Occupational Therapist (School-Based)

At The Children’s Institute of Pittsburgh, we’ve built our legacy on being amazing. After more than a century of the highest quality care and service to children and their families, we’re forever proud of our team members who don’t just make a career here – they make a difference.

 

Job Title: Occupational Therapist, School-based

Location: Pittsburgh, PA

Schedule: 7:30am-3:30am, 193 days/annually as per the school calendar   

 

The Occupational Therapist provides school-based occupational therapy services as a related service within an Approved Private School, supporting students with complex educational, behavioral, communication, and developmental needs. The Occupational Therapist evaluates students, develops and implements individualized interventions aligned with each student's Individualized Education Program (IEP), and collaborates with educators, families, and multidisciplinary team members to maximize students' access to the curriculum and participation in the school environment. Using evidence-based practices, including principles of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), the Occupational Therapist prioritizes services within natural learning environments whenever appropriate to promote skill development, independence, and generalization. As a member of the educational team, the Occupational Therapist supports student success by fostering functional skills that enable meaningful participation in educational activities and school routines. 

 

Effective Non-Teaching Professional (NTP) plan and prepare to deliver high-quality services equitably to all learners based upon extensive evidence-based knowledge of their discipline relative to individual and systems-level needs and within the context of interdisciplinary collaboration. Service delivery outcomes are clear, measurable, and represent relevant goals for the individual and system.

Effective NTPs assess and enhance the quality of the environment along multiple dimensions toward improved academic, behavioral and social-emotional outcomes. Environmental dimensions include adult-student relationships, staff interactions, security and maintenance, administration, student academic orientation, student behavioral values, student-peer relationships, parent and community-school relationships, instructional and intervention management and student activities. Monitor and adjust interventions based on patient response and progress toward goals.

Effective NTP service delivery and evidence-based practice originate from a problem-solving process that can be applied at the individual, group, and systems level and is used for: (a) identification of priority areas for improvement; (b) analysis of variables related to the situation, including student needs and backgrounds; (c) selection of relevant factors within the system; (d) fidelity of implementation of services and supports; and (e) monitoring of effectiveness of services.

Effective NTPs have high ethical standards and a deep sense of professionalism, focused on improving their own service delivery in an equitable and inclusive manner and supporting the ongoing learning of colleagues. Their record keeping systems are efficient and effective. NTPs communicate with all parties clearly, frequently, and with cultural sensitivity. These professionals assume leadership roles within the system and engage in a wide variety of professional development activities that serve to strengthen evidence-based practices. Reflection on their practice results in ideas for improvement that are shared across professional learning communities and contribute to improving the practice of others.

We're proud to offer generous benefits to our team members. Regular full-time team members are eligible for the following benefits: