Occupational Therapist, Children's Intensive Services (CIS)

Company : IWK Health 

Req ID: 195424 
Department/Program: Children's Intensive Services-Day, Mental Health And Addictions 
Location: Halifax   

Type of Employment: Temporary Hourly FT long-assignment (100% FTE) for 1 year x 1 position(s)
 Start Date: February 2025
Union Status: NSGEU Hlthcare, Healthcare Bargaining Unit
Compensation: $35.8626 - $46.8707 /hour
Closing Date: January 21, 2025 (Applications are accepted until 23:59 Atlantic Time)

IWK Health is a respected academic health sciences centre located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, providing tertiary and primary care for two million children, youth, adults and families each year across the Atlantic region. We have a team of approximately 4000 employees, physicians, volunteers and learners at sites across Nova Scotia. People build careers with IWK Health with our focus on training and mentorship opportunities. We recognize each other’s talent and celebrate our successes. We collaborate in modern facilities or virtually from home, align our work to our values, and enjoy access to enhanced benefits and wellness programs. We are proud to support our patients, families and communities and are grateful for the generous donor support we receive.

Promoting an anti-racist environment, and calling out discrimination as we work and provide care, is important to us. We are located in Mi’kma’ki, the unceded and ancestral territory of the Mi’kmaq people. Working in Mi’kma’ki and providing care to those across Atlantic Canada is a shared privilege with the original inhabitants who have lived here for many thousands of years prior to colonization. There are 13 First Nation communities across Nova Scotia, and more than 50 historic African Nova Scotian communities who also have a long, deep, and complex history dating back over 400 years. We have the highest percentage of people with disabilities in the country. Nova Scotia has the highest proportions of transgender and non-binary people than any other province or territory in the country. We are active in our work to eliminate discrimination, but have more work to do to build that trust, acknowledge our biases and reduce the barriers our diverse communities face. We want IWK Health to be a safe and supportive space of equity and belonging in the care we provide and the employment we offer. We welcome all interested persons who self-identify as Indigenous, Black/African Nova Scotians, Persons of Colour, Immigrants/Newcomers, Persons with Disabilities, 2SLGBTQIA+ to apply to support our goal for our workforce to be representative of the patients, families, and communities that we care for at all job levels.

The Opportunity

Reporting to the Manager of Children’s Intensive Service (CIS), and under the direction of the Team Leader, the Occupational Therapist is a member of the interdisciplinary team and provides clinical intervention with an Occupational Therapy scope of practice to families and their children with severe disruptive behavior. The Occupational Therapist assists the client in achieving health and quality of life through participation in a balance of meaningful occupations. Responsibilities will include, but are not limited to: conduct, interpret and utilize standardized assessments of occupational function; to use functional assessments to establish occupational identities and roles; to assist clients with occupational choices; to contribute with remediating the impairments associated with illness; to assess for and recommend assistive technology as appropriate to enhance occupational performance; providing individual and/or group intervention on a direct, consultative or monitoring basis; providing input into discharge and case management and transition/after care planning.  As necessary, appropriately supervises the implementation of recommended interventions for occupational performance by other members of the interdisciplinary team.  The Occupational Therapist provides leadership and support around the client’s treatment plan, participates in clinical case discussion, team meetings, case conferences, and supports program operations.  The Occupational Therapist demonstrates professionalism, adheres to standards of their professional practice and maintains the principles of client and family-centered care.  The Occupational Therapist will be responsible for staying up to date on best practices related to this position as well as following the documentation guidelines established by IWK Health and their regulatory body.

Clinical services are provided to families in their homes or other community locations whenever possible which will require travel for such visits.  In necessary situations there will be an inpatient component to care.

Hours of Work

Monday to Friday; 7.5 hours days, some evening hours may be required.  Travel inside and outside of HRM will be required.

Your Qualifications

• Graduate of a World Federation of Occupational Therapy (WFOT) approved Occupational Therapy Program required.
• Registered or eligible to be registered with the College of Occupational Therapists of Nova Scotia (COTNS) required.
• Membership with the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists (CAOT) preferred.
• Successful completion of a Heart and Stroke Foundation Life Support (BLS) program within the last 12 months required or successful completion of a BLS Renewal Challenge Certificate required.
• Nonviolent Crisis Intervention (NCI) required.
• Working knowledge of Trauma Informed Care and Family/Client Centered Care
• Minimum two (2) years clinical experience as an Occupational Therapist with child and adolescents required. 
• Experience working in a child and adolescent mental health setting strongly preferred.  Experience working in a child/adolescent inpatient setting an asset.
• Experience in creating and delivering evidence-based individual and family interventions preferred.
• Experience working with children with severe disruptive behavior disorders preferred.
• Experience assessing motor skills and sensory processing issues in children.
• Demonstrated ability to work both as a member of a interdisciplinary team and independently in a family centered atmosphere.
• Demonstrated ability to network with and/or familiarity of community agencies servicing a similar population.
• Demonstrated knowledge of mental health disorders and treatment modalities.
• Demonstrated excellent communication, organizational, problem solving and administrative skills.
• Ability to assess risk of harm to self and others, and triage appropriately preferred.
• Demonstrated knowledge and experience of clinical case management.
• Valid Class 5 (at minimum) Nova Scotia driver’s license and access to reliable transportation for travel.
• Competency in other languages an asset. 

Thank you for your interest in IWK Health.

Please note that we only contact applicants selected for interview/testing. If we invite you to participate in an assessment process (such as an interview or testing) you have the right to request accommodation. Please discuss your needs when invited to the assessment process.

This is a Healthcare  bargaining  unit position. Preference is given to bargaining unit employees for unionized positions. Successful applicants changing unions, bargaining units or employment status, are advised to seek clarification regarding their seniority, benefits, and vacation entitlement and/or usage, prior to accepting the position.

An  offer of employment is conditional upon the completion and satisfactory results of all applicable background checks and confirmation of credentials.

If you are an employee of IWK Health, please apply through the internal careers page to ensure you are flagged as an internal applicant.