Occupational Therapist I

Make a meaningful impact in the lives of Albertans by supporting chronic disease management within Primary Care Alberta. The Alberta Healthy Living Program (AHLP) is a community-based initiative for adults living with or at risk of chronic health conditions, focused on improving health and quality of life through patient-centered care. If you are an Occupational Therapist with a compassionate, enthusiastic approach and have experience working with adults with chronic health conditions, this role may be for you. Under general supervision from the Care Manager, you will work as part of a multidisciplinary team to provide health coaching, supervised group exercise, education, and self-management support to help clients increase physical activity and adopt healthy lifestyle habits. The Occupational Therapist-specific responsibilities include clinical assessment, education and support related to client self-care, productivity, functional mobility, and cognition to promote independence and self-management skills. You will also help develop and deliver group and individualized education and support in areas such as energy conservation, sleep hygiene, pain management, and optimizing participation in daily life activities. Services are provided both virtually and in person at the South Health Campus and Southland Leisure Centre. Role will consist of two full workdays (7.75 hours) and one half-day per week. This position is part of Primary Care Alberta. By applying on this posting, if you are the successful candidate, you agree to and will become an employee of Primary Care Alberta.

As an Occupational Therapist (OT), you will provide evidence-informed services, with a focus on occupational performance designed to meet the needs of individuals, groups, or a community. You may act as a direct service provider, consultant, educator, or advocate and function as an integral health care team member. You will engage individuals, groups, and communities to enable meaningful and chosen occupations, including self-care, productivity and leisure. You will support clients to achieve optimum functional abilities and independence related to their cognitive, affective, spiritual, and physical strengths and limitations. As an OT, you will provide comprehensive services, including triage, screening, consultation, assessment, diagnosis, collaborative goal setting, treatment, prevention, self-management, education, case management, referral, transition support, and collaboration with relevant and chosen stakeholders and supports within the client¿s physical, institutional, cultural, and social environments. You will include clients and families as integral members of the health care team, encouraging their active participation in all aspects of care. You will collaborate with clients and families in determining, implementing, and evaluating rehabilitation. You will participate in a variety of interprofessional teams to build awareness, enrich support and engage in quality improvement by partnering with healthcare providers, patients, families, and other stakeholders to advance services for the clients. You will contribute to quality improvement and their professional community and participate in peer mentoring and supervising students. You may also provide clinical supervision to Therapy Assistants and Therapy Aides.

Completion of bachelor's degree in Occupational Therapy from an accredited university program. Registered with the Alberta College of Occupational Therapists (ACOT).

A minimum of three years’ experience, in the past five years, in both community and clinical settings working with adults with chronic health conditions. Experienced working in collaboration with clients and care team to adapt activities for optimizing health and functional independence. Experienced in performing assessments and developing and implementing follow-up occupational therapy plans in cooperation with multidisciplinary team members. Proficient in delivering group and one-on-one adult education and support that enhance client care, health promotion, and self-management in fatigue management, sleep hygiene, activities of daily living, and pain management. Able to assess range of motion, perform muscle strength testing, evaluate functional mobility, and screen functional cognition and offer interventions to promote client’s self-management if mild cognitive concerns are present. Strong verbal, non-verbal, written, and listening communication skills. Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively and independently in fast-paced, evolving environments. Skilled in building respectful relationships with diverse clients, care providers, and team members. Experienced working with culturally diverse and vulnerable populations. Proficient with computers, databases, and information systems. Must be physically able to move equipment and demonstrate cardio, strength, balance, and flexibility movements.

Completed training and applied experience in chronic disease management, motivational interviewing, and health coaching. Experienced in delivering virtual group education and one-on-one coaching. Experienced in applied exercise science and prescription for adults with various chronic health conditions. Recent experience with Connect Care including documentation and workflows, virtual care using Zoom, and working knowledge of Excel and Word.