Relief Occupational Therapist

Occupational TherapistNo nightsPer Diem

Listed compensation

$58.1-$71.62/hr

The week · per this posting

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

Posted 1h ago · Verified live

Job Description

Company Description

At Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford, we know world-renowned care begins with world-class caring. That's why we combine advanced technologies and breakthrough discoveries with family-centered care.

It's why we provide our caregivers with continuing education and state-of-the-art facilities, like the newly remodeled Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford. And it's why we need caring, committed people on our team - like you. Join us on our mission to heal humanity, one child and family at a time.

Job ID: P147004-3447

Job Description

Job Summary

This paragraph summarizes the general nature, level and purpose of the job.

Within the scope of practice, the Relief Occupational Therapists at LPCHS provide intervention from infancy to adulthood to develop, enhance, or restore functional capacity of patients whose abilities to cope with tasks of daily living are threatened or impaired by physical illness or injury, psychosocial disabilities, aging process, or by developmental deficits.

Under the guidance of Rehab Management, the Relief Occupational Therapist performs patient care and is responsible for all clinical aspects for patients including evaluation and treatment planning and progression.

The Relief Occupational Therapist assesses, develops, applies and/or training in age-appropriate self-care skills, fine motor skills, adaptive behavior and coping skills, sensory processing/self-regulation skills, feeding/swallowing evaluation and treatment, use of standardized assessment tools, evaluation of functional mobility, adaptive equipment needs, parent/caregiver training and hospital discharge planning.

The Relief Occupational Therapist may oversee and guide patient care responsibilities of Occupational Therapy Interns, Occupational Therapist Assistants and the duties of a Rehabilitation Aide.

Essential Functions

The essential functions listed are typical examples of work performed by positions in this job classification. They are not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, tasks, and responsibilities. Employees may also perform other duties as assigned.

Employees must abide by all Joint Commission Requirements including but not limited to sensitivity to cultural diversity, patient care, patient rights and ethical treatment, safety and security of physical environments, emergency management, teamwork, respect for others, participation in ongoing education and training, communication and adherence to safety and quality programs, sustaining compliance with National Patient Safety Goals, and licensure and health screenings.

Must perform all duties and responsibilities in accordance with the hospital's policies and procedures, including its Service Standards and its Code of Conduct.

  • Performs patient care tasks with medically complicated patient populations. Determines rehab prognosis and implements the clinically indicated therapy plan of care. Determines the therapy diagnosis and designs a clinically appropriate occupational therapy plan of care that focuses on maximizing outcomes while identifying the frequency and duration required to meet therapeutic, family centered goals. Administers appropriate assessment and treatment techniques during all phases of the rehabilitation process.
  • Evaluates, recommends, and trains on the use of durable medical equipment. May fabricate devices as clinically indicated. Discharges patients from treatment as clinically indicated, with adequate discharge planning including equipment procurement and patient/family training. Communicates discharge plan appropriately to patient, family, and health care team.
  • Identifies needs for equipment repair or upgrade to maintain quality of care. Makes recommendations for selection and purchase of specific equipment and supplies.
  • Initiates and participates in interdisciplinary care planning to meet the needs of each patient and family, including participation in rounds and patient care conferences and communicating with and instructing other care providers. May contact community agencies as necessary to provide continuity of service between hospital and community.
  • Ensures documentation and billing are timely, accurate and complete, including evaluation, assessment, treatment precautions, plan of care, progress notes, discharge summaries, and charges.
  • Performs direct patient care with fundamental skills in clinical reasoning, problem-solving and treatment interventions; Assesses and treats assigned patients within the CA OT Licensing Board and AOTA (American Occupational Therapy Association) scope of practice including but not limited to ADL's (Activities of Daily Living), cognitive and perceptual status, swallow evaluation and treatment, splinting, equipment needs assessment, and functional mobility.

Minimum Qualifications

Any combination of education and experience that would likely provide the required knowledge, skills and abilities as well as possession of any required licenses or certifications is qualifying.

Education: Requirement met by License/Certification Requirement.

Experience: None Required

License/Certification

  • Occupational Therapist by California Board of Occupational Therapy
  • RQI Healthcare Provider Basic Life Support or
  • Basic Life Support by American Heart Association (AHA)
  • KNOWLEDGE

These are the observable and measurable attributes and skills required to perform successfully the essential functions of the job and are generally demonstrated through qualifying experience, education or licensure/certification.

  • Ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing.
  • Sound clinical reasoning skills consistent with standards of care and professional practice standards; demonstrates good safety awareness, judgment and problem analysis and resolution.
  • Knowledge of legal issues affecting the clinical practice.
  • Knowledge of regulatory practice requirements.
  • Knowledge of available equipment and vendors used in assigned area.
  • Ability to work well and build relationships with individuals at all levels of the organization.
  • Knowledge of evaluation and treatment methodologies as applied to routine patient care; demonstrates self-directed learning skills to remain current with evidence-based practice
  • Ability to manage clinical caseload
  • Ability to provide appropriate care and progress treatment based on professional standards of practice, and on the needs of the specific individual, including age and developmental considerations, cultural and psychosocial issues, precautions and medical condition.
  • Knowledge and adherence to Code of Ethics and performance standards specific to the clinician's professional organization.
  • Knowledge of business aspects of position, such as utilization management, charging practices and regulatory compliance.

Physical Requirements

The Physical Requirements and Working Conditions in which the job is typically performed are available from the Occupational Health Department. Reasonable accommodations will be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job.

Additional Information

Pay Range

  • Compensation is based on the level and requirements of the role.
  • Salary within our ranges may also be determined by your education, experience, knowledge, skills, location, and abilities, as required by the role, as well as internal equity and alignment with market data.
  • Typically, new team members join at the minimum to mid salary range.
  • Minimum to Midpoint Range (Hourly): $58.10 to $71.62

Stanford Medicine Children's Health (SMCH) strongly values diversity and is committed to equal opportunity and non-discrimination in all of its policies and practices, including the area of employment.

Accordingly, SMCH does not discriminate against any person on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation or gender identity, religion, age, national or ethnic origin, political beliefs, marital status, medical condition, genetic information, veteran status, or disability, or the perception of any of the above.

People of all genders, members of all racial and ethnic groups, people with disabilities, and veterans are encouraged to apply.

Qualified applicants with criminal convictions will be considered after an individualized assessment of the conviction and the job requirements, and where applicable, in compliance with the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance.

  • Employee Referral Amount: Not Applicable
  • Employee Group: NE - Non-Exempt/Non-Represented
  • Fixed Term Employment Duration: None
  • Job Family: LP Rehabilitation
  • Department: IP Therapy - Occupational
  • Remote Eligible: No
  • Benefits Eligible: No
  • Scheduled Weekly Hours: 0
  • Work Shift: Day - 08 Hour

Key Responsibilities

The Relief Occupational Therapist provides patient care by evaluating, developing, and implementing therapy plans to restore functional capacity in patients from infancy to adulthood. They also collaborate with the interdisciplinary team, manage clinical caseloads, and ensure accurate documentation and billing.

Qualifications

Education
Professional certificate or licensure

Certifications

BLS

Key Skills

Patient educationFeeding evaluation

Occupational Therapist Career Context

In California, the Occupational Therapy weighted monthly median benchmark on WeekdayDoc is ~$116k (732 salary observations; 2,165 listings), vs ~$97k nationally (5,202 salary observations; 27,817 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 ~$135k midpoint carries the purchasing power of roughly $122k 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 score5.1 / 10 · above average in occupational therapyranked against 8,999 Occupational Therapy listingslisting-based score, 0–10
Listed pay$121k–$149kOccupational Therapy median $140k (middle half $104k–$140k)27 comparable listings, Nov 2026
California vs national$116k median in California$97k nationally (+20%)732 state / 5,202 national salary observations
Cost-of-living adjusted pay~$122k in purchasing powerCalifornia index 110.7 (US = 100)BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)
Occupational Therapy listings in California888 active9,019 nationallylive on WeekdayDoc, Nov 2026
Work settingon-sitepeers: 2% remote · 40% no call · 60% no weekends50 benchmarked listings
Sign-on & loan repaymentnot statedCalifornia Occupational Therapist listings: 14% state a sign-on bonus (median $5k) · 5% offer loan repayment941 active listings, Nov 2026
New Occupational Therapy listings3,032 in the last 30 days1,687 the 30 days before (+80%)U.S., first seen on WeekdayDoc, Nov 2026
Occupational Therapy pay trend+2.9% vs prior quarter—through Oct 2026
Sources: WeekdayDoc live listing index (8,999 Occupational Therapy listings), BEA Regional Price Parities (2024); as of Nov 2026. Same values as the Weekday Verdict and Market Insights on this page.

Top contract/1099 Occupational Therapist Jobs

49 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution

36 jobs
7
<$115k
7
$115k-130k
14
$130k-145k
7
$145k-160k
1
$168k

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks

41 jobs · 37 employers
401k / retirement match
88%
CME allowance
46% this job
Sign-on bonus
22%
Loan repayment
17%
Relocation assistance
15%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

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Work-life snapshot

median 4.8this job 5.1
Better work-life than 50% of Occupational Therapy listings

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 8,999 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

  • No nights

Living in Palo Alto

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$3.28M
Typical market rent
$4,558/mo
Residents’ average commute
21 min
Metro price indexU.S. average = 100
110.4
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 Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA metro prices. Housing figures are city-level.

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