Occupational Therapist - Pediatric Acute Care

Job description

Discover Vanderbilt Health : With eight hospitals and over 180 clinics, we are the region’s largest comprehensive academic health system. Vanderbilt Health has a long tradition of providing world-class care to the people of the Mid-South, living out our mission of moving medicine forward through preeminent programs in patient care, education and research. Here you’ll find a spirit of collaboration and a supportive community where your expertise is valued, your knowledge expanded and your uniqueness celebrated. We are committed to fostering an environment where talented, compassionate people are united in bringing the most advanced care to our neighbors throughout the region. Organization: MCJCHV Peds Rehab Job Summary: JOB SUMMARY Provides occupational therapy services to patients who have impairments, developmental disabilities, functional limitations, disabilities, or changes in physical function and health status resulting from injury, disease or other causes under occasional guidance. Actively collaborates with the health care/educational team to meet patient care, outcomes and system improvement objectives. . Occupational Therapist - Pediatric Acute Care Location: Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt, Nashville, TN Schedule: Full-time | 40 Hours per Week | Monday through Friday, with one weekend per month Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt is seeking an Occupational Therapist to join our Acute Care Rehabilitation Team. This role provides inpatient occupational therapy services to infants, children, and adolescents across a variety of acute care settings, including intensive care, cardiac, medical, surgical, neurologic, and medically complex populations. As part of a nationally recognized children's hospital and academic medical center, you will help patients achieve optimal functional outcomes while supporting developmental progression, caregiver engagement, and safe transitions of care. Why Join This Team? Treat a diverse pediatric acute care population, from infants through adolescents Work with medically complex patients in ICU and non-ICU settings Collaborate with highly skilled interdisciplinary teams across multiple specialties Practice in a nationally ranked children's hospital Access mentorship, continuing education, specialty training, and career advancement opportunities Contribute to evidence-based, family-centered care that impacts patients throughout their recovery journey About the Acute Care Rehabilitation Team The Acute Care Rehabilitation Team provides inpatient occupational, physical, and speech therapy services throughout Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt. Occupational Therapists partner closely with physicians, nurses, rehabilitation therapists, child life specialists, social workers, respiratory therapists, and case managers to support patients with: Critical illness and intensive care needs Cardiac and post-surgical conditions Neurological diagnoses Orthopedic injuries and conditions Complex medical disorders Chronic and developmental conditions ​ Our team focuses on maximizing function, promoting independence, supporting developmental milestones, educating caregivers, and facilitating safe discharge planning. Key Responsibilities Evaluate and treat pediatric patients with developmental, neurological, orthopedic, cardiac, post-surgical, and medically complex diagnoses Develop individualized, evidence-based treatment plans that promote functional independence, participation, and developmental progress Provide occupational therapy interventions in an acute care hospital environment Assess self-care, fine motor, cognitive, sensory, and functional performance skills Educate patients, families, and caregivers to support successful outcomes beyond hospitalization Collaborate with interdisciplinary healthcare teams to optimize patient care Participate in discharge planning and continuity of care efforts Maintain timely, accurate documentation consistent with hospital and regulatory standards ​ What Sets This Role Apart Exposure to high-acuity pediatric patient populations, including intensive care environments Opportunities to treat medically complex and specialized pediatric cases Strong interdisciplinary collaboration across multiple medical and surgical specialties Practice within a leading academic medical center and children's hospital Emphasis on evidence-based practice, professional growth, and clinical excellence Family-centered approach focused on optimizing long-term outcomes ​ Required Qualifications Graduate of an accredited Occupational Therapy program Current Tennessee Occupational Therapist license or eligibility to obtain licensure Basic Life Support (BLS) certification Experience working with medically complex patients in an acute care or hospital-based setting ​ Preferred Qualifications Pediatric acute care experience Pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) experience Experience treating medically complex pediatric populations Experience in cardiac, critical care, or inpatient rehabilitation settings ​ Why Vanderbilt Health? At Vanderbilt Health, you'll join a mission-driven organization recognized for clinical excellence, innovation, and compassionate care. Our rehabilitation professionals are valued members of the care team and empowered to practice at the top of their profession while making a meaningful difference in the lives of children and families every day. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES • Analyzes comprehensive information from formal and informal assessment that is pertinent to the patient's care and management to determine a rehabilitation treatment diagnosis. • Collaborates with stakeholders in establishing the plan of care, coordinates and implements care delivery while anticipating patient care needs across the rehabilitation continuum. • Applies appropriate, evidence-based interventions to ensure effective outcomes and re-evaluates performance to assess patient's progress towards goals. • Employs strategies to promote successful return to home, community, and school/vocational environments. • The responsibilities listed are a general overview of the position and additional duties may be assigned. TECHNICAL CAPABILITIES • Rehab Therapist Patient Documentation (Intermediate): Demonstrates proficiency in documentation practices. Documents in the appropriate templates and utilizes only approved abbreviations within patient documentation. Meets institutional standards for quality and timeliness of documentation. May complete accurate chart audits of co-workers in the same classification category • Treatment Planning & Goal Setting (Intermediate): Demonstrates mastery in developing a plan of care that incorporates treatment interventions focused on meeting objective goals. Develops and documents patient focused short and long term goals that