OCCUPATIONAL THERAPIST I

Full Job Description

DEFINITION:
Provides professional occupational therapy services to assist patients with mental or physical disabilities to attain, regain or maintain physical or mental functioning or to adjust to their disabilities.

CLASSIFICATION STANDARDS:
Positions allocable to this class receive administrative and clinical supervision from a higher-level occupational therapist, or in California Children's Services, receive supervision from either a higher-level physical or occupational therapist. Incumbents provide occupational therapy services to patients in a range of settings such as acute medical, psychiatric, or rehabilitation hospitals, out-patient clinics, or in California Children's Services Medical Therapy Units. Incumbents may supervise subordinate therapists, students, and other support staff in performing delegated and assigned treatment and exercise procedures. Incumbents work within the framework of established procedures, professional standards, and practice acts, and receive additional direction and consultative guidance from instructors, higher-level therapists, and physicians.

Requirements

Provides occupational therapy services to pediatric patients.Reviews physicians' referrals for occupational therapy services and utilizes information obtained from patients' records relative to their medical history, social and emotional disorders and prognoses in order to select appropriate evaluation procedures for identifying patients' functional limitations/disabilities/problems and their level of performance.Administers a variety of evaluation tests to assess the nature and extent of impaired function, capacities and limitations such as range of motion, muscle coordination, cognition, developmental stage and life roles.Performs evaluation procedures to determine patients' performance capacities and deficits such as functional, cognitive, visual and perceptual abilities; assesses patients' interests, goals, environment, and psychological and emotional conditions, including interpersonal and social attitudes and behaviors.Analyzes evaluation test results to establish realistic treatment goals, predict anticipated level of functioning and time to achieve it; plans and develops sequential treatment programs; assesses patients' progress; communicates test results and measurements to physicians, members of allied health disciplines, and patients' families; develops and modifies initial and subsequent treatment programs consistent with the changing needs of the patient.Selects treatment methods and techniques that are compatible with patients' needs and capacities by assigning activities of interest which will develop desired motions, responses, attitudes, behaviors, or mental function; treatment programs may include individual and group activities such as manual arts, crafts, games, music, exercises, and sensory-motor integration, and practice in functional, pre-vocational, homemaking skills and activities of daily living.Performs complex treatment modalities, interventions, and techniques requiring special precautionary measures such as post-operative activities, manual stretching, positioning extremities with splints and braces designed to prevent or correct deformities, and special facilitation techniques to increase muscle strength and develop control and coordination.Confers with physicians, interdisciplinary treatment providers or a health team, and families regarding evaluation, treatment, progress and disposition of patients; makes recommendations such as for splinting and bracing, and considers suggestions made by physicians, other allied health personnel, and/or families.Coordinates patient treatment and results with other professionals and agencies such as physicians, nurses, social workers, rehabilitation and school personnel, families and vendors to provide total care to the patient.Supervises patient treatments and procedures delegated to other occupational therapy personnel and student occupational therapists and provides technical guidance on problem cases.Supervises, maintains, and/or modifies patients' treatment plan and documents progress notes relative to the therapy.Participates in continuing education/staff development programs and other medical facility, departmental, and professional licensing requirements as directed.Serves as clinical instructor to new employees, interns, and/or students; participates in quality assessment and improvement activities as needed.

Qualifications SELECTION REQUIREMENTS:Graduation from an occupational therapy curriculum accredited by the American Occupational Therapy Association Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE)*.LICENSE:Current license issued by the California Board of Occupational Therapy as an Occupational Therapist**.A valid California Class C Driver License or the ability to utilize an alternative method of transportation when needed to carry out job-related essential functions.PHYSICAL CLASS:Physical Class III - Moderate: This class requires that the incumbent stand or walk most of the time with bending, stooping, squatting, twisting, reaching, working on irregular surfaces, occasional lifting of objects weighing over 25 pounds, and frequent lifting of 10-25 pounds.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENT INFORMATION:*In order to receive credit for any type of college or university degree you must attach a legible copy of the Official Diploma, Official Transcript(s), or Official Letter from the accredited institution, which shows the area of specialization and the date the degree was awarded, with Registrar's signature and school seal, to the application or within fifteen (15) calendar days from application submission to hrexams@ph.lacounty.gov.Foreign studies must be evaluated for equivalency to United States accredited institutions standards by an academic credential evaluation agency recognized by The National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) or the Association of International Credential Evaluators, Inc.

