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Tufts Medicine
Boston, Massachusetts

Outpatient Occupational Therapist – Hand Therapy (Per Diem)

Occupational TherapistPer Diem

Listed compensation

$40-$47.41/hr

The week · per this posting

Schedule not stated in this posting — no days, weekends, call or nights given.

Ask the employer about the work setting, call expectations, weekend coverage and time off.

Posted 3mo ago

Job Description

Outpatient Occupational Therapist – Hand Therapy - PER DIEM Job Description: Join our team where we use clinical expertise and evidence-based practice to deliver hand therapy services to a diverse patient population, primarily providing evaluation and treatment for orthopedic conditions, but also neurologic conditions and serving our local community in Chinatown and Downtown.

Our Hand Therapists are located in the same clinic as the hand surgeons, allowing for frequent collaboration with the surgeons. Our team provides thorough, compassionate services, providing one to one treatment for patients, while also having opportunity to use advanced splinting skills for our walk-in patients.

Job Summary: We are seeking a self-motivated Occupational Therapist who is responsible for providing comprehensive, evidence-based care in a hospital-based outpatient clinic to join our team.

The position involves regular contact with patients and members of their families and referring physicians. The Outpatient Occupational Therapist – Hand Therapy performs comprehensive evaluation and assessment for orthopedic upper extremity patients and occasionally, neuromuscular and pediatric patients.

They work directly and collaboratively with the Hand Surgeons to problem solve care and to optimize patient outcomes. The ideal candidate will have the ability to manage and be flexible with balancing scheduled patient caseload with walk-in patients from Hand Surgeon’s clinic.

Minimum Qualifications

1. Bachelor’s degree in Occupational Therapy. 2. Occupational Therapy (OT) license. 3. National Board of Certification in Occupational Therapy registration. 4. Basic Life Support (BLS) Certification. 5. One (1) year of clinical experience.

Preferred Qualifications

1. Master’s degree in Occupational Therapy. 2. Two (2) years of clinical experience. 3. Experience with complex splinting preferred 5. Knowledge of upper extremity protocols for common surgeries 6.

Two years of outpatient experience required, with preference for CHT Duties and Responsibilities: The duties and responsibilities listed below are intended to describe the general nature of work and are not intended to be an all-inclusive list. Other duties and responsibilities may be assigned. 1.

Provides comprehensive evaluation and assessment of patient’s physical, cognitive and self-care status. Assesses and reassesses patient pain and other problem areas, including the patient’s goals to develop appropriate treatment plans to assist patient in attaining maximum functional outcomes. 2.

Sets realistic short- and long-term goals and plan of care related to patient’s occupational therapy needs within the musculoskeletal, neuromuscular, cardiopulmonary, and integumentary systems. 3.

Interacts professionally with patient and family; involves patient in the formation of plan of care; formulates a teaching plan based upon identified learning, cultural and psychosocial needs. 4. Communicates clearly and appropriately to patients, families, physicians, staff and all other customer groups. 5.

Demonstrates the ability to carry out the appropriate treatment plan. Demonstrates initiative, organization, and follow-through. 6.

Works directly and collaboratively with the interdisciplinary health care team, the patient, and the patient’s family to promote maximum level of patient safety and independence in discharge planning. 7. Supervises and educates students and evaluates the students performance. 8.

Educates colleagues and hospital employees regarding role of occupational therapy. 9. Maintains and completes proper and timely documentation in the medical record for all patients treated to promote communication to physicians and to ensure proper reimbursement. 10.

Ensures documentation and billing is accurate and reflective of services provided in accordance with departmental guidelines.

Additional requirements may include: Must demonstrate interpersonal skills including communication, flexibility, time management, independence, teamwork and maturity to operate effectively within a multi-disciplinary setting. Has ability to manage and be flexible prioritizing patient caseload.

Must be willing and able to work effectively with a wide variety of patients with acute and long-term disability. Must be capable of treating independently. Must be capable of providing occupational therapy intervention throughout the life span.

Lifts, positions, pushes and/or transfers patients, supplies and equipment. Physical Requirements: 1. Occasional sitting, frequent standing, walking & transferring of patients. 2.

Manual dexterity using fine hand manipulation to operate computer keyboard, dexterity to provide quantitative testing and manual treatment techniques to a wide variety of patients. 3. Ability to see computer screen and reports. Visually assess injury and functional status of patients. and 2.

