Occupational Therapist I - NICU

Occupational Therapist I - NICU

Job ID 20405 Location Los Angeles, California, United States Job Category Therapy / Rehab Date posted 10/09/2026

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Job Description

As a full time NICU Occupational Therapist at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California you will evaluates and treats patients in accordance with the prescription of the physician. The Occupational NICU Therapist provides patient care consistent with Scope of Practice Standards and Code of Ethics; the Plan for the Provision of Care to Patients, the Plan for Corporate Compliance, the Performance Improvement Plan and Patient Education Plan. The Occupational NICU Therapist assists in the continuous quality improvement process and in the education and training of students and assists in divisional growth and cohesiveness to ensure a high quality of therapy care. The Occupational NICU Therapist provides care while maintaining safety of the environment, utilizing appropriate communication with sensitivity and attention to special populations, including patients with diverse cultural backgrounds, age, developmental issues and physical disabilities.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities:

• Responsible for leveraging talent, knowledge, skills, and a strong work ethic to consistently meet and exceed primary Key Performance Indicator (KPI) targets, while maintaining healthy work habits.
• Performs evaluations appropriate to established procedures. Ensures there is a prescription/order for all evaluations and uses relevant test and standardized measures congruent to best practice. Develops a comprehensive plan of care that is supported by evaluation findings and prognosticate patient outcomes/progress integrating all relevant factors. Manages the occupational therapy care of the patient and coordinates with others to ensure the patient receives the total care they need. Completes all required documentation in an accurate and thorough manner within the expected timeframes.
• Utilizes treatment intervention and strategies within the scope of practice and supported by established plan of care and integration of evidence-based practice to maximize patient outcomes tailored to specific patient populations.
• Provides patient education appropriate for patient population and identifies and facilitates patient discharge needs including documentation, communication with care team, and recommendation for follow-up services.
• Identifies safety concerns regarding patient population and institutes appropriate measures to provide a safe environment, including protection of self and others. Reviews identified risks and benefits of therapy and obtains consent from patient and/or caregiver.
• Provides individualized, patient-centered care with respect to personal, cultural, spiritual beliefs and preferences; age-related cognitive and psychosocial needs; social support needs; gender, sexual orientation, and economic background.
• Contributes ideas and suggestions to continuously improve processes, procedures, methods and productivity, and utilizes quality principles for continuous performance improvement.
• Participates in activities that promote professional identity within the clinical environment, the Cedars-Sinai environment and the community at large.
• Participates in professional development through clinical education, formal mentoring programs, further development of clinical and professional competencies, involvement in research and scholarly work.
• Effectively serves as a clinical instructor/mentor in accordance with specific discipline, regulatory and professional context.
• Participates in continuous learning and professional development and documents evidence.
• Contributes to conversations and activities that positively impact team dynamics, cohesion, and morale and promotes individual accountability.

Qualifications

Education:

• Bachelor''s degree from an accredited Occupational Therapy program required. Master''s or Doctorate''s degree is preferred.

Licenses and Certifications:

• Possess a current and valid Occupational Therapy License per California State requirements
• Current Basic Life Support (BLS) certification from American Heart Association or American Red Cross.
• Prechtl''s General Movement Certification is highly desired.

Experience and Skills:

• No experience required.
• Must be competent by virtue of training and/or experience to perform evaluations, design and implement treatment plans and provide education in a manner appropriate to the age of the patient.
• Experience and/or knowledge of assessment and intervention techniques in a medical and physical disabilities setting.
• Good knowledge of assessment and intervention in a medical and physical disabilities setting.
• Ability to address both development and feeding/eating/swallowing in neonates.
• Preference given to individuals with experience with complex neonates (i.e. ELBW).
• Preference given to individuals with Advanced Practice in Swallowing Assessment, Evaluation, and Intervention.

Physical Demands:

• Able to push, pull, lift or carry 0-35 pounds on an intermittent basis.
• Able to sit, stand, walk, bend, squat consistently in order to safely administer manual exercises and techniques.
• Able to assist patient with physical activities such as transfers, bed mobility, and ambulation.

About Us

Cedars-Sinai is a leader in providing high-quality healthcare encompassing primary care, specialized medicine and research. Since 1902, Cedars-Sinai has evolved to meet the needs of one of the most diverse regions in the nation, setting standards in quality and innovative patient care, research, teaching and community service. Today, Cedars- Sinai is known for its national leadership in transforming healthcare for the benefit of patients. Cedars-Sinai impacts the future of healthcare by developing new approaches to treatment and educating tomorrow''s health professionals. Additionally, Cedars-Sinai demonstrates a commitment to the community through programs that improve the health of its most vulnerable residents.

About the Team

Cedars-Sinai is one of the largest nonprofit academic medical centers in the U.S., with 915 licensed beds, 2,993 physicians, 4,700+ nurses and thousands of other healthcare professionals and staff. Choose this if you want to work in a fast-paced environment that offers the highest level of care to people in the Los Angeles that need our care the most.

Req ID 20405 Working Title Occupational Therapist I - NICU Department Occupational Therapy IP Business Entity Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Job Category Therapy / Rehab Job Specialty Occupational Therapy Overtime Status NONEXEMPT Primary Shift Day Shift Duration 8 hour Base Pay $45.89 - $73.42

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Diversity and Inclusion at Cedars-Sinai

We are caretakers and innovators committed to the pursuit of equitable healthcare. But health equity is not possible without representation. Our commitment to diversity goes beyond demographics or checking boxes. Our people must reflect the diverse identities, experiences and geographies of the communities and patients we serve - because that's what our patients, colleagues and communities deserve Quality Care and Research-For All, By All.

Our compensation philosophy

We offer a competitive compensation package for our employees. The base pay range shown generally applies to the greater Los Angeles area and may vary based on work location. Our range takes into account the wide range of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions, including knowledge/skills: relevant experience and training, education/certifications/licensure; and other business and organizational factors. The base pay range does not include any incentive payments that may be applicable to a role. Pay Transparency Non-Discrimination Provision (PDF) .

Cedars-Sinai is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer.

Cedars-Sinai does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of the race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, ancestry, physical or mental disability, legally protected medical condition (cancer-related or genetic characteristics or any genetic information), marital status, sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, age (40 or older), military and/or veteran status or any other basis protected by federal or state law. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the employment process, please contact us by email at Applicant_Accommodation@cshs.org and let us know the nature of your request and your contact information. Requests for accommodation will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Please note that only inquiries concerning a request for reasonable accommodation will be responded to from this email address.

Cedars-Sinai will consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories, in accordance with the Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring.

At Cedars-Sinai, we are dedicated to the safety, health and wellbeing of our patients and employees. This includes protecting our patients from communicable diseases, such as influenza (flu). For this reason, we require that all new employees receive a flu vaccine based on the seasonal availability of flu vaccine (typically during September through April each year) as a condition of employment, and annually thereafter as a condition of continued employment, subject to medical exemption or religious accommodation. For the same reason, you may also be required to receive other vaccines as a condition of employment. Cedars-Sinai reserves the right to make modifications to its required list of vaccines as required by law and/or policy.

Cedars-Sinai's AA Policy Statement (PDF)