Occupational Therapist - Barzakay Clinic - Regular Full Time 2025-12013

The Garry Hurvitz Brain Sciences Centre (“GHBSC”) will be a first of its kind in Canada, unifying the treatments for brain illness in a state-of-the-art collaborative space. The Yuval & Lori Barzakay Brain Health Clinic is an outpatient clinic, located within the GHBSC at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, is seeking an experienced occupational therapist with expertise in the care of patients living with neurological disorders and diseases.

Summary of Duties

The Yuval & Lori Barzakay Brain Health Clinic’s Occupational Therapist will utilize a consultative and collaborative model of care delivery with limited follow up, focusing on providing expert assessments, recommendations and linkage to community partners for ongoing coordination of services. This role offers the opportunity to contribute to a pioneering facility dedicated to advancing brain health through integrated and innovative approaches. The duties of the OT will include but not limited to:

• Patient Assessment: Comprehensive Evaluations:
  • Conduct thorough assessments of patients’ occupational performance issues, including physical, cognitive, environmental and psychosocial factors that impact abilities and daily function
  • Assessments are focused on needs of the patient, and may include assessment of cognitive changes that impact activities of daily living, return to driving screening, etc.

• Individualized Treatment Planning: Customized Intervention Plans:
  • Develop tailored therapy plans with recommendations to address specific issues that restrict participation in everyday living in order to optimize performance in daily activities, and enhance independence and quality of life
  • Short term evaluation and documentation of patient progress, adjusting treatment plans as necessary to achieve optimal outcomes.

• Therapeutic Interventions: Evidence-Based Therapies:
  • Implement interventions to maximize everyday functioning in the person’s environment, such as improve motor control, cognitive function, and emotional and behavioural regulation for daily living skills.

• Patient and Family Education: Training and Support:
  • Provide education and skills training to patients and their families on adaptive strategies, use of assistive devices, and techniques to manage daily tasks and symptoms effectively.

• Collaboration: Interprofessional Teamwork:
  • Work closely with a core team of healthcare professionals at Sunnybrook, in an outpatient clinic environment, optimizing scopes of practice and interprofessional care.
  • Work in an integrated way with system partners to transition care to community-based resources that are useful and will be used by the patient.

• Excellence in Academic Practice:
  • Practice in accordance with College of Occupational Therapists of Ontario (COTO) Standards for Practice.
  • Commitment to clinical excellence and use of Best Practices
  • Demonstrated commitment to Person-Centred Care approach and principles
  • Ability to demonstrate reflective practice
  • As part of our academic health sciences centre, you will participate in quality improvement initiatives and continuing professional development activities that foster ongoing learning, professionalism, inter-professional collaboration and best practices in occupational therapy.
  • You will act as a an occupational therapy expert resource for staff, students, and other healthcare providers
  • In support of Sunnybrook’s full affiliation with the University of Toronto, you will participate in teaching occupational therapy students on an ongoing basis including acting as a preceptor for fieldwork placements. Supervision of one or two student placements annually be expected.

Qualifications/Skills

• Registration with the College of Occupational Therapists of Ontario required
• Minimum two (2) years clinical hospital-based OT experience treating patients with adult neurological disorders in an in/outpatient setting required.
• Community-based experience working with patients to engage in daily routines, an asset
• Ability to efficiently develop care plans that address a client’s occupational performance issues (ADLs and IADLS, cognition and perception, functional mobility, psychosocial and mental health status) for the purpose of helping patients to continue living in the community and to connect patients with community supports/resources
• Superior ability to triage, manage multiple tasks and problem-solve to determine priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Excellent ability to work independently, and to collaborate as part of an interprofessional team of neurologists, nursing and social work.
• Well-developed communication skills, and strong ability to prepare cogent written reports in a timely fashion.
• Excellent time management and organizational skills
• Strong professionalism, demonstrated in team building skills and conflict resolution skills.
• Digital literacy required