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Sharp HealthCare
San Diego, California

Occupational Therapist I - SRN - Per Diem- San Diego County Float

Occupational TherapistIncludes weekendsNo callPer Diem

Listed compensation

$52.36-$75.69/hr

The week · per this posting

Ask the employer about the work setting, nights and shift pattern, benefits and time off.

Posted 57m ago · Verified live

Job Description

Hours: Shift Start Time:

Variable

Shift End Time

Variable

AWS Hours Requirement

8/40 - 8 Hour Shift

Additional Shift Information

Weekend Requirements

As Needed

On-Call Required

No

Hourly Pay Range (Minimum - Midpoint - Maximum)

$52.360 - $67.570 - $75.690

The stated pay scale reflects the range that Sharp reasonably expects to pay for this position. The actual pay rate and pay grade for this position will be dependent on a variety of factors, including an applicant’s years of experience, unique skills and abilities, education, alignment with similar internal candidates, marketplace factors, other requirements for the position, and employer business practices.

What You Will Do

Evaluates, plans, directs and administers occupational therapy modalities of treatment as prescribed by a licensed physician. Assists patients in reaching their maximum performance and level of functioning, while learning to live within the limits of their capabilities. Participates in operational aspects of the department, maintains performance improvement activities within the department, and participates in CQI activities.

Required Qualifications

  • California Occupational Therapist license - CA Board of Occupational Therapy -REQUIRED
  • AHA Basic Life Support for Healthcare Professional (AHA BLS Healthcare) - American Heart Association -REQUIRED

Preferred Qualifications

Other: Graduate of an approved school of Occupational Therapy or graduate of accredited college or university with a certificate in Occupational Therapy.

Experience in all aspects of occupational therapy.

Other Qualification Requirements

CCS Paneling is required for Therapists functioning in a CCS-designated NICU. Paneling is required within 6 months of hire. CCS paneled staff will review and supervise services provided by non-paneled personnel as required by licensure and CCS guidelines in NICU.

Essential Functions

Department development

  • Actively participates in departmental goals and the advancement of department initiatives.
  • Collaborates with leadership in clinical and operational projects.
  • Participates in departmental activities, such as CQI, staff meetings, and chart review.
  • Participates in committees and system wide activities when requested as departmental representative.

Documentation

  • Documentation is completed in a timely, complete, legible, concise and accurate manner.
  • Documentation follows Sharp HealthCare guidelines, professional guidelines, and meets third-party payor and regulatory requirements.
  • Maintains records pertinent to departmental operations.
  • Completes all documentation elements as appropriate (Interdisciplinary Plan of Care, Education record, billing, discharge plan, and others).

Operational Efficiency

Communicates patient care and departmental issues.

Accepts changes and demonstrates flexibility when asked regarding work schedules and assignments.

Completes Additional Assignments in a Timely Manner

  • Offers suggestions for resolving operational issues within the department.
  • Provides unit specific information to students, floats, and travelers/registry personnel.
  • Maintains departmental cleanliness and safety.

Sets priorities and adjusts to unscheduled situations. Takes initiative in using time effectively.

  • Completes all regulatory requirements.
  • Meets productivity standards established by department leadership.
  • Participates in UR/QA chart review and activities.

Patient Care

Evaluates and treats patients within the scope of care in a manner that is cost-effective and appropriate to the patient's diagnosis, age and culture.

Assesses patient pain that interferes with optimal level of function or participation in treatment; and provides intervention.

Performs an appropriate assessment on all patients as related to the therapy requested and provides and reassesses as per policy.

Evaluates patient outcomes and effectiveness of patient care measures, reporting to management or physician any significant changes and/or abnormal findings.

Utilizes interdisciplinary team conference to communicate pertinent patient-related problems. When necessary, initiates discussion with other team members to provide more comprehensive care and/or to problem-solve.

Performs all aspects of patient care in an environment that optimizes patient safety and reduces the likelihood of medical/health care errors.

Formulates a teaching plan based upon identified learning needs and evaluates effectiveness of learning; family is included in teaching as appropriate.

  • Demonstrates knowledge and safe use of modalities, equipment and therapeutic procedures.
  • Coordinates and directs patient care to ensure patients' needs are met and hospital policy is followed.
  • Completes development plan and performance is satisfactory.
  • Participates in weekly team meetings and discharge meetings.

Completes development of discharge plans and goals that provide for the continuation of the patient's well-being while on service and upon completion of service.

Collaborates with Case Manager for referrals/transition of therapy needs with the local CCS Medical Therapy Program/Units for infants being discharged.

Participates in interdisciplinary rounds, staffing and/or patient conferences as required at the various levels of care. If functioning in NICU, therapist will participate in weekly interdisciplinary rounds.

