Occupational Therapist (OT, OTR/L), Rehab Hospitals & Outpatient Therapy
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This is what we do all day: recruit healthcare professionals.
Hiring an occupational therapist across rehab hospital and outpatient services means matching daily treatment work, documentation, and specialty experience.
No postings. No stacks of resumes. No chasing. You interview a short list.
No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire.
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What happens next
- We review your role, responsibilities and location.
- Ivan or a senior team member will reach out soon.
- You meet a focused shortlist when qualified candidates fit the agreed search.
- Fees.
- No upfront fee. Pay only if you hire, under the signed agreement.
- Exclusivity.
- Set out in the signed client agreement.
- Confidentiality.
- We agree the brief before outreach. This is not a promise of absolute anonymity.
- No hire.
- No hire means no fee on standard searches.
What does an open seat cost you every week?
An open role costs you more than the recruiting fee. Someone covers the work, waits for care, or stops a service. We ask what is falling behind and who is carrying it. Use your own figures to compare the cost of waiting with the cost of hiring.
The seat is costing you every week.
Overtime, diverted patients, a stretched team and a schedule held together by favors.
The posting brought the wrong people.
Applicants arrive, but the person who has done this exact work is employed and not looking.
You are the one chasing.
Screening calls, no-shows and follow-ups land on the desk of someone with a facility to run.
What does this hire really come down to?
We recruit occupational therapists for permanent positions where inpatient rehabilitation and outpatient therapy may share staff or referrals. Before searching, we clarify which setting owns the position, how assignments change, and whether your caseload centers on adult recovery, pediatrics, hand therapy, or neurological rehabilitation.
In a rehab hospital, an OT may assess dressing, bathing, transfers, cognition, and upper extremity function during the same treatment day. Ask how candidates connect those findings to discharge planning. A useful answer describes observed performance, caregiver participation, equipment considerations, and communication with the rehabilitation team.
Outpatient work brings a different rhythm: scheduled evaluations, repeat visits, progress reporting, and home-program follow-through. If the role crosses settings, ask how candidates adjust evaluation depth and documentation without losing relevant findings. Familiarity with inpatient ADLs alone does not establish readiness for a specialized outpatient caseload.
We arrange locum tenens, travel and contract coverage on request. Credentialing, licensing and malpractice coverage are confirmed per engagement before anyone starts.
What do we check before you see anyone?
Verify NBCOT OTR certification and the applicable state OT license. Ask candidates to identify current status and any restrictions. Compare records with the exact practice location rather than treating OTR/L initials on a résumé as verification. Ask, “Describe an ADL evaluation that changed your discharge recommendation.”
- Look for specific observations of task performance, assistance needed, safety concerns, and how the therapist communicated findings rather than a list of assessment names.
- Ask, “How have you assessed upper extremity function and tracked change?” A useful answer connects baseline findings, functional goals, reassessment, and documentation. Ask which diagnoses the candidate actually treated and how recently.
- Ask, “Which pediatric, hand, or neuro cases made up your regular caseload?” Separate occasional exposure from sustained practice. Follow with questions about referral patterns, evaluation methods, caregiver education, and collaboration within that specialty.
- Ask, “What happens when a patient misses outpatient visits or struggles with the home program?” Look for practical follow-up, documented barriers, and communication within clinic policy, not assumptions about motivation.
- Ask, “How do you hand off an inpatient patient continuing therapy elsewhere?” Strong answers identify functional status, unresolved goals, precautions, and information the next therapist needs. Ask who receives the handoff and how completion is recorded.
Where do we find them, and why would they move?
We source from hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, schools, outpatient practices, and pediatric clinics. Review whether candidates have managed rehabilitation discharge deadlines, outpatient reassessments, or both, and ask how much of their recent work involved your patient mix. Hospital therapists may bring discharge-planning experience; school-based therapists may know classroom participation well but need closer review for medical rehabilitation duties.
Recent case examples matter more than the employer category alone.
ACOTE-accredited programs also belong in the source pool. For graduates entering practice, review fieldwork and available supervision. Experienced therapists might move for a clearer specialty caseload, different scheduling, or less travel between treatment sites.
Which mistakes stall the search?
A common mistake is advertising one blended caseload without naming the expected inpatient and outpatient assignments. Candidates cannot assess fit when specialty visits and discharge work remain undefined. Another is treating all upper extremity experience as hand-therapy experience. Ask about actual cases, supervision, and any certificate you prefer; do not make a preferred credential a universal mandate.
Leaving cross-site documentation expectations unexplained. Clarify evaluation templates, progress-note timing, handoffs, and who resolves conflicting assignments before interviews.
How would we run the search for this opening?
