SENIOR OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY AIDE
Senior Occupational Therapy Aide is a competitive local-government title, the kind you test for: the exam result, not a hiring manager's pick, decides where you land in line.
What it takes is 2 years of relevant experience.
How to apply
This title is filled by competitive examination.
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Senior Occupational Therapy Aide is a local service title. It is filled by the counties, municipalities, authorities and other employers that have adopted civil service under Title 11A, not by State departments. Those employers set pay by ordinance or contract rather than from a State salary schedule, which is why most local titles carry no salary range here.
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Official job specification
The text below is the official specification published by the New Jersey Civil Service Commission. The plain-language summary and analysis above are derived from it by NJ Civil Service Navigator. Source: the official specification page at NJ CSC.
Definition
Under direction, performs responsible and varied non-professional work of a specialized nature in an occupational therapy program; may take the lead over one or more Occupational Therapy Aides; does related work as required.
Examples of work
- Plans, and conducts a program of activity involving responsible and varied non-professional work of a specialized nature in an occupational therapy program.
- Attends to patients needs to facilitate the attainment of therapeutic goals.
- Evaluates the living skills and capabilities of physically, developmentally, or emotionally disabled clients.
- Organizes assigned work activities for patients.
- Instructs patients and families in work, social, living, and other skills, and in the care and use of adaptive equipment.
- Monitors patients in their work activities.
- Reports on attendance, work output, and patient response to activity, for review by a professional occupational therapist.
- Transports patients to and from the occupational therapy work area.
- Maintains established standards of performance and work output.
- Maintains cleanliness and order within the unit.
- Maintains equipment in proper operating condition.
- Prepares, as directed, requisitions for needed equipment, materials and supplies and ensures that these are properly recorded and distributed.
- May take the lead over one or more Occupational Therapy Aides, and assign, instruct and organize their work.
- Maintains essential records and files.
- Will be required to learn to utilize various types of electronic and/or manual recording and information systems used by the agency, office, or related units.
Experience
Two years of experience in work involved in the custody or care of patients or in occupational therapy work.
License
Appointees will be required to possess a driver's license valid in New Jersey only if the operation of a vehicle, rather than employee mobility, is necessary to perform essential duties of the position.
Knowledge, skills and abilities
- Knowledge of the goals of occupational therapy.
- Knowledge of the equipment, materials, activities, and procedures used in Occupational Therapy activities.
- Knowledge of the methods used to monitor and report on client progress.
- Ability to instruct patients and to maintain their participation in activities.
- Ability to maintain harmonious working relationships with professional and non-professional personnel, patients and others.
- Ability to present facts, comments and observations in an effective manner, both verbally and in writing.
- Ability to exercise sound judgment.
- Ability to prepare clear, sound, accurate, and informative reports of activities containing findings, conclusions, and recommendations.
- Ability to maintain essential records and files.
- Ability to utilize various types of electronic and/or manual recording and information systems used by the agency, office, or related units.
- Ability to read, write, speak, understand, and communicate in English sufficiently to perform the duties of this position. American Sign Language or Braille may also be considered as acceptable forms of communication.
- Persons with mental or physical disabilities are eligible as long as they can perform essential functions of the job with or without reasonable accommodation. If the accommodation cannot be made because it would cause the employer undue hardship, such persons may not be eligible.
Note
The examples of work for this title are for illustrative purposes only. A particular position using this title may not perform all duties listed in this job specification. Conversely, all duties performed on the job may not be listed.
Satisfactory completion of twelve (12) weeks of training in the principles and methods of occupational therapy may be substituted for one year of indicated experience.