are functional and measurable. Identifies the need for and referral to other services, as needed. May serve as a mentor for other clinical staff to develop their skills in treatment planning. May consult with team members or implement new procedures. • Rehabilitation Therapist Patient Evaluation (Intermediate): Demonstrates mastery in evaluating patients with physical deficits including impairments, developmental disabilities, functional limitations, disabilities, or changes in physical function by obtaining information pertinent to the assessment and administering and scoring standardized tests and objective measures of deficit areas. Selects appropriate measures and performs a functional assessment to document patient's status requiring skilled therapy. Interprets the results of the assessment and their significance to the patient, family, referring physician and other members of the health care team. Demonstrates experience in clinical evaluation skills and may serve as a mentor for other clinical staff to develop their skills in evaluation techniques. Contributes to the development of best practices for the organization. May consult with team members to implement new procedures. • Treatment Implementation (Intermediate): Demonstrates mastery in providing treatment consistent with physician prescription and established plan of care. Able to modify treatment plan as needed to demonstrate provision of skilled therapy services including progression of treatment throughout course of care, and revision of treatment interventions of goals not met. Supervises and directs certified athletic trainers (PT only), physical therapist / occupational therapist assistants, technicians and volunteers and students. Selects and follows correct protocol for care, as established, and actively seek out, utilize and mentor/teach others on current evidence based treatment strategies. May consult with team members to offer suggestions for treatment strategies. May serve as a clinical content expert for practice area, initiates consultation with team members for advanced treatment of patients, develop forum for staff members to utilize clinical expertise. • Physical/Occupational Therapist Patient Education (Intermediate): Demonstrates mastery in communicating functional impact of assessment findings, treatment interventions, treatment planning diagnosis, and disease process. Able to adapt communication to needs/level of understanding of audience and share appropriate information/literature. May supervise, educate and train students from professional programs of physical therapy, occupational therapy, and athletic training and/or students and staff from other departments. Contributes in the development of patient education best practices for the organization. Allied health is among the fastest growing occupations in healthcare today. This area can be defined as credentialed professionals who perform supportive, diagnostic, and therapeutic health care services to promote health and prevent disease in a variety of settings. These areas are crucial to Vanderbilt Health’s reputation for excellence in these areas that has made us a major center for patient referrals from throughout the Mid-South. Each year, people throughout Tennessee and the southeast choose Vanderbilt Health for their health care because of our leadership in medical science and our dedication to treating patients with dignity and compassion. ​ Core Accountabilities: Organizational Impact: Executes job responsibilities with the understanding of how output would affect and impact other areas related to own job area/team with occasional guidance. Problem Solving/ Complexity of work: Analyzes moderately complex problems using technical experience and judgment. Breadth of Knowledge: Has expanded knowledge gained through experience within a professional area. Team Interaction: Provides informal guidance and support to team members. Core Capabilities : Supporting Colleagues:- Develops Self and Others: Invests time, energy, and enthusiasm in developing self/others to help improve performance e and gain knowledge in new areas.- Builds and Maintains Relationships: Maintains regular contact with key colleagues and stakeholders using formal and informal opportunities to expand and strengthen relationships.- Communicates Effectively: Recognizes group interactions and modifies one's own communication style to suit different situations and audiences. Delivering Excellent Services:- Serves Others with Compassion: Seeks to understand current and future needs of relevant stakeholders and customizes services to better address them.- Solves Complex Problems: Approaches problems from different angles; Identifies new possibilities to interpret opportunities and develop concrete solutions.- Offers Meaningful Advice and Support: Provides ongoing support and coaching in a constructive manner to increase employees' effectiveness. Ensuring High Quality: - Performs Excellent Work: Engages regularly in formal and informal dialogue about quality; directly addresses quality issues promptly.- Ensures Continuous Improvement: Applies various learning experiences by looking beyond symptoms to uncover underlying causes of problems and identifies ways to resolve them. - Fulfills Safety and Regulatory Requirements: Understands all aspects of providing a safe environment and performs routine safety checks to prevent safety hazards from occurring. Managing Resources Effectively: - Demonstrates Accountability: Demonstrates a sense of ownership, focusing on and driving critical issues to closure.- Stewards Organizational Resources: Applies understanding of the departmental work to effectively manage resources for a department/area.- Makes Data Driven Decisions: Demonstrates strong understanding of the information or data to identify and elevate opportunities. Fostering Innovation:- Generates New Ideas: Proactively identifies new ideas/opportunities from multiple sources or methods to improve processes beyond conventional approaches.- Applies Technology: Demonstrates an enthusiasm for learning new technologies, tools, and procedures to address short-term challenges.- Adapts to Change: Views difficult situations and/or problems as opportunities for improvement; actively embraces change instead of emphasizing negative elements. Position Qualifications: Responsibilities: Certifications: LIC-Occupational Therapy License - Licensure-Others Work Experience: Relevant Work Experience Experience Level : 1 year Education: Bachelor's This role offers the opportunity to make a meaningful impact within Vanderbilt Health, supported by a comprehensive benefits package which may include health, disability, retirement and/or wellness offerings to enhance your well-being and professional growth. Vanderbilt Health is committed to fostering an environment where everyone has the chance to thrive and is committed to the principles of equal opportunity. EOE/Vets/Disabled.