Activity/Recreation Therapy Manager

JOB DESCRIPTION: The Recreation Therapy Manager provides a program of therapeutic recreational and expressive therapy services to patients, serves as a member of the interdisciplinary treatment team and supports the facility’s treatment program and philosophy.

JOB RESPONSIBLITIES:

1. Serves as the department’s fiscal manager: understands FTE management and overtime management, provides budget input to director, maintains familiarity with financial information, understands the department’s expenses and revenues, etc.
2. Carries out the personnel management activities associated with direct staff supervision, including screening and selection, orientation training and development, performance management, and employee relations functions.
3. Observes a minimum of 2 groups per Recreation Therapist per quarter.
4. Collects and interprets data from patient records to identify areas in need of development and improvement.
5. Reports data findings to Quality Council and EOC in a timely manner when requested.
6. Develops groups and programs ensuring age and diagnosis appropriate; modifies groups according to the changing needs of the patients and the patient community.

1. Assists the Recreation Therapy team with assessments on all assigned cases; meets with each resident within timelines given, summarizing individual ability, motivation, and preference.

1. Facilitates training for staff related to group facilitation and documentation of groups as needed or requested by Directors/Managers.
2. Coordinates family night for the facility.
3. Provides oversight to Challenge Course/Ropes Coordinator.
4. Demonstrates the ability to provide information and necessary paperwork to those interested in attending the Challenge Course.
5. Recommends to the treatment team effective alternatives or modification to treatment plans based on the patient progress and response to treatment plan.
6. Provides therapeutic recreation and expressive therapy groups.
7. Remains flexible in providing a variety of appropriate therapeutic interventions depending on patient needs and abilities.
8. Maintains a safe, orderly, and therapeutic physical environment for clients.
9. Performs other duties as assigned.

EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE: This position requires a Masters Degree in Therapeutic Recreation or related field and experience in activity therapy and recreation facilitation. Current national registration as a Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist (CTRS) preferred. Supervisory or management experience is strongly preferred.

KNOWLEDGE/SKILLS:

• Ability to perform assignments with minimal supervision;
• Ability to work successfully under highly stressful conditions;
• Ability to make sound, independent judgments based on scientific and/or ethical principles;
• Capability of adapting to varying workloads and work assignments on a constant basis;
• Effective comprehensive reading skills, strong communication skills, written and verbal.
• Must have a working knowledge of computers.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS OF THE POSITON:

• Must be willing and able to execute the patient de-escalation methods, both verbal and physical.
• Must be able to complete new hire requirements such as State of Alaska Background Check and Drug Testing.
• Must be able to demonstrate special training, knowledge and skills specific to age groups, as well as job and/or program specific competency within the first three (3) months of training.
• Must be certified in CPR and Handle with Care within the first month of training and annually thereafter.
• Must complete all mandatory in-services annually.
• Must be tested for Tuberculosis with a PPD skin test or chest x-ray upon hire; PPD skin test required annually or chest x-ray annually thereafter.

GENERAL WORKING ENVIRONMENT: Working conditions for all employees are as follows, but not limited to a psychiatric hospital setting; some risk involved in the event of aggressive patient(s); work load may include day, evening, night, weekend and/or holiday shifts. Employees occasionally exposed to blood borne pathogens, and loud noise levels.

Mental demands described herein are representative of those which must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of the job, but are not limited to the ability to remain calm in a stressful environment; and the emotional stability, physical stamina and agility to handle stress and respond quickly and effectively to emergency situations.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS: Requirements include, but are not limited to the ability to communicate effectively with employees; the ability to effectively utilize communication equipment; the physical agility to manage cleaning equipment; the ability to read, write.

• Frequently utilize physical ability for standing or sitting for long periods of time.
• Regularly utilize physical ability for speaking, hearing, and seeing with correction for close and distance vision, color discrimination, peripheral vision, depth perception and focusing ability. Speaking and hearing may be necessary for conversing with and assessing employees.
• Able to ascend/descend stairs and ramps; body agility is emphasized.
• Able to bend body downward and forward by bending spine at the waist; bend legs at knee to come to a rest on knee(s)
• Able to extend hands and arms in any direction
• Able to use upper and lower extremities to exert force in a pulling or pushing motion. Exerting up to 50 pounds of force occasionally, and/or up to 20 pounds of force frequently, and/or up to 10 pounds of force constantly to move objects
• Able to raise objects from a lower to higher position or from side-to-side.
• The worker is subject to both environmental conditions: Activities occur inside and outside.
• The worker is subject to hazards: Includes a variety of physical conditions.

• The worker is subject to odors from paint, carpet adhesives, and other construction and cleaning chemicals used for routine maintenance and building renovation.

• Must be able to concentrate amidst distractions; must be able to perform work of a repetitive nature; must respond calmly to potentially volatile clients
• Mental demands include but are not limited to emotional stability, physical stamina and agility to handle stress and respond quickly and effectively to emergency situations.

EQUIPMENT/MATERIALS USED: Telephone, computer, copier, fax machine, video player small hand tools and writing instruments.