Physical Therapy - Injury Elimination Specialist

Location: Southeastern Wisconsin/Northeastern Illinois

Job Type: Full-time

Purpose

The Injury Elimination Specialist will be a Physical Therapist responsible for providing early intervention/injury prevention, Physical Therapy, ergonomic services, Job Analysis, Job Coaching and Post Offer Employment Testing development on-site at local employers.

General Statement of Duties

Provides on-site early intervention/injury prevention services working with an employee to determine the status of a musculoskeletal incident, collaborating with the employee to minimize/eliminate the musculoskeletal incident and work with the associated manager and employee on ergonomic improvements/risk mitigation strategies. The Injury Elimination Specialist will work within the OSHA First Aide Guidelines to minimize or eliminate the early signs and symptoms of a minor work incident while also providing job coaching techniques on the shop floors. The Injury Elimination Specialist will also work on-site with employees that have non-work-related injuries and provide traditional therapy services in a direct access model as well as referral based traditional therapy services. Provides ergonomic and job analysis services at employers to determine overall risk, determine controls to implement and provide job modification recommendations. Design and implement Post Offer Employment Tests that are validated and can be disseminated to clinics around the country to perform.

Example of Work

The Injury Elimination Specialist is responsible for:

• Working on-site at an employer and seeing employees who have sustained a musculoskeletal incident within hours of that incident happening
  • Perform full orthopedic evaluation to determine severity of incident and decide if employee can be seen within OSHA first aide guidelines, requires direct access therapy, or needs to see a physician.
  • Accompany employee out to their job to look for root cause ergonomic issues and implement immediate engineering or administrative controls to help eliminate the incident.
• Working on-site at an employer and sees employees who have a musculoskeletal injury that occurred from a non-work-related activity.
  • The employee shall perform full orthopedic evaluation to determine plan of care and perform traditional therapy on this individual to help eliminate their injury in a direct access model.
• Based on employer needs, provide traditional physical therapy based on a physician’s order
• Proactive ergonomics
  • From time to time, responsibilities may include proactive ergonomic analysis of workspace to mitigate risk.
• Report back to employer weekly on status of all employees within program.
• OccuPro Injury Elimination may receive requests from employers to provide ergonomic analysis or Job Analysis for the creation of POETs and/or the improvement of a company’s job description. This position would include going on site at employers to gather the data and perform videos of jobs to use in an effort to create ADAAA compliant job descriptions and/or determine overall ergonomic risk and come up with solutions to reduce the risk.
• This position will also include designing legally defensible Post Offer Employment Testing which would include designing a content valid test while also over seeing incumbent testing to validate the test and assisting in dissemination of the test throughout the United States.

Experience/Skills/Education

The employee shall have:

• The ability to practice as a licensed Physical Therapist in the state they are practicing
• Individual shall have graduated with a degree in Physical Therapy
• Have or willing to learn ergonomic principles based on the employer they are working at. (OccuPro will thoroughly train and certify any professional looking to gather ergonomic knowledge/skill)
• Have or willing to learn the skills of designing legally defensible Post Offer Employment Testing
• Knowledge of general internet-based technology or able to learn
• The ability to work interdependently and under deadlines
• Ability to travel as necessary
• Can understand industrial rehab, return to work and ergonomic concepts and programs
• Excellent communication skills both oral and written
• Ability to work with all levels of individuals within an organization
• The individual shall be flexible and detailed oriented

Essential Functions

The physical demands and work environment characteristics described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is occasionally required to stand; walk; sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel objects, tools, or control; reach with hands and arms; climb stairs; balance; stoop; kneel, crouch or crawl; talk or hear; taste or smell. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 lbs. Specific vision abilities required by the job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is exposed to weather conditions prevalent at the time. The noise level in the work environment is usually minimal. Employee may be required to travel by automobile or airplane.