PT/OT Assistant

Where You’ll Work

Founded in 1967, Dignity Health - Mercy San Juan Medical Center is a 377-bed, acute care, nonprofit hospital located in Carmichael, California. Serving over 100,000 patients annually, the hospital offers a full complement of services including a Level II Trauma Center, Level III NICU, heart care, cancer care, women’s health, and neurology. Additionally, Mercy San Juan Medical Center has been recognized as an LGBTQ+ Healthcare Equality Leader by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation. It is a Comprehensive Stroke Center, the highest level of stroke care certification awarded by The Joint Commission.

One Community. One Mission. One California

Job Summary and Responsibilities

As our Physical Therapy/Occupational Therapy Assistant, you will be a vital clinical support, meticulously implementing patient treatment programs and providing critical feedback toward recovery.Every day, you'll execute individual patient treatment programs developed by the therapist, guiding patients through exercises and activities. You'll provide objective feedback on patient and caregiver performance, collaborate with the supervising therapist, and contribute directly to therapy goals.To be successful, you'll combine strong clinical skill implementation with excellent observation, communication, and a compassionate approach, directly contributing to effective rehabilitation outcomes and an enhanced patient experience.

• Provides Effective and Adequate Treatment: Implements effective and adequate treatment following department guidelines 95-98% of the time. Ongoing assessment of treatment effectiveness. Goals and treatment are modified as appropriate in relation to working toward goals. Selects appropriate treatment interventions. Utilizes specialized techniques. Patient safety is addressed with follow-up recommended. Recommends/obtains equipment as appropriate.
• Provides treatment for multiple diagnoses and levels of care.
• Patient/Family Education and Training: Addresses patient/family education 95-98% of the time. Demonstrates a variety of teaching methods. Methods are appropriate to the level of understanding. Education is timely (initiated when patient/family capable of learning) and need is identified with action taken to initiate training. Content is comprehensive-all aspects of care, including safety. Patient/family performance is documented. Need for type and follow-up is indicated/documented.
• Documentation: Complies with department policy regarding documentation 95-98% of the time. Completed in a timely manner according to department policy. Concise, legible, correct grammar using medical terminology and approved abbreviations. Reflects all interventions used in treatment, patient response, ability to reach goals, and communication with delegating therapist regarding treatment plan modifications if needed. Addresses IOP indicators per policy. Reflects interdisciplinary teamwork and collaboration. Timecards, productivity logs, billing, and other logs for departmental functions are completed in a timely manner per department policy.
• Communication & Collaboration with Team/MD: Appropriately communicates treatment plan and patient status with team and MD with no more than 1 complaint per year. Participates in team conferences. Addresses verification of payor guidelines/authorization as needed, in a timely manner (i.e., prior to scheduling/treating patient or obtaining equipment. Attempts made to contact MD with patient concerns or changes in status in a timely manner. Solicits feedback from MD and coworkers to improve teamwork and collaboration (or uses unsolicited feedback) with no more than 1 valid complaint per year and no more than two complaints of the same nature per year. Collaborates with primary PT or OT regarding patient's progress with recommendations to update goals or discharge patients when appropriate.
• Delegates to and Supervises Students: Supervises students in achieving desired outcomes with no more than 1 complaint per year. Precepts 1 internship student per year after meeting preceptor qualifications and if requested. Provides appropriate clinical feedback to students in collaboration and under the general direction of a physical therapist or occupational therapist.

Job Requirements

Required

• Graduation from an approved Physical Therapy Assistant program or Occupational Therapy Assistant program, or successfully passing the equivalency examination and California licensure/eligibility as a physical therapy assistant or eligibility for certification by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy, Inc. and a California License, or eligibility, to practice Occupational Therapy, upon hire and
• Physical Therapy Assistant or Occupational Therapy Assistant license, upon hire and
• Basic Life Support - CPR - Authorized by the American Heart Association, upon hire

Preferred

• Experience as a physical therapy assistantor Occupational Therapist., upon hire