OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY ASSISTANT

Job Description:

OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY ASSISTANT

Description

Position/Program Information

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH SERVICES

FILING START DATE: 1/4/2017
Until the needs of the service are met and is subject to closure without prior notice.

EXAM NUMBER: Y5858H

OPEN COMPETITIVE JOB OPPORTUNITY

THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS A REBULLETIN TO UPDATE THE EXAMINATION CONTENT INFORMATION.

ABOUT THE LOS ANGELES COUNTY: The Los Angeles County Department of Health Services (DHS) is the second largest municipal health system in the nation. DHS operates as an integrated health system, operating 25 health centers and four acute care hospitals, in addition to providing health care to youth in the juvenile justice system and inmates in the LA County jails. Across the network of DHS' directly operated clinical sites and through partnerships with community-based clinics, DHS cares for about 600,000 unique patients each year, employs over 23,000 staff, and has an annual operating budget of 6.9 billion. For additional information regarding DHS please visit www.dhs.lacounty.gov .
Through academic affiliations with the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), the University of Southern California (USC), and the Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Sciences (CDU), DHS hospitals are training sites for physicians completing their Graduate Medical Education in nearly every medical specialty and subspecialty. In addition, to its direct clinical services, DHS also runs the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Agency and the County's 911 emergency response system, as well as Housing for Health and the Office of Diversion and Re-entry, each with a critical role in connecting vulnerable populations, including those released from correctional and institutional settings, to supportive housing.

MISSION:
To advance the health of our patients and our communities by providing extraordinary care.

DEFINITION:
Performs occupational therapy procedures to help acute or rehabilitative patients with mental or physical disabilities attain, regain, or maintain physical or mental functioning, and performs structured assessments and screenings.

Essential Job Functions

• Facilitates patient participation in therapy activities by discussing with patients their goals and treatment objectives, selecting specific tasks or activities most appropriate to patients' needs and interests, and encouraging and motivating patients to participate in the treatment program.
• Assists occupational therapists with patient evaluation by performing standardized gross evaluation procedures such as range of motion measurement, grasp and pinch measurement, and homemaking checkout; performs a variety of functional tests to assess patients' self-care level, and engages patients in specific tasks or activities exploring the patients' interests, therapy needs, performance capacities, and physical and/or mental limitations.
• Implements treatment procedures to stimulate muscle activity to develop or improve movement, including exercise, activities of daily living, arts and crafts activities, homemaking skills, social activities and games designed to help patients attain, regain, or maintain both physical and mental functioning.
• Advances the patients through progressively more difficult or strenuous activities, and modifies activities based upon observations of the patients' developmental stage, performance, and interest.
• Instructs patients and patients' families in the use and care of equipment and devices such as exercisers, mobile arm supports, splints, adaptive utensils, self-care aids and tools used in craft activities.
• Updates patients' records as to progress in therapy and treatment goals and reports observations to occupational therapists, other professionals and agencies to provide total care.
• Selects and utilizes equipment, machines, tools, materials, and supplies appropriate for patient treatment including pulleys, lapboards, towels and dowels and ambulatory slings.

Requirements

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:
Satisfactory completion of an occupational therapy assistant curriculum accredited by the American Occupational Therapy Association Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE).

LICENSE:
Current certification** or a limited permit** for certification as an Occupational Therapy Assistant by the California Board of Occupational Therapy.

All required licenses and certifications must be active and unrestricted or your application will not be accepted.

A valid California Class C Driver License or the ability to utilize an alternative method of transportation when needed to carry out job-related essential functions.
Physical Class III - Moderate:
Includes standing or walking most of the time, with bending, stooping, squatting, twisting, and reaching; includes working on irregular surfaces, occasionally lifting objects weighting over 25 pounds, and frequent lifting of 10-25 pounds.

COMMENTS:
Title change effective September 27, 2004. Former Title: Certified Occupational Therapist Assistant.

Additional Information

Special Requirement Information:
In order to receive credit for any college course work, or any type of college degree, such as a Bachelor's degree, Master's degree, completion of a certificate program, certificate or license under the minimum requirements, you must include a legible copy of the official diploma, official transcripts, official letter from the accredited institution which shows the area of specialization; or official license or certificates with your application within 15 calendar days of filing online.

**Applicant must include a legible photocopy of the required evidence of license/limited permit.

Applications submitted without the required degree or evidence of licensure and/or certification will be rejected as incomplete.

Examination Content:
This examination will consist of an evaluation of education and experience qualification based on application information weighted at 100%.

Candidates must achieve a passing score of 70% or higher on the examination in order to be placed on the eligible register.

Notification Letters and other correspondences will be sent electronically to the email address provided on the application. It is important that applicants provide a valid email address. Please add Ahsu3@dhs.lacounty.gov and info@governmentjobs.com to your email address book and to the list of approved senders to prevent email notifications from being filtered as SPAM/JUNK mail.

Eligibility Information:
Applications will be processed on an "as-received" basis and those receiving a passing score will be promulgated to the eligible register accordingly.

The names of candidates receiving a passing score on the examination will be added to the eligible register and will appear in the order of their score group for a period of twelve (12) months following the date of eligibility.

No person may compete in this examination more than once every twelve (12) months.
Vacancy Information:
The resulting eligible register from this examination will be used to fill vacancies throughout the Department of Health Services as they occur.

APPLICATION AND FILING INFORMATION:

APPLICATIONS MUST BE FILED ONLINE ONLY. APPLICATIONS SUBMITTED BY U.S. MAIL, FAX OR IN PERSON WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.

Apply online by clicking on the green"Apply" button at the top right of this posting. You can also track the status of your application using this website.

All information is subject to verification. We may reject your application at any time during the examination and hiring process, including after appointment has been made. Falsification of any information may result in disqualification or rescission of appointment.

Utilizing VERBIAGE from the Class Specification and Minimum Requirements serving as your description of duties WILL NOT be sufficient to demonstrate that you met the requirements. Doing so may result in an INCOMPLETE APPLICATION and you may be DISQUALIFIED.

This examination will remain open until the needs of the service are met. Application filing may be suspended at any time without advance notice.

Fill out your application completely. The acceptance of your application depends on whether you have clearly shown that you meet the Minimum Requirements. Provide any relevant education, and experience in the spaces provided so we can evaluate your qualifications for the job. For each job held, give the name and address of your employer, your job title, beginning and ending dates, number of hours worked per week, description of work performed, and salary earned. If your application is incomplete, it will be rejected.

Applications electronically received after 5:00 p.m., PST, on the last day of filing will not be accepted.

NOTE: If you are unable to attach required documents, you must email the documents to the exam analyst, within 15 calendar days of filing online. Please include the exam number and the exam title.

SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER:
Please include your Social Security Number for record control purposes. Federal law requires that all employed persons have a Social Security.

COMPUTER AND INTERNET ACCESS AT PUBLIC LIBRARIES:
For candidates who may not have regular access to a computer or the internet, applications can be completed on computers at public libraries throughout Los Angeles County.

NO SHARING OF USER ID AND PASSWORD:
All applicants must file their application online using their own user ID and password. Using a family member's or friend's user ID and password may erase a candidate's original application record.

ADA Coordinator Phone:
(323) 914-7111

California Relay Services Phone:
(800) 735-2922

Department Contact:
Annie Hsu, Exam Analyst
Telephone Number: (213) 288-7000
Ahsu3@dhs.lacounty.gov

For detailed information, please click here

Salary:

$55,875.36 - $88,605.84 Annually