Occupational Therapist II - UNC Hand Therapy Clinic

Description

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Summary

UNC Hospitals Rehabilitation Services is seeking a compassionate, skilled, and dedicated Occupational Therapist II - Clinical Specialist to join our multidisciplinary Hand Therapy Clinic at the Ambulatory Care Center in Chapel Hill, NC.

In this full-time role, you will provide high-quality, evidence-based care to patients with a broad range of upper extremity conditions across the continuum of care. The Hand Therapy Clinic serves patients with preoperative, postoperative, nonoperative, acute, and chronic musculoskeletal, neuromuscular, and soft tissue conditions, with varying levels of complexity ranging from common injuries to highly specialized rehabilitation needs.

Typical diagnoses include fractures, tendon repairs, nerve compressions, ligament injuries, arthroplasties, joint stiffness, soft tissue injuries, and other upper extremity conditions affecting function and participation in daily life. Your expertise will support patients recovering from surgery, managing persistent conditions, returning to work or recreation, or seeking improved function in the activities that matter most to them.

This role places a strong emphasis on custom splint and orthosis fabrication. The selected clinician will use advanced clinical reasoning and technical skill to design, fabricate, modify, and progress static, dynamic, and static-progressive orthoses tailored to each patient's diagnosis, healing stage, functional goals, and safety needs.

Our clinic emphasizes personalized, one-on-one care with 45-minute treatment sessions, allowing therapists to build strong therapeutic relationships and provide individualized care that supports optimal outcomes. Appointment lengths may vary based on patient needs, including timely access for walk-in care, splinting needs, and postoperative management. Documentation time is integrated into the daily schedule, with 34 hours allocated specifically for patient care in a typical 40-hour workweek. This allocation is flexible and may be adjusted based on clinic needs and performance.

This position offers the opportunity to work with a diverse patient population, including individuals from both typical and underserved communities. You will care for patients from a variety of socioeconomic backgrounds, including patients who are socioeconomically disadvantaged and patients who are non-English-speaking, particularly Spanish-speaking patients.

The Hand Therapy Clinic provides a highly collaborative specialty practice environment with opportunities to work closely with hand surgeons, physicians, advanced practice providers, rehabilitation providers, learners, and other healthcare professionals. In addition to direct patient care, you will engage in mentorship, professional development, clinical education, quality improvement, and clinical program development, allowing you to make a meaningful impact on individual patients, your team, and the broader community.

Although the primary location for this role is the Ambulatory Care Center in Chapel Hill, there may be opportunities for coverage at other UNC Therapy Services locations, including Mebane, Durham, and Cary, depending on the selected candidate's desired workplace location, clinical expertise, and evolving program needs.

The ideal candidate will have at least five years of occupational therapy experience, including experience in outpatient hand therapy and custom splint fabrication. Certified Hand Therapist credential or active pursuit of CHT certification is preferred.

Core Responsibilities

• Patient Evaluation & Care:Provide evidence-based evaluation, consultation, skilled treatment, and instruction to patients and caregivers. Conduct comprehensive evaluations and advanced diagnostic testing for a wide range of upper extremity musculoskeletal, neuromuscular, and soft tissue conditions, including fractures, tendon injuries, nerve compressions, ligament injuries, arthroplasties, soft tissue injuries, and postoperative conditions.
• Plan of Care Development & Clinical Decision-Making:Administer standard and advanced evaluations and interpret clinical data to assist in establishing and modifying plans of care. Develop and implement evidence-based treatment plans tailored to each patient's unique needs across preoperative, postoperative, nonoperative, acute, and chronic care. Identify expected patient outcomes, manage resources to accomplish patient goals, and communicate relevant information to promote continuity of care.
• Hand Therapy & Custom Orthosis Fabrication:Provide expert care in custom splint and orthosis fabrication for conditions such as tendon injuries, joint stabilizations, fractures, nerve injuries, soft tissue injuries, and postoperative upper extremity conditions. Design, fabricate, adjust, and progress static, dynamic, and static-progressive orthoses to support healing, protection, mobility, function, and patient-specific goals.
• Documentation, Billing & Caseload Management:Complete occupational therapy documentation, billing, and statistics per team guidelines. Manage the daily caseload with efficiency and efficacy. Meet productivity standards per team guidelines while maintaining high-quality, patient-centered care.
• Clinical Mentorship & Staff Development:Mentor assistive personnel and delegate responsibilities as appropriate under licensing board guidelines. Assist with onboarding of new staff by completing clinical orientation and competency verification. Serve as a clinical resource for team members and contribute to the ongoing professional development of others.
• Specialized Program Development & Quality Improvement:Develop, coordinate, and evaluate specialized programs for specific clinical service areas. Engage in research and quality improvement initiatives for the clinical service team and department. Lead or contribute to quality improvement initiatives, including the integration of evidence-based practices into clinical care. Serve as an interdisciplinary liaison.
• Education & Precepting:Provide clinical education, clinical precepting, and mentoring of students, fellows, and other disciplines. Participate in competency verification and evaluate learner performance. Develop best practices and goals in compliance with departmental and organizational standards.
• Collaboration & Outreach:Collaborate with hand surgeons, physicians, advanced practice providers, rehabilitation providers, physical therapists, nurses, and other healthcare professionals to provide coordinated, multidisciplinary care. Serve as a resource to North Carolina government departments and statewide health professionals in specialty areas. Present at local university, hospital, or state-level conferences. Participate in community outreach screening, educational events, and career promotion efforts.
• Leadership & Professional Contribution:Demonstrate leadership attributes, advocate for the profession, facilitate change, contribute to the professional development of others, promote initiatives, and exemplify quality service provision. Support clinical discussions and departmental efforts that advance the field of hand therapy and upper extremity rehabilitation.

