COTA

Job Summary: 

Under the supervision of an occupational therapist, the Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant performs treatment and provides exercise instruction and demonstrations for patients. The COTA performs therapy treatment according to their license scope and clinical expertise. Provides patient care services to patients of all ages from neonate to geriatric. Administers treatments and physical agents to restore function and prevent disability following injury, disease or physical disability. Assists patients to reach their maximum performance and level of functioning, while learning to live within the limits of their capabilities. Provides continuous consultation and education to patient families/caregivers. Provides guidance for physical therapy interns, students, and therapy aides/assistants with specific patients or tasks. Fulfils liaison or lead responsibilities as assigned. Participates in St. John’s Health Corporate Compliance Program and Performance Improvement Activities. 

Essential Functions:

Patient Care

1. Assists the occupational therapist during patient testing, evaluations, and complex procedures.
2. Carries out a program of corrective exercise and treatment for assigned patients as determined by evaluation by a physical therapist.
3. Instructs patients on segments of the program including proper use of wheelchairs, crutches, canes, braces, and prosthetic appliances and devices. 
4. Prepares documentation for medical records and updates patient electronic medical record in a timely fashion in accordance with facility policy and best practices. 
5. Complies with patient confidentiality requirements and HIPAA. Understands and follows state and federally mandated requirements regarding patient confidentiality and patient rights. 
6. Delegates appropriate therapy activities to ancillary staff members and provides supervision of staff members in a safe and effective manner consistent with state laws. 
7. Assess educational needs of the patient, family, and caregiver and provides education to meet those needs. 

Teamwork

1. Communicates with patients, families, caregivers, and other members of the healthcare team to promote maximum benefit and coordination of care. Works cooperatively with other patient care team personnel in maintaining standards for professional physical therapy practice and interdisciplinary teamwork.
2. May be assigned to orient staff and students and to assume the duties and responsibilities of the clinic manager in absence of that individual.
3. Provides input into the budgetary planning process; contributing to cost effectiveness of services and programs provided by the department.
4. Communicates observations and suggestions related to opportunities for improvement, promoting community relations, and maintaining positive customer relations. 
5. Utilizes appropriate leadership skills in identifying, organizing and carrying out tasks within position scope of duties to respond to facility/service needs. 
6. Provides excellent customer service to internal and external customers. Provides knowledge, timely and appropriate information to customer/patients and staff in a friendly manner. Maintains positive peer relationships and performs as a team player. Demonstrates respect and sensitivity to cultural and social differences in interactions with others.

Quality

1. Participates in performance improvement and program development activities.
2. Participates in activities and training to comply with all local, state and federal regulations, the AOTA’s standards of Practice and Code of Ethics as well as any other standards, policies, and procedures that govern the practice of occupational therapy. Participates in continuing education and quality assurance activities to demonstrate compliance standards, regulation, policies, and procedures.
3. Contributes to a culture of safety for patients, visitors, and staff. Assesses safety risks and implements appropriate precautions. Complies with company safety standards and policies. 
4. Demonstrates an understanding of treatment costs and financial support as they relate to quality and efficiency.
5. Maintains all required licensure and certification for position. 

Area Liaison Responsibilities (If functioning in area liaison role)

1. Primary contact for area clinical manager and inquiries related to designated area including but not limited to: resources, clinical best practices, technical, and documentation questions.
2. Communicates with DOR, area leads, and unit managers to ensure adequate staffing coverage for assigned area
3. Functions as part of the interdisciplinary team to ensure optimal patient/resident care in assigned area. 
4. Facilitates and advocates for good relationships between therapy team, admin team, and nursing staff. Champions teamwork and promotes a positive workplace culture.
5. Facilitates and participates in all trainings, drills, codes, community outreach, or other education and quality initiatives for assigned area.
6. Keeps track of equipment and supplies for assigned area and communicates needs to management. Implements equipment cost saving processes when appropriate.
7. Attends meetings as needed to support assigned area and contributes to meeting notes, newsletters, and documentation as needed, may facilitate meetings when needed.
8. Participates in program and policy development in assigned area.
9. Performs QA and/or chart audits for assigned area as needed.
10. Supports employee performance management by providing feedback to staff on a daily basis as well as providing personalized feedback and comments for annual reviews. Supports and facilitates continuing education opportunities and professional development for staff. 
11. Assists with candidate selection process and hiring. 
12. Maintains and contributes to downtime resources for assigned area.

