Position Summary:
The Rehab Therapy Tech II functions as the evening and weekend activity therapist working with forensic patients with a mental illness. The Evening and Weekend activity therapist works on individual units and in central Rehab to provide scheduled leisure, recreational and social activities. Some patients may have physical limitations that require attention to safety needs.
Key Responsibilities:
- Other duties as assigned include but are limited to actively participating and/or serving in a support role to meet the agency’s obligations for disaster response and/or recovery or Continuity of Operations (COOP) activation. Such participation may require an alternate shift pattern assignment and/or location.
- Transports patients to activities off the unit and off campus in order to provide rehab therapies and orientation to the community for patients.
- Intervenes with Verbal skills, CPR or TIPS as necessary in order to prevent injury to patients, employees, volunteers, and property.
- Substitutes for other Evening & Weekend Activity Therapists in order to provide continuity of services and prevent cancellation of scheduled unit leisure time.
- Plans and conducts activities on units and in Central Rehabilitation for adult forensic patients Saturdays through Wednesdays in order to provide scheduled and structured leisure time. Includes holiday hours as scheduled in order to provide activities for patients.
- Attends work on a regular basis and may be required to work a specific shift schedule or at times, even a rotating schedule, extended shift and/or overtime in accordance with agency leave policy and performs other duties as assigned.
- Writes comments on patient responses to leisure activities on daily activity logs in order to record observations for writing progress notes. Completes incident notes in CWS for any behavioral problems or unusual behavior.
- Escorts patients to activities, classes, and events off the unit in order to provide rehab therapies and facilitate participation in programs conducted outside the unit.
Required Education & Experience:
- Any combination of education and experience equivalent to high school graduation or GED.
- Some knowledge of mental illness and mental retardation.
- Ability to keep records and make reports.
- Skills in the use of equipment and materials used in therapy.
- Ability to communicate effectively verbally and in writing.
- Ability to gain additional knowledge and skills in the techniques and methods of activity therapy.
- Ability to plan, organize and execute work.
- Skills in interpersonal relationships.
- Ability to work cooperatively with patients, staff and volunteers.
- Ability to motivate and sustain patient interest in therapeutic activities.
- Skills sufficient to apply CPR and TIPS in emergency situations.
- Knowledge of CPR and TIPS.
- Some knowledge in conducting activity therapy with adult and geriatric patients from various cultural groups.