reasoning and professional judgment are essential to ensuring the safety of students and protecting liability of the school system and the therapist. Errors may result in serious harm to students. Direct supervision may be exercised over support personnel, such as occupational therapy assistants and clerical staff.

ILLUSTRATIVE EXAMPLES OF WORK : Additional duties may be assigned.

Identification, Evaluation, and Planning

• Collaborates with other disciplines to ensure team understanding of student occupational performance strengths and needs, through evaluation, educational program planning, and service delivery.
• Evaluates the student's ability and formulates the student's occupational profile through a variety of functional, behavioral, and standardized assessments, skilled observation, checklists, histories, and interviews.
• Synthesizes evaluation results into a comprehensive written report which reflects strengths and barriers to student participation in the educational environment; directs program development; and guides evidence-based intervention.
• Develops occupationally based intervention plans based on student needs and evaluation results.
• Participates in multidisciplinary meetings to review evaluation results, integrate findings with other disciplines, offer recommendations, and develop individual education plans and intervention plans to achieve IEP goals.

Service Delivery

Program Administration and Management

Education

Professional Growth and Ethics

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES :

PHYSICAL DEMANDS :

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit and talk or hear. The employee frequently is required to walk and use fingers, tools, or controls. The employee is occasionally required to stand and reach with hands and arms. Specific visual abilities required by this job include close vision, color vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus. Occasionally the employee will lift up to 50 lbs. such as to lift files, paper, school supplies, books, etc.

COMMUNICATION SKILLS :

Requires the ability to speak and / or signal people to convey or exchange information. Includes receiving instructions, assignments or directions from superiors.

REASONING ABILITY :

Requires the ability to apply principles of logical or scientific thinking to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions; to interpret an extensive variety of technical instructions in mathematical or diagrammatic form; and to deal with several abstract and concrete variables.

LANGUAGE ABILITY :

Requires the ability to read a variety of correspondence, reports, forms, articles, proposals, manuals, legislation, graphs, charts, etc. Requires the ability to prepare correspondence, reports, forms, charts, graphs, statistical analysis, etc., using prescribed formats and conforming to all rules of punctuation, grammar, diction and style. Requires the ability to speak to people with poise, voice control and confidence. Requires the ability to record and deliver information, to explain procedures, to follow oral and written instructions. Must be able to communicate effectively and efficiently through a variety of technical and professional languages including psychometric, statistical and educational research terminology.

WORK ENVIRONMENT :

The work environment characteristics are representative of those an employee may encounter, and include a noise level that is usually moderate to loud. The employee continuously interacts with the public and staff. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

This specification has been designated to represent the general nature and level of work found in positions in this class. As such, it is not intended to contain all of the duties and qualifications required of an employee in a single position (job). Consequently, it is not to be perceived as a position (job) description or as identification of essential functions as required by ADA.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE :

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS :

EVALUATION :

Performance in this position will be evaluated regularly by the supervisor in accordance with Board Policy.