Team Lead Responsibilities (If functioning in team lead role)

1. Provides clinical expertise and organizational direction and delegation for area therapy teams. Trains and onboards team members to the inpatient or outpatient setting as assigned. 
2. Coordinates assigned area staffing coverage including weekends, holidays, and PRN staffing. Helps with calendar management.  Communicates staffing needs and concerns to DOR. Ensures appropriate hours coverage per discipline. 
3. Tracks and communicates productivity data as needed for assigned therapy disciplines and spaces. 
4. Communicates equipment and other facility needs for area and orders small equipment as necessary.
5. Maintains shared spaces for therapy/rehab. Performs walkthroughs to identify needs/issues. Submits maintenance requests as needed.
6. Facilitates interdisciplinary collaboration with other hospital departments and/or physician practices. 
7. Exemplifies excellent customer service at all times. Handles service recovery with patients and families in assigned area.
8. Coordinates and/or leads meetings for assigned area.
9. Collaborates with hospital and long term care staff and leadership to achieve organizational goals. Attends essential hospital leadership meetings in the absence of DOR. 
10. Completes regular rounds on therapy team members as well as hospital unit managers. Collaborates with hospital and long term care staff and leadership for SJH needs and goals. 
11. Supports employee performance management by providing feedback to staff on a daily basis as well as providing personalized feedback and comments for annual reviews. Supports and facilitates continuing education opportunities and professional development for staff. 
12. Assists with candidate selection process and hiring. 
13. Handles electronic medical record inquiries for therapy patients in assigned area. 
14. Responsible for quality assurance tasks including but not limited to: group compliance reviews, documentation compliance reviews, documentation of daily metrics, survey preparation, and incident recovery. 
15. Implements quality and process changes in assigned area in collaboration with DOR and Clinical Manager of unit if applicable. 

Job Requirements:

Minimum Education

Required: Associate degree in Occupational Therapy from a program accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE). Board certification from NBCOT. 

Preferred: NA

Minimum Work Experience

Required: NA, one year of professional COTA experience required for liaisons and leads.

Preferred: One year of professional COTA experience preferred for all roles. Experience with outpatient, acute, sub-acute, long-term care and/or home health setting preferred

 Required Licenses: Current licensure as a certified occupational therapy assistant (COTA) in Wyoming. Basic Life Support (BLS) required at time of hire. Valid driver's license required if working with home health or hospice patients. 

Functional Demands:

Working Conditions: Combination of private treatment rooms, therapy gyms, common hospital areas, patient rooms and patients’ homes. Frequent exposure to communicable diseases, toxic substances, ionizing radiation, medicinal preparations and other conditions common to a clinic environment. Must be on-site at the SJH campus or other facilities to fulfill the responsibilities of this role. Some weekend shifts required. 

Physical Requirements: 

Standing and walking 6-8 hours per day. Sitting 2-4 hours per day. Occasional lifting and carrying items weighing up to 10 pounds. Pushing 5-150 lbs on casters, runners, or pulleys. Sustaining grip of 1-2 min 40-50 lbs. Guarding a lift load 120-140 lbs. Correct vision and hearing within normal range with or without use of corrective devices. Must be able to verbally interact with staff, patients and the public. Manual dexterity for writing and computer use. 

Direct Reports: NA

 Reports to: Director of Rehab Services

 Internal and External Contacts: Staff, all hospital departments, physicians, patients, family and visitors.

Leadership Capabilities:

1. Patient Focus
   • Is dedicated to meeting the expectations and requirements of patients
   • Gets firsthand patient feedback and uses it for improvements
   • Establishes and maintains effective relationships with patients and gains their trust and respect
2. Attention to Detail
   • Completes tasks in a way that ensures there are not errors
   • Methodically and patiently reviews work to identify any mistakes or discrepancies
   • Creates and stores documentation in a way that is thorough and easy to access
3. Quality Decision Making
   • Considers many factors and sources when making decisions
   • Is correct and accurate with most of his/her solutions and suggestions when judged over time
   • Is sought out by others for advice and solutions
   • Spends his/her time and the time of others on what's important
   • Quickly zeros in on the critical and few and puts the trivial many aside • Handles risks and uncertainty with
   composure
4. Interpersonal Skills
   • Steps up to conflicts, seeing them as opportunities
   • Builds appropriate rapport
   • Finds common ground and gains cooperation
   • Builds appropriate rapport
   • Taking responsibility for the consequences of one's own actions and decisions
5. Problem Solving
   • Uses logic and methods to solve problems with effective solutions
   • Can see hidden problems
   • Looks beyond the obvious and doesn't stop at the first answers
6. Time Management
   • Uses his/her time effectively and efficiently
   • Concentrates his/her efforts on the more important priorities
   • Gets more done in less time than others

Salary : $30 - $46