Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant (COTA)

JOB TITLE: Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant

POSITION LOCATION: Peoria Service Cener, 507 E. Armstrong Ave., Peoria, IL 61603

POSITION STATUS: Full time, 40 hours per week

POSITION SCHEDULE: Clinic hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00am – 6:00pm (with the last appointment at 5:15pm)

Help children do more of what matters most.

As a COTA at Easterseals Central Illinois, you’ll have the opportunity to turn therapy into meaningful, everyday progress for children and their families.

About Us: Easterseals Central Illinois is a trusted leader in pediatric therapy, helping children with developmental delays, disabilities, and other special needs reach their fullest potential. Our Occupational Therapy team provides individualized care across a variety of settings, working closely with families, schools, and an interdisciplinary team of professionals.

As a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant, you'll work under the direction of an Occupational Therapist while playing an important role in helping children develop greater independence and participate more fully in everyday activities. Your work may include:

• Outpatient Pediatric Rehabilitation: Provide individualized treatment focused on fine motor and self-help skills, upper extremity function, activities of daily living, strength, visual/perceptual skills, and sensory integration processing. 
• Early Intervention & Natural Environments: Provide services in children's homes, community settings, and other natural environments, helping families incorporate therapeutic strategies into everyday routines. 
• Family & Caregiver Training: Develop home programming and provide families, caregivers, and school personnel with practical strategies to support children's progress outside of therapy sessions. 
• Adaptive Equipment & Assistive Technology: Assist with equipment orders, fittings, follow-up, and other Adaptive Equipment and Assistive Technology services, including splint fabrication when needed. 
• Interdisciplinary Collaboration: Participate in team meetings, case studies, and collaboration with Occupational Therapists, Physical Therapists, Speech-Language Pathologists, Feeding Therapists, behavioral professionals, physicians, and other providers involved in a child's care.

Why Join Easterseals Central Illinois?

Professional Growth & Clinical Support

• Work under the direction of experienced Occupational Therapists who value collaboration and clinical development. 
• Participate in in-services, case studies, team reviews, and ongoing professional development. 
• Gain experience across a variety of pediatric diagnoses, treatment needs, and service settings. 
• Develop your clinical skills through hands-on experience with sensory integration, adaptive equipment, assistive technology, splint fabrication, and other therapeutic interventions. 

Meaningful, Family-Centered Care

• Help children develop skills that support greater independence at home, at school, and in their communities. 
• Work directly with families and caregivers to carry therapy strategies beyond the treatment session. 
• See the impact of your work as children make progress toward individualized goals and everyday milestones. 

A Collaborative Team

• Work alongside OTs, PTs, SLPs, Feeding Therapists, behavioral professionals, and other members of the interdisciplinary team. 
• Have opportunities to contribute during team meetings, case studies, and treatment planning. 
• Collaborate with families, educators, physicians, and other professionals involved in each child's care.

What Sets Us Apart:

• A Mission with Impact: For more than 100 years, Easterseals Central Illinois has been dedicated to helping children with disabilities and their families reach their full potential. 
• Balanced Work-Life: Set schedules with no nights or weekends, supporting a healthy work/life balance. 
• Documentation Time Included: Our 60% productivity expectation allows dedicated time during the workday for documentation and other responsibilities. If a client cancels, you are still paid for your scheduled time. 
• Variety in Your Work: Provide services across service centers, natural environments, client homes, telehealth, and school-based settings, depending on program and client needs. 
• Interdisciplinary Care: Collaborate with professionals across Occupational, Physical, Speech and Feeding Therapy, behavioral health, counseling, and other disciplines to provide coordinated care. 
• Opportunities Beyond Direct Therapy: COTAs may have opportunities to participate in Adaptive Equipment and Assistive Technology services, mentor new staff, supervise clinical students, and contribute to special projects and contractual services. 
• Accreditation & Recognition: Easterseals Central Illinois holds an 8th consecutive CARF accreditation for Pediatric Specialty Outpatient Rehabilitation, demonstrating our commitment to quality and continuous improvement..

Compensation and Benefits

Compensation for this position is expected to fall within the range of $22.00 - $25.00 hourly. The final offer may be structured as either an hourly rate or a salary, depending on the role classification, and will consider several individualized factors including relevant experience, scope and responsibilities of the role, qualifications and credentials, talent availability and specialization, and organizational needs. This range is subject to change in the future.