For CCS Paneled Therapists only: The therapist makes recommendations for appropriate outpatient services. With a physician order the therapist may assist with the referral to outpatient therapy for those patients going to CCS Medical Therapy Units or other facilities for treatment.

Sharp HealthCare is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, status as a protected veteran, among other things, or status as a qualified individual with disability or any other protected class

Key Responsibilities

The Occupational Therapist evaluates, plans, and administers therapy modalities to assist patients in reaching their maximum functional performance. They also participate in departmental operational activities, including quality improvement, chart reviews, and interdisciplinary team meetings.

Requirements

Candidates must hold a California Occupational Therapist license and AHA Basic Life Support certification. Experience in all aspects of occupational therapy is preferred, and CCS paneling is required for those working in the NICU.

Qualifications

Education
Professional certificate or licensure
Experience
2+ years of experience

Key Skills

Patient evaluationTreatment planningClinical documentationPatient assessmentInterdisciplinary collaborationDischarge planningSafety protocolsRegulatory complianceNICU careTherapeutic modalitiesPatient educationCase management

Occupational Therapist Career Context

In California, the Occupational Therapy weighted monthly median benchmark on WeekdayDoc is ~$117k (745 salary observations; 2,304 listings), vs ~$97k nationally (5,279 salary observations; 29,546 listings). Monthly aggregates cover 2026-01-01 through 2026-11-01; these are not the modal's selected comparable-job medians.

The cost-of-living index for California is 110.7 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)), so the posted ~$133k midpoint carries the purchasing power of roughly $120k in an average-cost state. 63.6% of California clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

What does the Occupational Therapy market look like in California?
MeasureThis jobMarket
Work-life score6.4 / 10 · top 25% in occupational therapyranked against 8,995 Occupational Therapy listingslisting-based score, 0–10
Listed pay$109k–$157kOccupational Therapy median $146k (middle half $146k–$146k)21 comparable listings, Nov 2026
California vs national$117k median in California$97k nationally (+21%)745 state / 5,279 national salary observations
Cost-of-living adjusted pay~$120k in purchasing powerCalifornia index 110.7 (US = 100)BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)
Occupational Therapy listings in California882 active8,980 nationallylive on WeekdayDoc, Nov 2026
Work settingon-sitepeers: 6% remote · 50% no call · 58% no weekends50 benchmarked listings
Sign-on & loan repaymentnot statedCalifornia occupational therapist listings (all specialties): 15% state a sign-on bonus (median $5k) · 5% offer loan repayment938 active listings, Nov 2026
New Occupational Therapy listings3,212 in the last 30 days1,658 the 30 days before (+94%)U.S., first seen on WeekdayDoc, Nov 2026
Occupational Therapy pay trend+4.1% vs prior quarter—through Oct 2026
Sources: WeekdayDoc live listing index (8,995 Occupational Therapy listings), BEA Regional Price Parities (2024); as of Nov 2026. Same values as the Weekday Verdict and Market Insights on this page.

Work-Life Balance Analysis

WeekdayDoc's proprietary algorithm rates Occupational Therapist I - SRN - Per Diem- San Diego County Float at Sharp HealthCare a 6.4 out of 10 for work-life balance — classified as good. This places the position in the top 25% in Occupational Therapy — ranked against 8,995 active Occupational Therapy listings on WeekdayDoc. Contributing factors include no on-call duties.

Top contract/1099 Occupational Therapist Jobs

50 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution

31 jobs
7
<$125k
13
$125k-140k
7
$140k-155k
4
$155k-170k

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks

32 jobs
401k / retirement match
88%
CME allowance
63%
Sign-on bonus
25%
Loan repayment
16%
Relocation assistance
16%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

#1

Home Care Occupational Therapist- Independent Contractor (Ocean County)Per Diem

US Physical Therapy · Toms River, New Jersey

$74-$95/hr
#2

Home Care Occupational Therapist- 1099 (Eastern Suffolk County)Per Diem

US Physical Therapy · Selden, New York

$65-$90/hr
#3

Occupational Therapist - $80 to 90 per hour - Part Time

$80-$90/hr
#4

Occupational Therapist (O/T) - FFS

$71.20 per Hour
+ 48 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

median 4.8this job 6.4
Better work-life than 80% of Occupational Therapy listings

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 8,995 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

  • No call
  • Includes weekends

Living in San Diego

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$1.00M
Typical market rent
$3,004/mo
Residents’ average commute
24 min
Metro price indexU.S. average = 100
111.9
State income tax
Up to 13.3%
Sources & methodology

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

BEA 2024 · San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro prices. Housing figures are city-level.

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