FirstHealth of the Carolinas logo
FirstHealth of the Carolinas
Pinehurst, North Carolina

Occupational Therapist (Acute)

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 35m ago · Verified live

Job Description

Position Summary

FirstHealth of the Carolinas is a nationally recognized health care system located in central North Carolina. Comprised of four hospitals with more than 600 beds, the system also offers leading-edge heart care in the Reid Heart Center, the area’s only dedicated heart and vascular center.

Our growing health system has more than 6,200 employees serving in more than 75 locations throughout a 15-county service area. In addition, FirstHealth has received numerous accolades for its patient care and outcomes, including recognitions from Healthgrades, U.S. News & World Report, and Becker's Healthcare.

Employee Benefits

At FirstHealth of the Carolinas, we believe in supporting our employees' professional growth and personal well-being. That is why we offer a comprehensive benefit package that is designed to help you thrive.

Enjoy a free gym-membership to one of our 7 FirstHealth Fitness Centers to stay active and prioritize your health, take advantage of our educational assistance programs through FirstU to pursue academic or professional development goals.

You'll also benefit from exclusive employee discounts through PerkSpot, saving you money on quality offerings. Additionally, we're committed to your future with a competitive retirement savings plan, including an employer match to help you build financial security.

These are just a few examples of how our leading-edge employee benefits align with our mission to put your career first. Join FirstHealth of the Carolinas and help us in our mission to become the best place to work in healthcare!

The Occupational Therapist (Acute Care) specializes in helping to stabilize patients, assist with mobilization, implement therapeutic interventions, and establish discharge plans.

The OT will collaborate with other healthcare professionals and create a course of action with the end goal of helping patients with treatment to support them as they work towards improving their ability to handle everyday activities related to their daily life. The successful candidate will outline steps for care, such as continued therapy, home exercises and adaptive ways to perform daily activities.

Responsibilities Include and Are Not Limited To

Assessing a Patient’s Condition and Care Needs

  • Developing treatment schedules to focus on a patient’s needs and assisting them in meeting goals.
  • Evaluating a patient’s home and/or other environments and proposing changes to fit the patient’s demands and improve autonomy.
  • Teaching patients to use specific equipment.
  • Measuring and documenting progress for assessments, billing, and reporting reasons.

Qualifications

Minimum of a Bachelors Degree in Occupational Therapy

Excellent communication skills both verbally and written to ensure clear patient/caregiver collaboration to facilitate successful patient outcomes. Having empathy and compassion is essential as well.

Ability to thrive under pressure in a fast-paced environment with resilience and strong attention to detail.

Ability to assess risk and make decisions rapidly.

Problem solving is essential as no two treatment plans are the same. Using problem solving skills the successful candidate will craft solutions specific to the nuances of the patients they serve.

Qualifications

Education
Bachelor degree

Key Skills

Patient assessmentTreatment planningDischarge planningRisk assessmentDocumentationAdaptive equipment training

Occupational Therapist Career Context

In North Carolina, the Occupational Therapy weighted monthly median benchmark on WeekdayDoc is ~$90k (157 salary observations; 754 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 North Carolina is 94.3 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)). 59.2% of North Carolina clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

What does the Occupational Therapy market look like in North Carolina?
MeasureThis jobMarket
Listed paynot listedOccupational Therapy median $88k (middle half $86k–$89k)11 comparable listings, Nov 2026
North Carolina vs national$90k median in North Carolina$97k nationally (−6%)157 state / 5,202 national salary observations
Cost of livingNorth Carolina index 94.3US average = 100BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)
Occupational Therapy listings in North Carolina243 active9,075 nationallylive on WeekdayDoc, Nov 2026
Work settingon-sitepeers: 2% remote · 46% no call · 72% no weekends50 benchmarked listings
Sign-on & loan repaymentnot statedNorth Carolina Occupational Therapist listings: 16% state a sign-on bonus (median $5k) · 8% offer loan repayment270 active listings, Nov 2026
New Occupational Therapy listings3,118 in the last 30 days1,757 the 30 days before (+77%)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, BEA Regional Price Parities (2024); as of Nov 2026. Same values as the Weekday Verdict and Market Insights on this page.

Top Occupational Therapist Jobs

40 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution

31 jobs
14
<$105k
8
$105k-120k
3
$120k-135k
6
$135k-150k

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks

34 jobs · 32 employers
401k / retirement match
97% this job
CME allowance
53%
Sign-on bonus
26%
Loan repayment
21%
PSLF eligible
9%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

#1

Occupational Therapist

Infinity Rehab · Berkeley, California

$57-$70/hr
#2

Occupational Therapist Sr

Loma Linda · Loma Linda, California

$49.97-$67.21/hr
#3

Occupational Therapist (OTR/L)

$67/hr
#4

School-Based Occupational Therapist (OT)

$62-$66/hr
+ 38 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

median 4.8this job 3.0
Better work-life than 20% of Occupational Therapy listings

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 9,077 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

FirstHealth of the Carolinas logo

About FirstHealth of the Carolinas

Hospitals and Health Care
Pinehurst, North Carolina
1,001-5,000 employees

Benefits & Perks

Free gym membership to FirstHealth Fitness Centers
Educational assistance through FirstU
Employee discounts through PerkSpot
Competitive retirement savings plan with employer match

Living in Pinehurst

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$496k
Typical market rent
$2,012/mo
Residents’ average commute
24 min
Metro price indexU.S. average = 100
88.3
State income tax
Up to 4.8%
Sources & methodology

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

BEA 2024 · Pinehurst-Southern Pines, NC metro prices. Housing figures are city-level.

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