You identify the primary setting, patient ages, referral mix, schedule, travel, and specialty duties. We screen credentials, work history, and fit through case-based questions. You assess the shortlist by comparing recent inpatient discharge work and outpatient evaluation experience with the assigned caseload.
Define the assignment
We ask how cross-setting assignments happen and what clinical support is available. That discussion gives candidates a concrete picture of the job.
Screen against the work
You complete your own credentialing and clinical assessment, including any demonstration or case discussion appropriate to the assigned caseload.
Agree on the search
In interviews, ask candidates to explain a discharge handoff and a progress report from their own practice without sharing patient identifiers. Decide which specialty duties they can cover and where supervision would be needed. No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire. We offer a candidate replacement guarantee on standard search agreements. The applicable period and exact terms are set out in the signed client recruiting agreement.
The role and the setting
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Should we request a hand-therapy certificate for every upper extremity role?
A certificate preference should reflect the share of appointments involving hand injuries and postoperative referrals. Describe the actual hand caseload and distinguish your preferred certificate from the state license. Evaluate relevant case experience and clinical judgment through your own assessment.
Can one OT cover inpatient rehabilitation and outpatient appointments?
Yes, if the therapist's experience matches both assignments and the schedule makes the work practical. Explain travel, documentation time, referral mix, and who settles assignment conflicts before presenting the position.
How should we assess a candidate coming from a skilled nursing facility?
Ask for recent ADL evaluations, caregiver training examples, and discharge handoffs. Then examine the outpatient duties separately, especially specialty evaluations and progress reporting that differ from the candidate's previous practice.
What should we ask before adding pediatric visits to an adult OT position?
Ask about patient ages, diagnoses, caregiver involvement, and recent pediatric evaluations. Adult rehabilitation experience should not substitute for evidence of pediatric practice when those visits form a regular assignment.
Can we discuss temporary OT coverage or our own per diem pool?
We arrange locum tenens, travel and contract coverage on request. Credentialing, licensing and malpractice coverage are confirmed per engagement before anyone starts. Credentialing, licensing and malpractice coverage are confirmed per engagement before anyone starts.
What should you send us about this role?
Send us the role, where the person will work and what needs to change with this hire. We will ask about the work, not just the title. Share any license or schedule limits that could rule someone out before we begin the search.
Tell us which setting, patient groups, and specialty duties your OT will cover. We can build the search around that actual assignment.
No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire. We offer a candidate replacement guarantee on standard search agreements. The applicable period and exact terms are set out in the signed client recruiting agreement.
What happens next
- We review your role, responsibilities and location.
- Ivan or a senior team member will reach out soon.
- You meet a focused shortlist when qualified candidates fit the agreed search.
- Fees.
- No upfront fee. Pay only if you hire, under the signed agreement.
- Exclusivity.
- Set out in the signed client agreement.
- Confidentiality.
- We agree the brief before outreach. This is not a promise of absolute anonymity.
- No hire.
- No hire means no fee on standard searches.
What do you get at each step of the search?
Our process for every search: calibrate the seat with you, map the market, research the real people, reach out to each one personally, qualify them in live conversation, then hand you a short list with a written brief on each person and support through the offer.
Search Calibration
You get an agreed brief: the work, reporting line, credentials, schedule, and offer you can make.
Market Mapping
You get a search aimed at relevant backgrounds, including people working now who have not applied.
Professional Contact Intelligence
We check appropriate ways to reach the people identified for your search. You do not have to chase them yourself.
Persistent Personalized Outreach
We explain your actual job and follow up with people who may consider a conversation.
Live Candidate Qualification
You see people we have spoken with about the work, interest, and practical fit, not an unread resume pile.
Candidate Intelligence and Process Support
You get a written brief and support through interviews and offer discussions. You make the hiring decision.
How long will it take to see a short list?
That depends on the job, schedule, available people, and what your employer can offer. We discuss those constraints before outreach and update you as candidates respond. We do not promise a fixed shortlist date. We check the job brief before arranging interviews. Tell us which parts of the role you can change.
What if a candidate receives a counteroffer?
We ask why the person wants to move and discuss competing decisions before an offer. A counteroffer can still change their choice. Keep the duties and offer clear rather than assuming more money settles every concern. Tell us early if parts of your offer cannot change, so the candidate hears it from us first.
What are the replacement terms?
We offer a candidate replacement guarantee on standard search agreements. The applicable period and exact terms are set out in the signed client recruiting agreement. Ask us to walk through those terms before you sign, so you know how a replacement would work for your opening and who would start it.
What do we not do in a standard permanent search?
We do not bill standard contingency search by the hour or simply repost your job. Temporary coverage is a separate arrangement. Any retainer or different engagement must be agreed, not assumed. Tell us early if you need coverage while the permanent search runs.