OCCUPATIONAL THERAPIST

Summary

The Occupational Therapist is a licensed professional responsible for providing an efficient and effective Occupational Therapy service to both in-patients and out-patients. The role requires performing evaluations, coordination, and implementation of Occupational Therapy intervention to maximize each patient’s functional abilities in their daily living activities (ADLs). The incumbent must work co-operatively and collaboratively with the interdisciplinary team, serve as a patient advocate, and ensure service delivery meets legal, ethical, and institutional standards.

Job Description

• Conduct comprehensive and ongoing patient assessments to identify problems and needs, and develop appropriate treatment and discharge plans tailored to age, culture, support system, and clinical condition.
• Provide high-quality occupational therapy interventions based on assessment findings and patient goals, ensuring continuity of care and maximizing functional abilities.
• Maintain accurate, complete, and timely documentation of assessments, treatment plans, progress notes, and billing in KCIS/EHR, and report significant findings to referring doctors.
• Provide counselling, education, and home program guidance to patients, caregivers, and families to support self-management and continuity of care.
• Work collaboratively with the multidisciplinary rehabilitation team including physiotherapists, speech therapists, doctors, nurses, and rehab aides to ensure coordinated service delivery.
• Support administrative functions such as service operations, scheduling, coordination of rehabilitation activities, and maintaining statistical data for KPIs and performance indicators.
• Participate in staff orientation, supervision, coaching, and mentorship of junior therapists, interns, and rehabilitation assistants; monitor their performance and care delivery.
• Engage actively in continuous professional development (CPD) via training, workshops, competency assessments, privileging processes, and evidence-based practice updates.
• Ensure compliance with KPJ policies, MSQH/JCI/ISO standards, MOH regulations, PDPA requirements, and ethical principles in all clinical and administrative tasks.
• Implement, adhere to, and monitor services SOPs for assessments, interventions, documentation, and quality assurance processes.
• Ensure a safe, hygienic, and functional therapy environment in accordance with hospital safety, infection control, occupational safety and health standards, and emergency procedures.
• Oversee, maintain, and ensure proper functioning of all occupational therapy equipment, including conducting inspections, reporting faults, managing inventory, and ensuring asset safekeeping.
• Participate in quality and safety initiatives including incident reporting, Q-Radar compliance, RCA investigations, continuous quality improvement initiative projects, and promoting a patient-safety culture.
• Serve as a patient advocate, ensuring that therapy services comply with legal, ethical, and institutional standards while maintaining professionalism and positive work culture.
• Facilitate duties assigned by the Head of Service or hospital management in supporting marketing and service promotion activities.

Requirements

Education:

• Diploma or Degree in Occupational Therapy from a recognized institution.
• Possession of a valid Practicing Certificate issued by the Malaysian Allied Health Professions Council (MAHPC) (or equivalent national body)

 Knowledge and Experiences:

• 2 years of clinical experience.
• 5 years or more experience in a hospital, ambulatory care, or related setting.

Skills & Competencies:

Special skills required

• Excellent communication and presentation skills
• Conflict resolution and negotiation abilities
• Empathy and active listening in patient and staff interactions
• Coaching and motivation for team empowerment
• Cultural sensitivity and emotional intelligence
• Collaborative leadership within multidisciplinary setting

Personal attributes

• Compassionate, patient-centered, and ethical in practice
• Adaptable and resilient under pressure
• Accountable and responsible for outcomes
• Proactive and solution-oriented
• Professional integrity and confidentiality
• Supportive team player with a positive attitude
• Committed to continuous learning and service improvement