Help Patients Reclaim the Everyday Moments That Matter Most

For an Occupational Therapist, progress can look different for every patient.

It might be getting dressed independently after a stroke. Safely preparing a meal following a serious injury. Regaining the strength and coordination needed to return home. Or simply helping someone rediscover the confidence to participate in the daily routines that once felt automatic.

This full-time Occupational Therapist opportunity in Central Vermont puts you at the center of those moments.

You'll join a collaborative inpatient rehabilitation team caring for hospitalized patients with a wide variety of diagnoses and functional needs. As one of two primary Occupational Therapists supporting the inpatient rehab unit, you'll have the opportunity to build meaningful relationships with patients while working closely with an interdisciplinary healthcare team focused on helping each individual achieve the greatest possible level of independence.

New graduates and experienced Occupational Therapists are both encouraged to apply. What matters most is a willingness to learn, accountability, strong communication, and a genuine commitment to patient-centered rehabilitation.

Qualified candidates may also receive a $10,000 sign-on bonus and relocation assistance, making this an especially compelling opportunity for Occupational Therapists considering a move to Vermont.

Overview

As an Inpatient Occupational Therapist, you will evaluate and treat hospitalized patients whose illness, injury, neurological condition, surgery, or other medical circumstances have affected their ability to perform essential activities of daily living.

You'll develop individualized treatment plans focused on improving function, independence, safety, and quality of life while collaborating with physicians, nurses, Physical Therapists, Speech-Language Pathologists, case managers, and other members of the rehabilitation team.

The environment is welcoming and collaborative, with opportunities for mentorship and continued professional development.

A structured clinical ladder program also recognizes increasing expertise and provides opportunities for career advancement with associated compensation.

This is an excellent opportunity for an Occupational Therapist seeking meaningful inpatient rehabilitation experience without sacrificing mentorship, professional growth, or quality of life.

Responsibilities

As an Occupational Therapist, you will:

• Perform comprehensive occupational therapy evaluations for hospitalized and inpatient rehabilitation patients
• Develop individualized, patient-centered plans of care based on functional limitations, goals, and discharge needs
• Provide therapeutic interventions designed to improve independence with activities of daily living
• Address functional mobility, strength, coordination, balance, endurance, cognition, and other factors affecting daily participation
• Help patients develop or regain skills necessary for dressing, bathing, grooming, feeding, toileting, and other essential activities
• Recommend adaptive strategies and equipment when appropriate
• Educate patients and families regarding functional recovery, safety, and strategies for continued independence
• Continually assess patient progress and modify treatment plans based on clinical response
• Participate in discharge planning to support safe transitions to home or the next level of care
• Maintain complete, accurate, and timely documentation within the electronic medical record
• Communicate effectively with physicians, nurses, rehabilitation professionals, and other members of the interdisciplinary healthcare team
• Maintain professional standards and comply with applicable clinical, regulatory, and safety requirements
• Participate in continuing education, mentorship, and professional development opportunities

Qualifications

Education

• Graduate of an approved Occupational Therapy program

Licensure & Certifications

Required:

• Current Vermont Occupational Therapist licensure
• Basic Life Support (BLS) certification

Experience

• New graduates are welcome and encouraged to apply
• Experienced Occupational Therapists are also encouraged to apply
• Previous inpatient rehabilitation, acute care, neurological rehabilitation, or hospital experience is beneficial but not required

Preferred Skills

Ideal candidates will demonstrate:

• Strong patient evaluation and treatment-planning skills
• Interest in inpatient rehabilitation
• Patient-centered clinical reasoning
• Effective oral and interdisciplinary communication
• Professional accountability
• Strong documentation and electronic medical record skills
• Willingness to learn and receive mentorship
• Ability to collaborate effectively within an interdisciplinary rehabilitation team
• Commitment to helping patients maximize functional independence

Schedule, Compensation & Career Growth

Schedule

• Full-time
• Primarily Monday through Friday
• Possible Saturday coverage

Compensation

• $36.49 to $56.56 per hour
• Approximately $75,899 to $117,645 annually at 40 hours per week
• Compensation within the range will depend on qualifications and experience

Sign-On & Relocation

• $10,000 sign-on bonus for eligible employees
• Relocation assistance available for eligible candidates

Professional Development

This organization is committed to developing clinicians rather than simply filling positions.