(AICE). (see Employment Information under Accreditation Information).

**A license issued by the California Board of Occupational Therapy as an Occupational Therapist: Applicants must ensure the License and Certification Section of the application is completed.

Provide the title(s) of your required license(s), the number(s), date(s) of issue, date(s) of expiration and the name(s) of the issuing agency for the required license as specified in the Selection Requirements.All documents must be attached to your application at the time of filing or e-mailed to HRExams@ph.lacounty.gov within fifteen (15) calendar days from application submission or your application may be rejected as incomplete.DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS:Pediatric experience providing services to the pediatric population in areas such as in healthcare or schools or closely related field.

Pediatric experience working with children with special needs in areas such as in healthcare or schools or closely related field.

Additional Information EXAMINATION CONTENT:Once we have determined that you meet our certificate and experience requirements described above, our examination process will consist of an evaluation of training and experience based on application information, desirable qualifications, and supplemental questionnaire information at the time of filing weighted 100%.

Applicants must meet the Requirements and achieve a passing score of 70% or higher on each part of the examination in order to be added on the Eligible Register (hiring list).

Passing this examination and being added to the Eligible Register does not guarantee an offer of employment.

ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION:The names of candidates will be added to the Eligible Register in the order of their score group for a period of twelve (12) months following the date of eligibility.

NO PERSON MAY COMPETE IN THIS EXAMINATION MORE THAN ONCE EVERY TWELVE (12) MONTHS.Complete applications will be processed on an as-received basis and promulgated to the Eligible Register accordingly.

VACANCY INFORMATION:The Eligible Register resulting from this examination will be used to fill vacancies in the Department of Public Health as they occur.AVAILABLE SHIFT: Any, including evenings, nights, weekends and holidays.

SPECIAL INFORMATION APPLICATION AND FILING INFORMATION: Applications must be filed ONLINE ONLY. Applications submitted by U.S. mail, fax, or in person will NOT be accepted.

Apply online by clicking on the green "Apply" button located on this posting. You can also track the status of your application using this website.

Plan to submit your online application before the 5:00 p.m. (PT) deadline on the last day of filing as you may be required to verify your email address.

This only needs to be done once per email address, and if you already have a job seeker account on the County of Los Angeles Job Opportunities Website, you can verify at any time by logging in and following the prompts.

This is to enhance the security of your online application and to ensure you do not enter an incorrect email address.

Any required documents and/or additional information, if any, must be received with your application at the time of filing online or within fifteen (15) calendar days from application submission to HRExams@ph.lacounty.gov.

In the "Subject" of the e-mail please type the Exam Number and Exam Title.

Failure to provide complete, accurate information will impact the assessment of your qualifications and the acceptance of your application into the examination process.

The acceptance of your application depends on whether you have clearly shown that you meet the REQUIREMENTS.

Fill out the application and Supplemental Questionnaire accurately and completely to receive full credit for any relevant education and/or job experience you include.

In the space provided on the application for education, include names and addresses of schools attended, dates attended, degree(s) received, and degree major.

For each job held, give the name and address of your employer, your job/position title, start and end dates, the number of hours worked per week, and detailed description of work and duties performed.

If the application and/or Supplemental Questionnaire is/are incomplete, the application will be REJECTED.

IMPORTANT NOTES:Please note that ALL information supplied by applicants and included in the application materials is subject to VERIFICATION at any point during the examination and hiring process, including after an appointment has been made.

Applications may be rejected at any stage of the examination and selection process.

FALSIFICATION of any information may result in DISQUALIFICATION or RESCISSION OF APPOINTMENT.

Utilizing VERBIAGE from Class Specification(s) and/or Minimum Requirements serving as your description of duties WILL NOT be sufficient to demonstrate that you meet the requirements. In doing so your application will be dispositioned as INCOMPLETE and will not be accepted.

Comments such as "SEE RESUME" or "SEE APPLICATION" will not be considered a valid response; therefore, using such statements will also result in your application being rejected as INCOMPLETE.

ANTI-RACISM, DIVERSITY, AND INCLUSION (ARDI):
The County of Los Angeles recognizes and affirms that all people are created equal and are entitled to all rights afforded by the Constitution of the United States. The Department of Human Resources is committed to promoting Anti-racism, Diversity, and Inclusion efforts to address the in equalities and disparities amongst race. We support the ARDI Strategic Plan and its goals by improving equality, diversity, and inclusion in recruitment, selection, and employment practices.