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Sentara Health
Norfolk, Virginia

Occupational Therapist - Acute Care

Occupational TherapistFull-Time

Compensation

Pay not listed

The week · per this posting · weekdays assumed

Ask the employer about the pay range, call expectations, weekend coverage and time off.

Posted 4mo ago

Job Description

City/State Norfolk, VA Work Shift First (Days) Overview: Sentara Leigh Hospital is hiring an Occupational Therapist for Acute Care *We offer Competitive Salary with Excellent Benefits* As an Occupational Therapists you will assess, plan, organize, and participate in rehabilitative programs that improve functional mobility, relieve pain, improve or correct disabling conditions resulting from disease or injury and help build or restore vocational/ daily living skills as well as general independence. Education Master's of Occupational Therapy Certification/Licensure VA License of Occupational Therapy NBCOT BLS. Benefits: Caring For Your Family and Your Career

  • Medical, Dental, Vision plans
  • Adoption, Fertility and Surrogacy Reimbursement up to $10,000
  • Paid Time Off and Sick Leave
  • Paid Parental & Family Caregiver Leave
  • Emergency Backup Care
  • Long-Term, Short-Term Disability, and Critical Illness plans
  • Life Insurance
  • 401k/403B with Employer Match
  • Tuition Assistance – $5,250/year and discounted educational opportunities through Guild Education
  • Student Debt Pay Down – $10,000
  • Reimbursement for certifications and free access to complete CEUs and professional development
  • Pet Insurance
  • Legal Resources Plan
  • Colleagues may have the opportunity to earn an annual discretionary bonus if established system and employee eligibility criteria is met Sentara Leigh Hospital, located in Norfolk, VA, is a 274-bed acute care facility that opened in 1903 and relocated to its present site in 1977. Our hospital completed a renovation in 2016, including two new patient towers, a beautiful atrium, and a multi-story parking garage. Sentara Leigh Hospital includes a dedicated Orthopedic Hospital providing patients access to a full continuum of orthopedic care, from the preoperative phase and surgery to rehabilitation and home care services. Along with being a recognized accredited Primary Stroke Center, and Magnet hospital for nursing excellence, we also specialize in orthopedic and spine care, heart, vascular, maternity care, and general surgery. We are also home to the region’s only 24-hour hyperbaric oxygen program that helps speed up the healing of carbon monoxide poisoning, wounds that won’t heal, infections in which tissues are starved for oxygen, airborne chemical exposures, and scuba diving accidents. Sentara Health is an equal opportunity employer and prides itself on the diversity and inclusiveness of its close to an almost 30,000-member workforce. Diversity, inclusion, and belonging is a guiding principle of the organization to ensure its workforce reflects the communities it serves. In support of our mission “to improve health every day,” this is a tobacco-free environment. For positions that are available as remote work, Sentara Health employs associates in the following states: Alabama, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. Sentara Health is a Virginia and Northeastern North Carolina based not-for-profit integrated healthcare provider that has been in business for over 131 years. Offering hundreds of sites of care including 12 hospitals, PACE, home health, hospice, medical groups, imaging services, therapy, outpatient surgery centers, and an 858,000 member health plan. The people of the communities that we serve have nominated Sentara “Employer of Choice” for over ten years. U.S. News and World Report has recognized Sentara as having the Best Hospitals for 15+ years. Sentara offers professional development and a continued employment philosophy!

Key Responsibilities

Occupational Therapists will assess, plan, organize, and participate in rehabilitative programs designed to improve functional mobility and relieve pain. These programs aim to correct disabling conditions from disease or injury and help build or restore vocational/daily living skills and general independence.

Requirements

Candidates must possess a Master's of Occupational Therapy and hold the necessary VA License of Occupational Therapy, along with NBCOT certification and BLS certification. The role is for an Occupational Therapist in Acute Care at Sentara Leigh Hospital.

Qualifications

Education
Master's degree (postgraduate degree)

Key Skills

Occupational Therapy AssessmentFunctional Mobility ImprovementPain ReliefCondition CorrectionVocational Skills RestorationDaily Living Skills RestorationGeneral Independence Building

Occupational Therapist Career Context

In Virginia, the Occupational Therapy weighted monthly median benchmark on WeekdayDoc is ~$97k (161 salary observations; 626 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 Virginia is 101.1 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)). 61.1% of Virginia clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

Of the 50 active Occupational Therapy listings this role was benchmarked against, 6% are remote, 36% have no call, 70% require no weekends.

Sentara Health ranks #1 of 19 employers hiring Occupational Therapist on WeekdayDoc by average advertised pay.

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 - Acute Care at Sentara Health 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 9,297 active Occupational Therapy listings on WeekdayDoc.

Top Occupational Therapist Jobs

48 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution45 jobs · 37 employers

24
<$115k
9
$115k-135k
6
$135k-155k
6
$155k-175k

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks41 jobs · 37 employers

401k / retirement match
95% this job
CME allowance
56% this job
Sign-on bonus
29%
Loan repayment
17%
Relocation assistance
7%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

#1

Head Occupational Therapist (Inpatient Rehabilitation & Acute Care) | NYP-CUIMC | Full-Time | Mon - Fri | Day Shift

NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital · New York, New York

$70.76-$81.01/hr
#2

Occupational Therapist (Home Health)

21st Century Home Health Services · Galt, California

$130k-$160k
#3

Occupational Therapist, OT, Flexible Schedule, Home Health

$70-$75/hr
#4

Occupational Therapist

$68-$75/hr
+ 46 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 9,297 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

  • On-site

Living in Norfolk

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$298k
Typical market rent
$1,757/mo
Residents’ average commute
23 min
State income tax
Up to 5.8%
Sources & methodology

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

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

Sentara Health logo

About Sentara Health

Hospitals and Health Care
Hampton Roads, VA
10,000+ employees

Benefits & Perks

Medical, Dental, Vision
Adoption/Fertility/Surrogacy Reimbursement up to $10,000
Paid Time Off and Sick Leave
Paid Parental & Family Caregiver Leave
Emergency Backup Care
Long-Term, Short-Term Disability, Critical Illness
Life Insurance
401k/403B with Employer Match