Compensation is just one component of the total rewards package offered for this role. Easterseals Central Illinois offers a comprehensive benefits package designed to support the well-being of our team members:

• Generous Paid Time Off (PTO)
  • Vacation, Sick, and Personal time
  • 5 Paid Holidays plus a paid Holiday break: the Peoria Service Center is closed Christmas Eve through New Years Day
  • Event Days: Earn additional PTO hours if you volunteer with us!
• Comprehensive Group Health Insurance
  • Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance with multiple plan options
  • Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) for Medical and Dependent Care expenses
  • Employer-Paid Life and Long-Term Disability Insurance 
  • Voluntary Life and AD&D Coverage options for employee, spouse, and/or children
  • Supplemental Coverage Options: Short-Term Disability, Accident, Critical Illness, and Hospital Indemnity Plans
• Retirement Planning
  • 401(k) Retirement Plan with Employer Match
• Employee Support & Discounts
  • Employee Assistance Program (EAP) for 24/7 confidential support
  • Exclusive Employee Discounts through PerkSpot and local gym partnerships
• Professional Development
  • Annual Professional Development & CEU Allowance
  • New Employee Referral Bonus 
• Easterseals qualifies for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program

All benefits are subject to eligibility, terms, and plan guidelines.

Position Objective: The Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant (COTA) functions as a member of the interdisciplinary treatment team providing outpatient treatment and consultation services to clients and their families under the direction of the Occupational Therapist. The COTA assists in the assessment and provides treatment to clients in the areas of fine motor/self-help skills, upper extremity function, activities of daily living, upper body strength, visual/perceptual skills, and sensory integration processing under the direction of the Occupational Therapist.

Education/Experience Requirements:

• Associate’s degree in Occupational Therapy from an accredited university.
• Must be licensed in the State of Illinois or eligible for licensure.
• A minimum of one year of proven successful experience in the area of pediatric occupational therapy is preferred.

Competency Requirements

• Advanced knowledge and skill necessary to provide treatment plans related to credentialed/licensed field of practice.
• Demonstrate proficiency with EHR and required Rehab workflows including timely patient care documentation and billing for accurate medical records.
• Working knowledge of personal computers and software (MS Office Suite).

Job Functions:

• Provides direct therapy at service centers, natural environments, telehealth, or school contracts accurately documenting services, obtaining OTR/L co-signatures, and billing for services following payer guidelines.
• Assists the Occupational Therapist in establishing individualized therapy goals and generating data for the Plan of Care and/or Individualized Education Plan (IEP) for the school-based contracts.
• Participates in multidisciplinary or caregiver team meetings and provides input during case studies with the medical director as needed.
• Monitors progress toward identified outcomes and assists with modification of treatment goals and therapeutic intervention strategies as necessary and/or every six months at a minimum.
• Records and document attendance/absences. Documents progress notes and phone contacts regarding the individual served accurately in the file and in a timely manner.
• Develops home programming activities for the family and revises as necessary.  Provides parent/guardian/family training or school personnel training in the care of the individual (e.g. positioning) and in-home program activities.
• Participates as needed or requested in the smooth transition of an individual to a public school program or other placement as necessary. Corresponds with physicians and other professionals involved in the care/treatment of the family as necessary.
• Attends departmental and discipline staff meetings, in-services, case studies, and team reviews as requested.
• Ensures that all requirements for supervision, credentialing, and licensure are maintained.
• Completes competencies and maintains established departmental policies and procedures, safety and infection control standards, quality assurance, and accreditation standards of the Center.

Marginal Responsibilities:

• Assists with Adaptive Equipment Clinic and AT services including equipment orders, fittings, follow up and the manufacture of splints as necessary for each individual followed.
• Assists with monitoring and ordering test booklet/evaluation supplies as needed.
• Mentors new staff members as requested.
• Fulfills contractual obligations as requested.
• Complete letters of medical necessity as needed.
• Supervises clinical students as requested.
• Other duties as assigned.

Physical Requirements:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

• Must have visual ability sufficient to read and accurately complete written correspondence, reports, etc., and computer screen information.
• Frequent use of hands to grasp, handle, or feel.
• Close supervision of clients and physical assistance or redirection during treatment sessions and use of novel/suspended equipment to maintain client safety.
• Regular standing, walking, sitting, bending, lifting, and reaching.
• Occasional kneeling, work with clients on floor mats, and transitions from floor to standing related to patient care.
• Ability to lift and/or carry up to fifty (50) pounds.
• Ability to drive to all Easterseals centers and service sites within a 100-mile radius, as needed.

Work Environment

• Routinely works in office environments with little exposure to excessive noise, dust, temperature.
• Community Settings for meetings and direct service activities.
• Client homes for direct service activities.
• Routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers, phones, photocopiers, filing cabinets and fax machines.
• May be exposed to contagious diseases but potential for personal harm and injury is limited when proper safety and health precautions are used.

Easterseals Central Illinois is an equal-opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran status, or genetic information. Easterseals is committed to providing access, equal opportunity, and reasonable accommodation for individuals with disabilities in employment, its services, programs, and activities. To request reasonable accommodation, call 309.686.1177.