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Erlanger Health System
Chattanooga, Tennessee

Occupational Therapist, Adult Outpatient

Occupational TherapistFull-Time

Compensation

Pay not listed

The week · per this posting · weekdays assumed

Ask the employer about the pay range, the work setting, call expectations and time off.

Posted 3mo ago

Job Description

A licensed Occupational Therapist employed by Erlanger Health System, is responsible for direct and indirect care in the rehabilitation of the patient in an outpatient setting.

A licensed occupational therapist employed by Erlanger Health System, is responsible for direct and indirect care in the rehabilitation of the patient. Primary treatment conditions include, but not limited to: Peripheral nerve injuries, Crush injuries, Repetitive motion disorders, and Tendon injuries.

Services provided will include Post-operative management, Custom orthoses, splint modification, Joint mobilization, Manual therapy, Instrument-assisted soft tissue techniques, Taping, Wound and scar management, Edema control, Work simulation, Range of motion, Strengthening.

Independence with custom fabricating orthotics of any type and completing basic to moderately complex hand injury evaluations.

Education

Licensed Occupational Therapist in the State of Tennessee. Bachelor's Degree in Occupational Therapy

Preferred

Experience

Required: Knowledge of general occupational therapy principles and practical skills

Preferred: Experience in application of custom splinting pre and post-op orthopedic

Position Requirement(s): License/Certification/Registration

Required: Tennessee licensure and registration in Occupational Therapy. BLS completed prior to going to the unit/ department and maintained going forward

Preferred

Department Position Summary

Provides occupational therapy evaluations. Develops an individual plan of treatment for each patient. Provides age appropriate treatment. Participates in team meetings and discharge planning. Educates patients and their families in the patient's treatment program.

Primary treatment conditions include, but not limited to: Peripheral nerve injuries, Crush injuries, Repetitive motion disorders, and Tendon injuries.

Services provided will include Post-operative management, Custom orthoses, splint modification, Joint mobilization, Manual therapy, Instrument-assisted soft tissue techniques, Taping, Wound and scar management, Edema control, Work simulation, Range of motion, Strengthening.

Independence with custom fabricating orthotics of any type and completing basic to moderately complex hand injury evaluations.

Directs Occupational Therapist Assistants, and Patient Care Technicians in patient treatments. Maintains accurate written reports. Maintains standards as set down by the American Occupational Therapy Association regarding treatment procedures and professional ethics. Participates in continuing education programs.

Participates in community education. Acts as clinical instructor for OT and COTA students. Participates in the Continuous Quality Improvement efforts of the department and the Medical Center.

Key Responsibilities

Provide direct and indirect rehabilitation care for adult outpatient patients, focusing on hand and upper extremity injuries. Responsibilities include developing treatment plans, fabricating custom orthotics, and supervising therapy assistants.

Requirements

Must be a licensed Occupational Therapist in the State of Tennessee with BLS certification. A Bachelor's degree in Occupational Therapy is preferred along with knowledge of general OT principles.

Qualifications

Education
Bachelor degree
Experience
2+ years of experience

Key Skills

Hand Injury EvaluationPatient Education

Occupational Therapist Career Context

In Tennessee, the Occupational Therapy weighted monthly median benchmark on WeekdayDoc is ~$89k (53 salary observations; 440 listings), vs ~$97k nationally (6,588 salary observations; 25,229 listings). Monthly aggregates cover 2026-01-01 through 2026-10-01; these are not the modal's selected comparable-job medians.

The cost-of-living index for Tennessee is 91.9 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)). 58.6% of Tennessee clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

Of the 50 active Occupational Therapy listings this role was benchmarked against, 12% are remote, 34% have no call, 74% require no weekends.

Occupational Therapy pay on WeekdayDoc is up 1.5% vs. the prior quarter (through Sep 2026).

Work-Life Balance Analysis

WeekdayDoc's proprietary algorithm rates Occupational Therapist, Adult Outpatient at Erlanger Health System a 7.2 out of 10 for work-life balance — classified as very good. This places the position in the top 10% in Occupational Therapy — ranked against 9,285 active Occupational Therapy listings on WeekdayDoc.

Location & Logistics

Tennessee has no state income tax, which can significantly increase take-home pay compared to high-tax states.

Top Occupational Therapist Jobs

41 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution38 jobs · 31 employers

15
<$115k
6
$115k-140k
12
$140k-165k
5
$165k-190k

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks32 jobs · 31 employers

401k / retirement match
94%
CME allowance
66% this job
Sign-on bonus
41%
Loan repayment
16%
Relocation assistance
13%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

#1

Occupational Therapist III EX

UCSF · Oakland, California

$67.06-$90.53/hr
#2

Occupational Therapist

Ironside Human Resources · Fairfield, California

$75-$90/hr
#3

Occupational Therapist II EX

$64.05-$86.19/hr
#4

Virtual Occupational Therapist

$82.50 per hour
+ 39 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

median 4.8this job 7.2
Among the best 10% of Occupational Therapy listings for work-life

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 9,285 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

Living in Chattanooga

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$327k
Typical market rent
$1,513/mo
Residents’ average commute
19 min
Metro price indexU.S. average = 100
91.5
State income tax
None
Sources & methodology

Sources: Zillow home values (Aug 2026), Zillow market rents (Aug 2026), U.S. Census ACS 2024 five-year.

BEA 2024 · Chattanooga, TN-GA metro prices. Housing figures are city-level.

City-level figures. Not a cost-of-living guarantee.