Position overview

The RACS Occupational Therapy service is a dynamic team of occupational therapists and allied health assistants providing high quality assessment and therapeutic intervention across a diverse patient population. The service manages patients with a range of conditions including neurological, orthopaedic, complex medical and frail aged.

The Health Professional (HP) Level 2 Occupational Therapist delivers high quality, evidence-based occupational therapy services to a defined caseload, working with professional autonomy under general supervision. This includes independently planning, implementing and evaluating assessment and intervention programs for patients within rehabilitation, aged care and general medical settings.

The role applies established clinical principles and professional judgement to manage a diverse workload, prioritise competing demands, and contribute to safe and effective patient outcomes. The HP2 clinician provides procedural guidance to students and allied health assistants, contributes to clinical education, and participates in quality improvement, service development and clinical governance activities.

The position works collaboratively within multidisciplinary teams and represents occupational therapy in care planning and service delivery discussions.

The role may be based in acute aged care wards at Canberra Hospital or University of Canberra Hospital and forms part of the RACS HP2 rotational program, offering six-month rotations across a variety of clinical areas.

Key Responsibilities

Specific responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following.

Under limited direction of the Occupational Therapy Manager, you will perform clinical, administrative and educational duties related to the care and wellbeing of CHS consumers and staff.

You will:

• Independently manage a defined caseload, including assessment, intervention, prioritisation and evaluation of patient outcomes.
• Deliver high quality, evidence-based occupational therapy services using established clinical principles, techniques and methods.
• Work collaboratively within the multidisciplinary team and communicate effectively with patients, families and relevant stakeholders to support coordinated care and discharge planning.
• Identify and manage clinical risks within scope of practice and contribute to safe, high-quality service delivery.
• Provide procedural supervision, guidance and support to students and allied health assistants.
• Contribute to clinical governance, quality improvement, research and health promotion activities relevant to the service.
• Maintain accurate and timely clinical documentation in accordance with organisational and professional standards.
• Participate in supervision, performance review and continuing professional development.
• Undertake other duties appropriate to this level of classification which contribute to the operation of the organization.

Competencies

Specific competencies include but are not limited to the following.

• Demonstrated organisational, communication and interpersonal skills, with ability to manage a clinical workload with increasing independence.
• Ability to apply evidence-based practice and sound clinical reasoning to a range of patient presentations.
• Demonstrated critical thinking and decision-making within defined clinical parameters.
• Ability to communicate and work effectively with patients, families and multidisciplinary teams.
• Demonstrated adaptability, teamwork and contribution to a positive workplace culture.
• Ability to provide guidance and procedural support to students and allied health assistants.
• Demonstrated participation in quality improvement and professional development activities.
• Maintains high standards of professional behaviour, accountability, and commitment to safety and quality in healthcare.

Qualifications

Specific qualifications include, but are not limited to, the following.

Essential

• Tertiary qualifications in Occupational Therapy
• Registered (or eligible for registration) with the Occupational Board of Australia, Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA).
• Hold a current Australian driver license

Desirable

• Have an understanding of how the National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) indicators align with this role.

Experience

Specific experience include, but are not limited to, the following.

Essential

• A minimum of 12 months experience working professionally as an Occupational Therapist.

Desirable

• Previous clinical experience working in a hospital setting.
• Experience or knowledge of the CHS Exceptional Care Framework and all other related frameworks.

Please note prior to commencement successful candidates will be required to:

• Undergo a pre-employment National Police Check.
• Comply with Canberra Health Services Occupational Assessment, Screening and Vaccination policy.
• Comply with CHS credentialing and scope of clinical practice requirements for allied health professionals.

Important information

All employees are required to:

• Adhere to the Canberra Health Services Values and the ACT Public Service Code of Conduct.
• Act in accordance and comply with all relevant Safety and Quality policies and procedures.
• Comply with all relevant clinical and/or competency standards.

CHS is leading the drive to digitally transform health service delivery in Australia through the implementation of a territory wide Digital Health Record. Computer literacy skills are required which are relevant to this role as you will be responsible for completing the required documentation and becoming a proficient user of the Digital Health Record and/or other Information Technology systems; once proficient, you will need to remain current with changes, updates, and contingencies.

What you Require (Key Selection Criteria)

These are the key selection criteria for how you will be assessed in conjunction with your resumé and experience.

1. Proven experience, knowledge, and skills in providing evidence based Occupational Therapy assessments and interventions for clients with functional impairment resulting in neurological, orthopaedic, aged and general medical and/or surgical conditions in a rehabilitation or aged care setting.
2. Demonstrated high-level oral and written communication skills, including computer skills, to complete case records and to produce high level written reports to the standards of Canberra Health Services.
3. Ability to work effectively within Occupational Therapy and multi-disciplinary teams and collaborate with other service providers to ensure effective patient outcomes.
4. Demonstrated ability to deliver patient centred services that meet high safety and quality standards, including a demonstrated   understanding of and   participation in professional development, evidence-based practice, and quality improvement activities.
5. Demonstrates understanding of, and adherence to, safety and quality standards, Work Health and Safety and the positive patient experience. Displays behaviour consistent with CHS’s values of reliable, progressive, respectful, and kind.

Work environment description

The following work environment description outlines the inherent requirements of the role and indicates how frequently each of these requirements would need to be performed. Please note that the ACT Public Service is committed to providing reasonable adjustments and ensuring all individuals have equal opportunities in the workplace.