Ability to audibly assess patient subjective complaints. Skills & Abilities: 1. Demonstrate interpersonal skills including communication, teamwork, and willing to work one-on-one or a group basis. 2. Ability to work independently, to be self-motivated and well organized.

Ability to function well in very busy situations. 3. Responsible and reliable. 4. Demonstrates flexibility and able to adjust to changes at a moment’s notice. 5. Maturity to operate effectively within a multi-disciplinary setting. 6.

Able to work effectively with a wide variety of patients with acute and long-term disability. 7. Ability to read/write and communicate in English. 8. Ability to assess the needs of patients of all different age populations in order to provide care appropriately. 9.

Ability to observe and evaluate treatment effects and adjusts plan of care as appropriate. 10. Knowledge of occupational therapy principles, practices, and other treatment skills. 11. Ability to observe and evaluate treatment effect and adjust plan of care as appropriate. 12.

Demonstrates proper time management skills to attain department productivity while assuring quality patient care. 13. Ability to apply knowledge of physical modalities, splinting, therapeutic exercise, adaptive equipment and other treatment skills.

At Tufts Medicine, we want every individual to feel valued for the skills and experience they bring. Our compensation philosophy is designed to offer fair, competitive pay that attracts, retains, and motivates highly talented individuals, while rewarding the important work you do every day.

The base pay ranges reflect the minimum qualifications for the role. Individual offers are determined using a comprehensive approach that considers relevant experience, certifications, education, skills, and internal equity to ensure compensation is fair, consistent, and aligned with our business goals.

Beyond base pay, Tufts Medicine provides a comprehensive Total Rewards package that supports your health, financial security, and career growth—one of the many ways we invest in you so you can thrive both at work and outside of it.

Pay Range

$40.00 - $47.41 Tufts Medicine is a leading integrated health system bringing together the best of academic and community health care to deliver exceptional, connected and accessible care experiences to consumers across Massachusetts.

Comprised of Tufts Medical Center, Lowell General Hospital, MelroseWakefield Healthcare, an expansive home care network and a large clinically integrated physician network, Tufts Medicine has more than 15,000 dedicated employees and caregivers.

The health system came together in 2014 to leverage the experience of its member organizations and integrate their missions to together transform the ways that consumers engage with and experience their care.

Key Responsibilities

Provide comprehensive evidence-based evaluation and treatment for orthopedic and neurologic upper extremity conditions in an outpatient setting. Collaborate closely with hand surgeons to optimize patient outcomes and manage a mix of scheduled and walk-in patients.

Requirements

Requires a Bachelor's degree in Occupational Therapy, a valid OT license, NBCOT registration, and BLS certification. Minimum of one year of clinical experience is required, with a preference for CHT certification and a Master's degree.

Qualifications

Education
Master's degree (postgraduate degree)
Experience
2+ years of experience

Key Skills

Patient EvaluationTreatment PlanningInterdisciplinary CollaborationPatient EducationMedical DocumentationClinical Assessment

Occupational Therapist Career Context

In Massachusetts, the Occupational Therapy weighted monthly median benchmark on WeekdayDoc is ~$90k (247 salary observations; 538 listings), vs ~$97k nationally (6,587 salary observations; 25,232 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 Massachusetts is 105.8 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)). 63.2% of Massachusetts clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

Of the 40 active Occupational Therapy listings this role was benchmarked against, 13% are remote, 38% have no call, 60% require no weekends.

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

Top contract/1099 Occupational Therapist Jobs

39 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution21 jobs

5
<$115k
3
$115k-130k
3
$130k-145k
7
$145k-160k
3
$160k+

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks27 jobs

401k / retirement match
81%
CME allowance
78%
Sign-on bonus
26%
Relocation assistance
19%
Loan repayment
11%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

#1

Occupational Therapist (OT)- South County

Home Care Providers Group · San Diego, California

$158k – $198k
#2

Home Care Occupational TherapistPer Diem

US Physical Therapy · Morristown, New Jersey

$74-$93.75/hr
#3

Home Care Occupational Therapist- (Morris County)

$74-$93.75/hr
#4

Home Care Occupational Therapist- 1099 (Queens)

$80-$90/hr
+ 37 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

median 6.0this job 3.0
Below most Hand Therapist (OT) listings for work-life

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 166 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

Living in Boston

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$813k
Typical market rent
$3,338/mo
Residents’ average commute
30 min
Metro price indexU.S. average = 100
108.3
State income tax
Up to 5%
Sources & methodology

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

BEA 2024 · Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro prices. Housing figures are city-level.

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