Occupational Therapist (OT) - Pediatric Acute Care (PRN)

Discover Vanderbilt Health : With eight hospitals and over 180 clinics, we are the region’s largest comprehensive academic health system. Vanderbilt Health has a long tradition of providing world-class care to the people of the Mid-South, living out our mission of moving medicine forward through preeminent programs in patient care, education and research. Here you’ll find a spirit of collaboration and a supportive community where your expertise is valued, your knowledge expanded and your uniqueness celebrated. We are committed to fostering an environment where talented, compassionate people are united in bringing the most advanced care to our neighbors throughout the region.

Organization

MCJCHV Peds Rehab

Job Summary

JOB SUMMARY

Provides occupational therapy services to patients who have impairments, developmental disabilities, functional limitations, disabilities, or changes in physical function and health status resulting from injury, disease or other causes under occasional guidance. Actively collaborates with the health care/educational team to meet patient care, outcomes and system improvement objectives.

.

Occupational Therapist (NICU) PRN

Location: Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt Health | Nashville, TN

Schedule: Approx. 20 hours. Intially Weekdays only. Progressing long-term to be weekends as well across units.

Training : Initial onboarding and competency training requires approximately 3 weeks of full-time participation. New team member start dates are scheduled on a Monday.

Join Vanderbilt's Neonatal Therapy Team

Vanderbilt Health is seeking a highly skilled PRN Occupational Therapist (NICU) to join the neonatal therapy team at Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital. This role provides specialized occupational therapy services within the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), supporting premature and medically complex infants through evidence-based developmental care and family-centered practice.

This is an exceptional opportunity for an occupational therapist with a passion for neonatal care, infant development, and interdisciplinary collaboration. The therapist will work closely with neonatologists, nurses, physical therapists, speech-language pathologists, and families to help optimize developmental outcomes for some of our most vulnerable patients.

Key Responsibilities

As a NICU Occupational Therapist, you will

• Evaluate and treat infants in the NICU, including premature infants and neonates with medical, developmental, neurological, cardiac, genetic, and surgical diagnoses.
• Provide occupational therapy interventions focused on developmental care, positioning, neurodevelopment, sensory regulation, therapeutic handling, and caregiver education.
• Assess infant motor development, musculoskeletal alignment, sensory processing, neurobehavioral organization, and feeding readiness.
• Develop individualized treatment plans that support growth, development, participation, and family engagement throughout hospitalization.
• Collaborate with physicians, nurses, rehabilitation professionals, respiratory therapists, and other members of the interdisciplinary care team.
• Educate and support parents and caregivers regarding infant cues, developmental activities, positioning, and transition to home.
• Document evaluations, treatments, and recommendations within EPIC in accordance with hospital and regulatory standards.
• Participate in discharge planning and continuity-of-care recommendations.

Required Qualifications

• Graduate from an accredited Occupational Therapy program.
• Current Tennessee Occupational Therapist license, or eligibility to obtain licensure.
• Current BLS certification.
• Experience providing occupational therapy services in pediatric, neonatal, infant, or acute care settings.
• Ability to practice independently while managing a complex patient population in a fast-paced hospital environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• NICU Occupational Therapy experience.
• Experience working with premature infants and medically complex neonatal populations.
• Training or experience in neonatal developmental care, infant neurodevelopment, sensory regulation, positioning, or feeding support.
• Experience within a children's hospital, academic medical center, or acute care setting.

Why Join Vanderbilt Health

• Practice at one of the nation's leading pediatric academic medical centers.
• Work alongside an experienced interdisciplinary neonatal team dedicated to evidence-based developmental care.
• Make a meaningful impact on the long-term outcomes of infants and families.
• Grow professionally through continuing education, clinical collaboration, and innovative pediatric rehabilitation programs.
• Join a mission-driven organization committed to excellence in patient care, education, and research.

RESPONSIBILITIE S

• Analyzes comprehensive information from formal and informal assessment that is pertinent to the patient's care and management to determine a rehabilitation treatment diagnosis.
• Collaborates with stakeholders in establishing the plan of care, coordinates and implements care delivery while anticipating patient care needs across the rehabilitation continuum.
• Applies appropriate, evidence-based interventions to ensure effective outcomes and re-evaluates performance to assess patient's progress towards goals.
• Employs strategies to promote successful return to home, community, and school/vocational environments.
• The responsibilities listed are a general overview of the position and additional duties may be assigned.

