Physical Therapist

St. Luke's is proud of the skills, experience and compassion of its employees. The employees of St. Luke's are our most valuable asset Individually and together, our employees are dedicated to satisfying the mission of our organization which is an unwavering commitment to excellence as we care for the sick and injured; educate physicians, nurses and other health care providers; and improve access to care in the communities we serve, regardless of a patient's ability to pay for health care.

The Physical Therapist shall provide physical therapy services to patients/clients, upon physician consult or referral, who have impairments, functional limitations, disabilities, or changes in physical function and health status resulting from injury, disease, or illness. The Physical Therapist shall provide prevention and wellness services, including screenings and health promotion. The therapist shall serve as a resource person for the team and the department and assists in the education and orientation of students, new staff therapists, physicians and other health care personnel. The Physical Therapist shall work within the practice guidelines as defined by Pennsylvania state law. Pediatric (2 months – 12 years) Adolescent (13-17 years) Adult (18-65 years) Geriatric (66+ years)

JOB DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Ethical and Legal Considerations

• Complies with the Code of Ethics and Standards of Ethical Conduct.
• Abides by pertinent state and federal laws and regulations, including those applying to the state licensure laws.

Administration of Physical Therapy Services

• Understands, promotes, and abides by the Statement of Mission, Purpose and goals set forth for the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Department.
• Prioritizes, Implements and Documents evaluations and interventions in order to move patients to the next level of care in a safe, timely, and effective manner.
• Adheres to the Standards of Practice and institutional policy and procedures that govern the conduct of professional activities and are consistent with the American Physical Therapy Associations’ (APTA) positions, standards, guidelines, policies, procedures, and Code of Ethics.
• Integrates APTA documents, legislation, legal, and regulatory issues into practice.
• Takes an active role in improving patient satisfaction and customer services through performance improvement initiatives, specifically in the areas of clinical outcomes, customer service, productivity, safety and operational systems/processes.
• Demonstrates continued competence in regards to departmental and hospital specific competencies to ensure that the level of expertise within the services is appropriate to the needs of the patients/clients served.
• Participates in opportunities for professional growth.
• Modifies behavior based on self–evaluation, awareness of own strengths and limitations, and constructive feedback from peers.
• Collaborates with the interdisciplinary team as appropriate to provide the highest quality of care to patients/clients.

Patient/Client Management

• Demonstrates knowledge of Physical Therapy in the Acute Care practice setting.
• Demonstrates ability to carry out primary responsibilities for daily department operations.
• Establishes and maintains an ongoing client centered collaborative process of decision making that exists throughout the provision of services.
• Provides accurate and timely documentation of physical therapy evaluation and physical therapy progress note.
• Screens patients/clients to determine the effectiveness of and need for skilled physical therapy services.
• Performs physical therapy examination in a technically competent manner that minimizes risk to the patient, self and others by selecting reliable and valid examination methods that are relevant to the chief complaint and history of the patient.
• Interprets and uses clinical findings to establish a diagnosis and prognosis within the practitioner’s knowledge base.
• In collaboration with the patient, the patient’s family, caregivers and other members of the multidisciplinary team, establishes appropriate plan of care based on clinical evaluation that takes into consideration impairments, functional limitations, resultant disabilities, functional outcomes, and patient’s goals.
• Make suitable discharge recommendation based on identified impairments, resultant functional limitations, and disabilities.
• Makes recommendations/referral to appropriate entities and DME necessary to ensure safe discharge.
• Provides, or directs and supervises the physical therapy intervention that is consistent with the results of the clinical evaluation.
• Performs technically competent interventions based on the plan of care.
• Adapts interventions to meet the individual needs and response of the patient/client.
• Performs reexaminations as necessary during an episode of care to evaluate the progress or change in status and modifies or discontinues the plan of care accordingly.
• Able to identify during an episode of care the need for reevaluation based upon achievement of goals, progress or lack of progress, change in patient status, and response to interventions provided.
• Provides appropriate and timely documentation/communication with the supervising therapist the need for reevaluation.
• Produces documentation that is accurate, concise, and timely; within 2 hours of intervention provided.
• Produces documentation that is consistent with the multidisciplinary team.
• Attends Case Management/Interdisciplinary rounds and provides timely communication of information to other members of the multidisciplinary team necessary for the effective delivery of care.
• Responds constructively to the needs of all those with whom he/she interacts with on a daily basis.
• Serves as a role model of excellent customer service and patient care.
• Assesses and monitors customer satisfaction and responds promptly to voices and identified concerns.
• Maintains minimum productivity standards set forth for a staff physical therapist.

Education

• Educates and provides consultation to the consumers and the general public regarding the roles of physical therapist, the physical therapist assistant, and other support personnel.
• Provides a minimum of 1 Network wide presentation per year.
• Participates in special events organized in the practice setting related to patients/clients and the delivery of care.
• Maintains a minimum of Thirty (30) credit hours every two (2) years as mandated by the Physical Therapy Practice Act.
• Takes responsibility for individual professional and career development.
• Participates in the education of students and serves as Clinical Instructor to at least one (1) student per year.

Research

• Participates in the research process as appropriate to individual education experience and expertise.
• Critically evaluates published research articles relevant to physical therapy and applies to clinical practice in order to provide optimal patient care.
• Distinguishes practices based on traditional beliefs from practices that are evidence based.
• Supports ongoing clinical practice.
• Participates in research activities as negotiated with the Director, as well as other disciplines, to explore, validate and direct the delivery of care for specific patient populations.

Community Responsibility

• Provides consultation services such as ergonomic evaluations, school system assessments and corporate environment assessments.
• Educates patients or other individuals, groups, or communities on health promotion, prevention, and wellness by providing information on impairment, disease, disability, and health risks related to age, gender, culture and lifestyle.

PHYSICAL AND SENSORY REQUIRMENTS:

Must be able to sit up to ninety (90) minutes at a time. Must be able to tolerate standing for thirty (30) to forty-five (45) minutes consecutively. Must be able to use hands and fingers to manipulate dials on machines and computers. Must have the ability to lift/move, push/pull patients up to 200 lbs. utilizing the principles of the Safe Patient Handling Initiative. Must have the ability to occasionally stoop, bend, squat, crouch, kneel and reach above shoulder level.

Must be capable of tactile sensation as it relates to feeling for muscle spasms, texture and skin temperature. Must have the ability to hear as it relates to normal conversation and ability to hear call bells. Must be capable of seeing as it relates to general vision, depth perception, and peripheral vision. Must be capable of driving a car.

EDUCATION:

Four–year Bachelor’s Degree in Physical Therapy. Master’s Degree preferred.

TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE:

Successful completion of required affiliations.

Please complete your application using your full legal name and current home address.  Be sure to include employment history for the past seven (7) years, including your present employer.  Additionally, you are encouraged to upload a current resume, including all work history, education, and/or certifications and licenses, if applicable.  It is highly recommended that you create a profile at the conclusion of submitting your first application.  Thank you for your interest in St. Luke's

St. Luke's University Health Network is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

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