Job Description

POSITION SUMMARY
The role of the Occupational Therapist is to plan, implement, and evaluate client-centered occupational therapy services consistent with the mission and values of St. Joseph\'s Healthcare. The Occupational Therapist assesses and diagnoses physical, emotional, social and cognitive capacity and performance, occupational demands and environmental factors and interventions to enable participation in activities of everyday life to promote and optimize health and well-being of clients consistent with the scope of practice of occupational therapy. Key functions of the Occupational Therapist encompass clinical, professional and non-clinical activities as outlined in the Profile of Occupational Therapists in Canada that are shaped by their program needs and client population. All tasks are performed in ways consistent with the competencies of the College of Occupational Therapists of Ontario (COTO) including; assuming professional responsibility, thinking critically, demonstrating practice knowledge, utilizing occupational therapy process to enable occupation, communicating and collaborating effectively, engaging in professional development, managing practice and advocating within systems. Given that St. Joseph\'s Healthcare is affiliated with McMaster University and Mohawk College, the Occupational Therapist is expected to engage in appropriate teaching and research activities.
While this position is part of the Occupational Therapy Department and would require the candidate to participate in department activities, it is based within Community Psychiatric Clinic at St. Joseph\xe2\x80\x99s West 5th Site on the General Acute Psychiatric Outpatient Team. The Occupational Therapist is a member of an interdisciplinary service, participates in formulation of individual and group treatment programs. Collaborates with other interprofessional staff and community partners to develop, implement and evaluate person/family centered programming.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Degree in Occupational Therapy from a recognized university and registration with the College of Occupational Therapists of Ontario required
• Masters Degree in Occupational Therapy is preferred
• Eligible for membership in OSOT and CAOT is preferred
• Current BCLS/HCP certification required
• Demonstrated knowledge, sensitivity and expertise in the care of seniors and their families
• Strong team and communication skills required
• Demonstrated interest and experience working with clients with multiple complex medical conditions in an acute physical medicine/acute mental health environment particularly older adults required
• Minimum one year recent and related experience in variety of physical medicine settings required
• Demonstrated current knowledge of the signs and symptoms of mental illness, occupational therapy ntervention strategies, and treatment modalities for clients with psychiatric disorders
• Demonstrated crisis intervention, case management skills and knowledge of behavioral techniques
• Demonstrated knowledge of relevant legislation which includes: Mental Health Act, Healthcare Consent Act, and Substitute Decisions Act is an asset
• Demonstrated capacity to work autonomously as well as in collaboration within an interprofessional healthcare team
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Able to work under pressure, prioritize workload and meet deadlines
• Proven ability to work as an effective member of an inter-professional team with exceptional interpersonal, advocacy, negotiation and conflict resolution skills
• Adaptable, creative, innovative and flexible
• Willingness and ability to continue to improve professional competence and knowledge
• Exceptional analytical thinking and creative problem solving skills
• Proficient computer skills for report writing, assessments, word processing, workload measurement and access to information, etc.
• Good attendance record is essential

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Assess inpatients to determine their strengths and weaknesses, cognitively/perceptually, physically and psycho emotionally. Determine their ability to function in areas of self-care, productivity and leisure. Determine influences of the environment on the individual including evaluation of home environment. Interpret data to determine plans to facilitate discharge planning.
• Develop treatment plans to enhance overall functioning in activities or improve independence including but not limited to participation in ADL retraining programs, hand/upper extremity programs, cognitive/perceptual improvement programs, prescription of adaptive equipment /adapted methods, prescription of wheelchair/mobility devices, recommendations regarding level of support/home modifications required, group programming, patient and family education and discharge planning.
• Communicate with interdisciplinary team in verbal and written format according to the standards of the department.
• Develops and participates in the formulation of individual and group treatment programs
• Engaged member of the consultation team through active participation and sharing of feedback
• Working knowledge of relevant legislation (e.g. Mental Health Act, Healthcare Consent Act, Substitute Decisions Act preferred
• Conducts comprehensive psycho-social assessments from a systems perspective
• Identifies and intervenes with high risk client situations.
• Provides evidence-based interventions and counseling which may include crisis intervention, psycho-education, DBT, IPT, CBT, solution-focused therapy, therapeutic group work etc \xe2\x80\xa6
• Provides case management for an assigned patient group including facilitation of the client and team goals related to function and discharge, connecting the patient/family with services/resources, if necessary; coordination of all complex discharges and facilitation of specific case management activities
• Provides formal and /or informal teaching of clients, families, staff, and the within community, as necessary.
• Participates in program evaluation, Acute Mental Health committees and research opportunities
• Maintain workload statistics and participate in other documentation procedures related to the unit. This position requires the maintenance of specific patient volumes and outcomes which must be collected and demonstrated.
• Maintain clinical competence by taking students, completing continuing education and participating in research.
• Participate on committees and program development related to areas of practice.

HOURS OF WORK
Monday \xe2\x80\x93 Friday; days

PLEASE NOTE
Vaccines (COVID-19 and others) are a requirement of the job unless you have an exemption on a medical ground pursuant to the Ontario Human Rights Code.

St. Joe\xe2\x80\x99s fosters an environment where we celebrate diversity, where teams reflect the diversity of the community in which we serve, enhancing the connection to patients, clients, community, and each other.

St Joseph\'s Healthcare Hamilton