Why UNC Health?

At UNC Health, we provide a comprehensive benefits package to support your health, financial security, and work-life balance. Our offerings include competitive medical, dental, and vision plans, generous PTO, retirement options with employer matching, life and disability insurance, and a variety of wellness programs.

Employees appreciate our flexible work schedules and professional growth opportunities through continuing education, board certification, education outreach, and tuition reimbursement. This role offers opportunities to deepen clinical expertise in hand therapy, custom orthosis fabrication, postoperative rehabilitation, tendon and nerve rehabilitation, upper extremity trauma, and complex musculoskeletal care.

You will also have the chance to advance your career through involvement in committees, mentorship roles, clinical program development, quality improvement initiatives, and professional education, with the potential for annual performance incentives and market/merit raises. There are numerous paths to grow within our healthcare system as a clinical and rehabilitation leader, including clinical specialist, educator, clinical supervisor, manager, and director roles.

The Hand Therapy Clinic also offers a collaborative specialty practice environment with opportunities to work closely with hand surgeons, advanced practice providers, rehabilitation colleagues, learners, and departmental leaders. Clinicians may also have opportunities to engage in emerging areas of practice development, including specialized splinting and bracing workflows, clinical process improvement, and innovation that enhances patient access and care quality.

Work Schedule

• Full-time day shift , Monday through Friday, 40 hours per week.
• Onsite at the Ambulatory Care Center Hand Therapy Clinic in Chapel Hill, NC.
• Opportunities for coverage at other UNC Therapy Services locations, including Mebane, Durham, and Cary, may be considered based on the selected candidate's desired workplace location, clinical expertise, and program needs.

Other information:
Education Requirements:
* Graduation from an accredited Occupational Therapy program.
Licensure/Certification Requirements:
* Licensed as an Occupational Therapist in the state of North Carolina.
Professional Experience Requirements:
* Five (5) years of occupational therapy experience including one (1) year in the specialty field of work to which assigned.
Knowledge/Skills/and Abilities Requirements:

Legal Employer: STATE

Entity: UNC Medical Center

Organization Unit: Occupational Therapy Hand ACC

Work Type: Full Time

Standard Hours Per Week: 40.00

Salary Range:$38.55 - $55.43 per hour (Hiring Range)

Pay offers are determined by experience and internal equity

Work Assignment Type: Onsite

Work Schedule: Day Job

Location of Job: US:NC:Chapel Hill

Exempt From Overtime: Exempt: Yes

This is a State position employed by UNC Health Care System with UNC Health benefits. If, however, you are presently an employee of another North Carolina agency and currently participate in TSERS or the ORP, you will be eligible to continue participating in those plans at UNC Health.

Qualified applicants will be considered without regard to their race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran.

UNC Health makes reasonable accommodations for applicants' and employees' religious practices and beliefs, as well as applicants and employees with disabilities. All interested applicants are invited to apply for career opportunities. Please email applicant.accommodations@unchealth.unc.edu if you need a reasonable accommodation to search and/or to apply for a career opportunity.