Careers With Purpose
At the Good Samaritan Society and Sanford Health, our diverse therapy care team offers compassionate care and strives to always put our residents and patients first. Join one of the largest and fastest-growing not-for-profit health systems in the United States, where we have openings available across 24 states and we’re proud to offer many development and advancement opportunities.
**Facility:** Black Hills Ortho Spine Ctr
**Location:** Rapid City, SD
**Address:** 7220 Mt Rushmore Rd, Rapid City, SD 57702, USA
**Shift:** 8 Hours - Day Shifts
**Job Schedule:** Full time
**Weekly Hours:** 40.00
**Salary Range:** $30.00 - $46.50
**Department Details**
Sanford Health is seeking a skilled and motivated Occupational Therapist (OT) to join our growing Hand and Upper Extremity Rehab Program. This position focuses on evaluating and treating patients with conditions affecting the hand, wrist, elbow, and shoulder, including post-surgical, traumatic, orthopedic, neurologic, sports-related, and work-related injuries.
A unique aspect of this role is close collaboration with hand and upper extremity surgeons, creating an integrated care model focused on exceptional patient outcomes. The therapist will participate in treatment planning, post-operative rehabilitation, patient education, and program development within a multidisciplinary orthopedic team.
Certified Hand Therapist (CHT) certification is strongly preferred; candidates actively pursuing CHT certification are encouraged to apply.
Responsibilities
- Evaluate patients and develop individualized treatment plans to restore function and optimize outcomes.
- Provide specialized upper extremity care, including therapeutic exercise, manual therapy, scar/edema management, tendon and nerve rehabilitation, post-operative care, and custom orthosis fabrication.
- Collaborate with surgeons, orthopedic providers, APPs, and rehabilitation professionals to provide coordinated, evidence-based care.
- Monitor progress, adjust treatment plans, and educate patients and families on recovery, home programs, and injury prevention.
- Maintain accurate documentation and apply evidence-based practices to clinical care.
- Support program development, quality improvement, outreach, continuing education, and serve as a clinical resource.
- Supervise therapy assistants, aides, and students and collaborate with other care partners as appropriate.
Typical Patient Population
- Tendon repairs and transfers
- Hand, wrist, and elbow fractures
- Peripheral nerve injuries
- Carpal and cubital tunnel syndromes
- Trigger finger and tendon disorders
- De Quervain's tenosynovitis
- Arthritis and joint replacement/reconstruction
- Shoulder conditions
- Sports-related injuries
- Work-related injuries
- Complex trauma and post-surgical rehabilitation
Preferred Qualifications
- Certified Hand Therapist (CHT) credential.
- Two or more years of experience in hand therapy, upper extremity rehabilitation, or outpatient orthopedics.
- Experience with custom orthosis fabrication and post-operative rehabilitation protocols.
- Strong understanding of upper extremity biomechanics and evidence-based rehabilitation practices.
Why Join Our Team?
- Collaborative Specialty Care Model: Work alongside hand and upper extremity surgeons, APPs, and rehabilitation professionals in an integrated, team-based environment focused on exceptional patient outcomes.
- Strong Provider and Therapist Engagement: Collaborate with physicians, APPs, and therapists through shared treatment planning, clinical discussions, and coordinated care.
- Dedicated to Clinical Excellence: Deliver high-quality care through evidence-based practice, incorporating current research into clinical decision-making and treatment planning.
- Commitment to Professional Growth: Access internal education, specialty training, mentorship, and a continuing medical education (CME) budget to advance your expertise.
- Specialty Program Development: Help grow and advance a thriving hand and upper extremity rehabilitation program while shaping best practices and clinical pathways.
- Diverse and Complex Caseload: Treat post-surgical cases, tendon and nerve injuries, fractures, sports and work-related injuries, and complex orthopedic conditions.
- Patient-Centered Culture: Build meaningful patient relationships while providing individualized care focused on recovery, function, education, and long-term success.
- Learning-Focused Environment: Join a team that values knowledge sharing, clinical mentorship, interdisciplinary collaboration, and continuous improvement.
**Job Summary**
As an Occupational Therapist, you will assess residents/patients and use treatments to help them develop, maintain and recover their ability to perform tasks in their occupations of life. Occupational Therapists who thrive at Good Sam and Sanford are typically good communicators, compassionate, and enjoy working with people. In this Occupational Therapist role you may be asked to supervise assistants, aides, and students as they provide care, treatment, or other services inside the department as well as interact with individuals outside the department like providers, case managers, family members, and more.
**Responsibilities**
* Conducts evaluations and provides interventions for residents and patients
* Evaluates abilities of residents/patients and develops realistic therapy goals
* Documents resident's/patient’s information for evaluation and establishes therapeutic plans
* Provides education designed to enhance understanding and improve functional outcomes
* Demonstrates and incorporates knowledge of current research into daily treatment
* Provides ongoing education and training to peers in the area(s) of expertise
**Qualifications**
Appropriate education level required in accordance with state licensure.
Must be licensed in the state(s) of practice as Occupational Therapist.
When working at a Sanford Health Facility (not required but preferred for GSS Facilities): Must also be certified through the National Board of Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT). When applicable, may require valid driver's license. Obtains and subsequently maintains required department specific competencies and certifications. Basic Life Support (BLS) for health care providers required or within the first 60 days of employment.
In the states of North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, and Minnesota, new graduates in the process of testing with the board, will be considered with the possession of a temporary license.
**Benefits**
Sanford offers an attractive benefits package for qualifying full-time and part-time employees. Depending on eligibility, a variety of benefits include health insurance, dental insurance, vision insurance, life insurance, a 401(k) retirement plan, work/life balance benefits, and a generous time off package to maintain a healthy home-work balance. For more information about Total Rewards, visit https://sanfordcareers.com/benefits .
Sanford is an EEO/AA Employer M/F/Disability/Vet. If you are an individual with a disability and would like to request an accommodation for help with your online application, please call 1-877-673-0854 or send an email to talent@sanfordhealth.org .
Sanford has a Drug Free Workplace Policy. An accepted offer will require a drug screen and pre-employment background screening as a condition of employment.
**Req Number:** R-0271522
**Job Function:** Allied Health
**Featured:** No