Occupational Therapist - South Clinics
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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.
The Department of Rehabilitation Services at Duke University Health System is currently accepting applications for a full-time, certified hand therapist in an outpatient setting within the department’s Ambulatory division. Within the healthcare setting, you will be working closely with board-certified hand surgeons, fellows and residents. Beyond patient care, there are many additional opportunities including mentoring students and fellows, program development, hand surgery conferences, and rounding.
Qualified candidates will have graduated from an accredited school of Occupational Therapy and possess a license to practice occupational therapy in North Carolina. They will have extensive hand therapy experience managing pre- and post-operative conditions in an outpatient setting. A certified hand therapist is preferred. To qualify, candidates must possess both advanced skill in the fabrication of custom splints/orthoses, and skills in managing complex diagnoses and surgical procedures.
Candidates must have excellent communication skills and the ability to develop constructive relationships with patients, their families, and interdisciplinary team members. They will demonstrate a willingness to function as a member of a high-achieving team and to provide consultation to other disciplines regarding best practices in upper extremity rehabilitation.
Joining the Duke Hand Therapy Team requires a commitment to utilizing available evidence to establish best practices for hand therapy. Candidates who practice evidence-informed rehabilitation, are great with people, and are interested in growing and learning alongside a team of dedicated professionals.
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.
Duke is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer committed to providing employment opportunity without regard to an individual's age, color, disability, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or veteran status.
Duke aspires to create a community built on collaboration, innovation, creativity, and belonging. Our collective success depends on the robust exchange of ideas—an exchange that is best when the rich diversity of our perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences flourishes. To achieve this exchange, it is essential that all members of the community feel secure and welcome, that the contributions of all individuals are respected, and that all voices are heard. All members of our community have a responsibility to uphold these values.
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.
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