CRAVEN COUNTY SCHOOLS
Occupational Therapist

Job Description

Position:    Occupational Therapist

Reports to:    Director of Accountability and Exceptional Children
Terms of Employment:  10 months

Pay Grade:    76
FLSA Status:   Non-exempt

Nature of Work

An employee in this class participates in the development, implementation, and coordination of an occupational therapy program to provide screening, evaluation, and treatment of exceptional students. The employee must select, from a wide range of activities, the program activity appropriate for each student. Problems that arise in the treatment program are expected to be resolved independently. Errors in the treatment could cause serious harm to students and potential liability to the school system. The employee receives general direction from the Director of Exceptional Children's Program. Direct supervision may be exercised over support personnel.

Education and Experience

Graduation from a four year accredited program of occupational therapy and two years of experience or a master's degree in occupational therapy.

Certification and Licensure Requirements (if applicable):

• License as an occupational therapist in North Carolina.
• Must pass and qualify for work in Pre-K (NCDHHS Background Check)

Essential Functions/Typical Tasks

• Evaluates students' abilities through a variety of functional and behavioral assessments and collection of information
• Provides direct therapy through various activities to develop and maintain living skills
• Participates in the multi-disciplinary meetings to develop Individual Education Plans
• Designs and constructs or modifies special equipment to meet individual needs
• Instructs and monitors educational personnel, community agencies, and parents in the program to increase strength and dexterity of exceptional students
• Coordinates the development and evaluation of a school-w ide occupational therapy program.
• Projects budget needs, prepares and maintains budget
• Documents needs for equipment and materials
• Maintains clinical and administrative records in accordance with State guidelines and school policy
• Thorough knowledge of the theory, principles, and methods of occupational therapy
• Working knowledge of normal child development
• Working knowledge of general management practice
• Skill in adapting or designing equipment for individual needs
• Skill in administering treatment
• Ability to select and administer appropriate assessment and treatment activities
• Ability to plan, implement, administer, and coordinate a physical therapy program
• Ability to plan, coordinate, and conduct on-the-job training and continuing education for a variety of individuals
• Ability to communicate effectively orally and in writing

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Thorough knowledge of the theory, principles and methods of occupational therapy
• Considerable knowledge of appropriate evaluating tools
• Considerable knowledge of the equipment and assistive technology available to use in therapy.
• Considerable knowledge of current literature, trends and developments in the field of occupational therapy and general medicine
• Considerable knowledge of feeding issues such as food consistency, oral motor functioning, adaptive equipment and specific feeding techniques
• General knowledge of the principles of organization and administration
• Skill in adapting or designing equipment for individual needs
• Skill in administering treatment
• Ability to select and administer appropriate assessment and treatment activities
• Ability to plan, coordinate and conduct on-the-job training and continuing education for a variety of individuals
• Ability to screen, evaluate and provide required occupational therapy services
• Ability to develop and implement individualized programs
• Ability to make decisions that may have medical, orthopedic or neurological implications.
• Ability to accurately document sessions
• Ability to train others in simple therapy principles
• Ability to maintain adequate inventory of suppiies
• Ability to maintain complete and accurate records and to develop simple reports from those records
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships as necessitated by work assignments.

Physical Requirements

Must be able to operate a variety of equipment including computers, power tools, sewing machines, wheelchairs, electronic feeders, standers, hand tools, mechanical toys, craft tools, etc. Must be able to exert up to 40 pounds of force occasionally and/or a negligible amount of force frequently or constantly to lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects. Position also requires the ability to read a variety of correspondences, medical records, educational records, test results, directives, requests, etc., and the ability to record and deliver information and to understand procedures.

Special Requirements

Valid North Carolina driver’s license

Evaluation:  Performance of this job will be evaluated in accordance with provisions of the Board and local policy on evaluation of personnel.

Disclaimer

The preceding job description has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees within this classification. It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, and qualifications required of employees to this job. 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.

**By submitting your application you are indicating that you have read the above position description of the job for which you are being recommended. In addition, you are indicating that you are aware of the essential duties of the position and that you can perform the essential functions of the job. You agree to perform each of the duties identified on this job description and understand that failure to perform any of the duties may lead to reprimand up to and including dismissal by the Craven County Schools Board of Education.

*In compliance with Federal Law, Craven County Schools administers all education programs, employment activities and admissions without discrimination against any person on the basis of sex, race, color, religion, national origin, age or disability.