TECHNICAL CAPABILITIES

• Rehab Therapist Patient Documentation (Novice): Demonstrates proficiency in documentation practices. Documents in the appropriate templates and utilizes only approved abbreviations within patient documentation. Meets institutional standards for quality and timeliness of documentation.
• Physical/Occupational Therapist Patient Education (Novice): Demonstrates proficiency in communicating functional impact of assessment findings, treatment interventions, treatment planning diagnosis, and disease process. Considers the communication needs/level of understanding of audience and may share appropriate information/literature. May supervise, educate and train students from professional programs of physical therapy, occupational therapy and athletic training.
• Treatment Planning & Goal Setting (Novice): Demonstrates sufficient proficiency in developing a plan of care that incorporates treatment interventions focused on meeting objective goals. Develops and documents patient focused short and long term goals that are functional and measurable. Identifies the need for and referral to other services, as needed.
• Treatment Implementation (Fundamental Awareness): Demonstrates proficiency in providing treatment consistent with physician prescription and established plan of care. Able to modify treatment plan as needed to demonstrate provision of skilled therapy services including progression of treatment throughout course of care, and revision of treatment interventions of goals not met. May supervise and direct certified athletic trainers (PT only), physical therapist / occupational therapist assistants, technicians and volunteers and students. Selects and follows correct protocol for care and utilize evidence based treatments.
• Rehabilitation Therapist Patient Evaluation (Novice): Demonstrates proficiency in evaluating patients with physical deficits including impairments, developmental disabilities, functional limitations, disabilities, or changes in physical function by obtaining information pertinent to the assessment and administering and scoring standardized tests and objective measures of deficit areas. Selects appropriate measures and performs a functional assessment to document patient's status requiring skilled therapy. Interprets the results of the assessment and their significance to the patient, family, referring physician and other members of the health care team.

Allied health is among the fastest growing occupations in healthcare today. This area can be defined as credentialed professionals who perform supportive, diagnostic, and therapeutic health care services to promote health and prevent disease in a variety of settings.

These areas are crucial to Vanderbilt Health’s reputation for excellence in these areas that has made us a major center for patient referrals from throughout the Mid-South.

Each year, people throughout Tennessee and the southeast choose Vanderbilt Health for their health care because of our leadership in medical science and our dedication to treating patients with dignity and compassion.

Core Accountabilities:

Organizational Impact: Executes job responsibilities with the understanding of how output would affect and impact other areas related to own job area/team with occasional guidance. Problem Solving/ Complexity of work: Analyzes moderately complex problems using technical experience and judgment. Breadth of Knowledge: Has expanded knowledge gained through experience within a professional area. Team Interaction: Provides informal guidance and support to team members.

Core Capabilities :

Supporting Colleagues:- Develops Self and Others: Invests time, energy, and enthusiasm in developing self/others to help improve performance e and gain knowledge in new areas.- Builds and Maintains Relationships: Maintains regular contact with key colleagues and stakeholders using formal and informal opportunities to expand and strengthen relationships.- Communicates Effectively: Recognizes group interactions and modifies one's own communication style to suit different situations and audiences. Delivering Excellent Services:- Serves Others with Compassion: Seeks to understand current and future needs of relevant stakeholders and customizes services to better address them.- Solves Complex Problems: Approaches problems from different angles; Identifies new possibilities to interpret opportunities and develop concrete solutions.- Offers Meaningful Advice and Support: Provides ongoing support and coaching in a constructive manner to increase employees' effectiveness. Ensuring High Quality: - Performs Excellent Work: Engages regularly in formal and informal dialogue about quality; directly addresses quality issues promptly.- Ensures Continuous Improvement: Applies various learning experiences by looking beyond symptoms to uncover underlying causes of problems and identifies ways to resolve them. - Fulfills Safety and Regulatory Requirements: Understands all aspects of providing a safe environment and performs routine safety checks to prevent safety hazards from occurring. Managing Resources Effectively: - Demonstrates Accountability: Demonstrates a sense of ownership, focusing on and driving critical issues to closure.- Stewards Organizational Resources: Applies understanding of the departmental work to effectively manage resources for a department/area.- Makes Data Driven Decisions: Demonstrates strong understanding of the information or data to identify and elevate opportunities. Fostering Innovation:- Generates New Ideas: Proactively identifies new ideas/opportunities from multiple sources or methods to improve processes beyond conventional approaches.- Applies Technology: Demonstrates an enthusiasm for learning new technologies, tools, and procedures to address short-term challenges.- Adapts to Change: Views difficult situations and/or problems as opportunities for improvement; actively embraces change instead of emphasizing negative elements.

Position Qualifications:

Responsibilities

Certifications:

LIC-Occupational Therapy License - Licensure-Others

Work Experience:

Relevant Work Experience

Experience Level :

1 year

Education:

Bachelor's

This role offers the opportunity to make a meaningful impact within Vanderbilt Health, supported by a comprehensive benefits package which may include health, disability, retirement and/or wellness offerings to enhance your well-being and professional growth.