Physical Therapist

Job Duties (include, but are not limited to the following):

• Assists the physician in evaluating the patient’s level of function. Assess patient’s home environment for safety hazards and architectural barriers, identifies equipment needs.
• Identifies functional problems and establishes goals and a plan of care designed to improve the patient’s functional status (revising as necessary).
• Performs patient tests, measurements, and evaluations, such as range of motion and manual muscle tests, gait and functional analysis, and body parts measurement, and records and evaluates findings to aid in establishing or revising specifics of treatment programs.
• Performs and completes start-of-care, recertifications, resumption-of-care, and discharge Comprehensive OASIS assessments and associated paperwork in accordance to agency policy.
• Instructs patient and family members, as well as other health team members, during certain phases of physical therapy in which they may work with the patient.
• Periodically re-evaluates and upgrades the patient’s program to maximize functional improvement.
• Administers the exercise program utilizing specialized therapeutic exercise techniques and equipment.
• Plans an administers prescribed physical therapy treatment programs for patients to restore function, relieve pain and prevent disability following disease, injury, or loss of body part.
• Recommends prosthetic/orthotic devices for patients or evaluates their devices and makes minor adjustments or recommends modifications by the prosthetist/orthotist.
• Confers with the family, referring physician, and other agency professional staff to obtain information to promote coordinated, efficient, and quality patient care.
• Performs and submits required documentation of patient’s evaluations, plan of care, clinical notes, and progress reports, summaries along with changes in orders. All patient visit notes must be turned in the next scheduled work day, not to exceed forty-eight (48) hours.
• Maintains necessary statistical and billing data.
• Orients, instructs, and supervises the home health aide every two weeks in carrying out specific physical therapy modalities.
• Keeps abreast of changes in physical therapy theories and practices, contributes to the ongoing development of programs and professionals within the service of sharing expertise, contributing resources and giving in-services.
• Keeps his/her immediate supervisor informed of problem areas and makes suggestions for improvement.
• Attends and contributes to in-services, clinical records reviews, meetings required to ensure coordinated and comprehensive plans of care for the patients of the agency.
• Performs physical therapy assistant on-site supervision as required by law. The supervisory visits may be made either when the physical therapy assistant is present so that the supervisor may observe and assist, or when the physical therapy assistants at all times while the physical therapy assistant is treating patients. The supervisory visit will include a complete on-site functional assessment, an on-site review of activities with appropriate revision of treatment plan, and an assessment of the utilization of outside resources.
• The Physical Therapist will be accessible by phone to the physical therapy assistants at all times while the physical therapy assistant is treating patients.
• Complies with Homecare Agency Compliance Plan.
• Complies with Homecare Agency’s Infection Control Policies.
• Complies with Homecare Agency’s HIPAA Policies.

Working Environment

Field experience may expose employee to temperature extremes, physical injury by patient, family, animal or other in the community, unsafe environment or exposure to infectious diseases and offensive odors.

• Equipment and Supplies: Prudent and efficient use of routine office supplies and equipment. Prudent and efficient use of routine medical supplies, sphygmomanometer and stethoscope, and equipment. All the preceding items should be protected from theft and weather at all times.
• Knowledge and Competency: Must demonstrate basic knowledge of all procedures included in the Physical Therapy description. Must have the ability to follow instructions from the physician, Nursing Supervisor and other professional staff. Ability to communicate effectively with managers, patients, families and co-workers. Must have effective means of transportation, which will enable employee to make visits to patients’ homes if needed. Must be able to assess safety of home situations for self, patients, and other staff members, including physical and psychological dangers. Must have the ability to effectively cope with patients, families and all others with varying backgrounds, socioeconomic conditions, and value judgments. Skills include the ability to use cognizant approach to problem solving in delivering patient care with considerations being given to the patient’s past experience, finances and other resources. Skills are needed to assess both physical and psychological needs of patients and institute the appropriate nursing intervention. Must possess ingenuity to handle medical and situational emergencies.
• Maintains confidentiality of information relating to patient. Will discuss only those aspects necessary to care and treatment of patient with those directly involved in the patient’s care.
• Physical Demands: Must be able to complete all physical demands of the job, which may include, but not be limited to: the ability to lift and transfer patients, carry supplies, and read normal typewritten print. Have corrected vision and hearing within normal range and have manual dexterity with normal range of motion of all extremities. May be requested to work weekends, holidays, and occasional overtime. Must be able to work alone without usual support systems immediately available in acute care settings. Must have the ability to deal with abrupt schedule changes and to maintain objectivity in coping with the stress of working with acute, chronic and terminally ill patients.
• Image Responsibility: Complies with the Homecare Agency dress code, projects a professional attitude toward self, patients, and other staff members, and follows department public relation policies regarding outside speaking and professional affiliations, clearing all such requests through Homecare Agency.

Requirements

Qualifications

A person who is

• Licensed as a physical therapist by the State in which practicing, if applicable, and
• Has graduated from a physical therapy curriculum approved by:
• The American Physical Therapy Association; or
• The Committee on Allied Health Education and Accreditation of the American Medical Association; or
• The Council on Medical Education of the American Medical Association and the American Physical Therapy Association; or

Prior to January 1, 1966

• Was admitted to membership by the American Physical Therapy Association; or
• Was admitted to registration by the American Registry of Physical Therapist; or
• Has graduated from a physical therapy curriculum in a 4-year college or university approved by a State department of education; or
• Has 2 years of appropriate experience as a physical therapist and has achieved a satisfactory grade on a proficiency examination conducted, approved, or sponsored by the U.S. Public Health Service except that such determinations of proficiency do not apply with respect to persons initially licensed by a State or seeking qualification as a physical therapist after December 31, 1977; or
• Was licensed or registered prior to January 1, 1966, and prior to January 1, 1970, had 15 years of full-time experience in the treatment of illness or injury through the practice of physical therapy in which services were rendered under the order and direction of attending and referring doctors of medicine or osteopathy; or

If trained outside the United States

• Was graduated since 1928 from a physical therapy curriculum approved in the country in which the curriculum was located and in which there is a member organization of the World Confederation for Physical Therapy;
• Meets the requirements for membership in a member organization of the World Confederation for Physical Therapy.