Occupational Therapists have access to:

• Professional mentorship
• Continuing clinical development
• Collaborative interdisciplinary practice
• Opportunities to expand inpatient rehabilitation expertise
• A formal clinical ladder recognizing professional expertise
• Career advancement opportunities with associated compensation

Where Mountains, Medicine, and Meaningful Living Come Together

There are places where your career determines your lifestyle. Central Vermont offers the opportunity to build a life where the two can complement each other.

Here, the landscape is not something reserved for vacations. It becomes part of everyday life.

Mornings arrive over forested ridgelines and mountain valleys. Country roads wind alongside rivers, working farms, historic villages, and covered bridges. On a crisp autumn drive, the Green Mountains erupt into shades of red, orange, and gold. Winter transforms those same mountains into a playground for skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, and cross-country adventures. When spring arrives, rivers swell with snowmelt and trails begin opening again. By summer, long days invite hiking, mountain biking, kayaking, swimming, fishing, and evenings outside beneath remarkably clear skies.

For an Occupational Therapist, that environment feels particularly fitting. Vermont has long attracted people who value health, independence, community, and an active lifestyle. Practicing inpatient rehabilitation here means helping patients regain the everyday abilities that allow them to return to those lives.

Central Vermont also offers something increasingly difficult to find in larger healthcare markets: space.

Instead of spending hours navigating metropolitan traffic, your commute may take you past mountain views, historic town centers, and stretches of open countryside. Weekends can begin on a hiking trail rather than an interstate. Small towns still have independent bookstores, locally owned cafés, farmers markets, neighborhood restaurants, and community gatherings where people actually recognize one another.

Outdoor recreation is woven into the identity of the region. 

The Green Mountains provide seemingly endless opportunities for hiking and trail running, while Vermont's extensive network of mountain biking and cross-country skiing trails keeps residents active throughout the year. Skiers and snowboarders have access to some of New England's best-known mountain destinations, and warmer months bring opportunities for paddling, camping, fishing, cycling, and exploring Vermont's lakes and rivers.

The region's location also creates opportunities for weekend exploration throughout northern New England. New Hampshire's mountains and outdoor destinations sit just across the Connecticut River, while Vermont's villages, ski communities, farms, breweries, and scenic byways make spontaneous road trips easy.

Then there is autumn.

For a few extraordinary weeks each year, Central Vermont becomes the version of New England that most people know only from photographs. Mountainsides turn brilliant shades of crimson and amber. Farm stands fill with apples, pumpkins, cider, and maple products. Cool mornings give way to clear afternoons made for hiking, cycling, or simply taking the long way home.

Yet the appeal of Central Vermont goes deeper than scenery.

There is a strong sense of community here, and that same spirit carries into healthcare. In a collaborative hospital and inpatient rehabilitation environment, Occupational Therapists can become meaningful members of both the clinical team and the community they serve.

For someone seeking the constant energy of a major metropolitan center, Vermont may not be the right fit. But for an Occupational Therapist who values inpatient rehabilitation, outdoor recreation, mountain living, professional growth, work-life balance, and community-centered healthcare, Central Vermont offers something increasingly rare.

It offers room to build a career and room to build a life.

A Rehabilitation Team Where Your Growth Matters

You'll be joining a team that understands excellent rehabilitation depends on collaboration.

As one of the primary Occupational Therapists supporting the inpatient rehab unit, your clinical judgment and perspective will matter. You'll work alongside experienced healthcare professionals while having access to mentorship and opportunities to develop deeper expertise throughout your career.

For a new graduate, that means an environment where you can continue learning after your formal education ends.

For an experienced Occupational Therapist, it means the opportunity to contribute your expertise, collaborate across disciplines, and continue advancing through a clinical ladder that recognizes professional development.

Most importantly, you'll help patients accomplish something profoundly important: returning to the activities that make everyday life their own.

Take the Next Step

If you're an Occupational Therapist seeking meaningful inpatient rehabilitation work, professional mentorship, career advancement, and the opportunity to live surrounded by the natural beauty of Central Vermont, this could be an exceptional next step.

New graduates and experienced therapists are encouraged to apply.

Bring your clinical skills to a team that values collaboration, accountability, professional growth, and the life-changing impact of Occupational Therapy.