Occupational Therapy Practitioner

**About SickKids**:
Dedicated exclusively to children and their families, The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) is one of the largest and most respected paediatric healthcare centres in the world. As innovators in child health, we lead and partner to improve the health of children through the integration of healthcare, leading-edge research and education. Our reputation would not have been built - nor could it be maintained - without the skills, knowledge and experience of the extraordinary people who come to work here every day. SickKids is committed to ongoing learning and development, and features a caring and supportive work environment that combines exceptionally high standards of practice.

When you join SickKids, you become part of our community. We share a commitment and determination to fulfill our vision of _Healthier Children. A Better World_.

Don’t miss out on the opportunity to work alongside the world’s best in paediatric healthcare.

**Position Description**:
The Occupational Therapy (OT) Practitioner provides leadership and promotes excellence in paediatric, family-centered advanced practice physiotherapy through the four main role components of Expert clinical practice, Research and program evaluation, Leadership and consultancy, and Professional development and education. The OT Practitioner has acquired a combination of advanced knowledge, skills, and clinical competence. This expertise enables the OT Practitioner to address complex problems for the Upper Limb and Congenital Hands patient population presenting in the Plastic Surgery Clinic at the Hospital for Sick Children. An OT Practitioner has the skills to manage complex decision-making processes in both the diagnostic and functional management of patients with a wide range of upper limb and congenital hand conditions and uses advanced critical thinking to recognize and manage unfamiliar clinical presentations. The OT Practitioner applies their leadership skills to develop and deliver coordinated patient care and influences improvement in service delivery, patient outcomes and population health.

**Here's What You’ll Get To Do**:
Expert Clinical Practice
- Perform criteria-based referral triage, assessing urgency and severity of the patient’s condition and determine appropriate management pathway for specific non-operative upper limb and congenital hand conditions
- Performs the clinical assessment, taking an accurate medical history and performing a relevant and appropriate musculoskeletal physical examination
- Integrates advanced assessment and diagnostic skills as delegated through Medical Directives
- Selectively orders and incorporates results of diagnostic tests as delegated through Medical Directives
- Provides a diagnosis and management plan in discussion with the patient and their family
- Has a high level of personal autonomy in the provision of clinical care
- Works collaboratively with the surgeons, increasing their productivity/efficiency

Research and Program Evaluation
- Creates and interprets new knowledge through original research or other advanced scholarship and disseminates through scholarly conferences and peer-reviewed publications
- Participates in continual evaluation of the OT Practitioner role and model of care in terms of Structures, Processes, Outcomes (i.e. efficiency, safety, quality) to achieve a model of care that responds to service needs
- Contributes to achieving services that improve the patient experience, reduces unnecessary referrals and investigations, and streamlines patient journeys

Leadership and Consultancy
- Develops and delivers coordinated patient care
- Initiates and influences quality improvement activities
- Participates in processes to gather information and data required to support practice changes and influences the future of professional practice and OT Practitioner care delivery
- Engages in clinical, organizational, regional, national and international networks to influence, share practice and drive change

Professional Development and Education
- Identifies individual learning needs and makes plans for further learning
- Use of mentoring and peer support to ensure competency for the advanced practice role
- Collaboration with surgeon colleagues and team to identify opportunities for shared learning
- Designs and delivers learning opportunities for various healthcare providers such as Family Practice Residents or other trainees

**Here’s What You’ll Need**
- Clinical Masters degree in Occupational Therapy (MScOT) or equivalent
- Completion of an advanced program of study such as a Research Masters Degree in Rehabilitation or other relevant Masters, formal post professional education with competency assessment (i.e. ACPAC Program), graduate-level university-based studies (i.e. Masters in Quality Improvement) or SickKids Advanced Practice Development Program.
- Registration with the College of Occupational Therapists of Ontario
- Membership with OSOT and CAOT pre