Cedars-Sinai logo
Cedars-Sinai
Los Angeles, California

Occupational Therapist (Per Diem) - Hand Therapy Clinic

Occupational TherapistPer Diem

Listed compensation

$100K–$160K /yr

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

The Cedars-Sinai Hand Therapy Clinic works closely with hand surgeons to provide excellent and innovative care to patients with hand injuries. We specialize in the treatment of chronic, repetitive stress injuries and trauma, as well as highly specialized post-operative cases. Our clinic is a fast-paced environment that requires the ability to work independently.

The Occupational Therapist evaluates and treats patients in accordance with the prescription of the physician.

Provides patient care consistent with Scope of Practice Standards and Code of Ethics; the Plan for the Provision of Care to Patients, the Plan for Corporate Compliance, the Performance Improvement Plan and Patient Education Plan.

Assists in the continuous quality improvement process and in the education and training of students and assists in divisional growth and cohesiveness to ensure a high quality of therapy care.

Provides care while maintaining safety of the environment, utilizing appropriate communication with sensitivity and attention to special populations, including patients with diverse cultural backgrounds, age, developmental issues and physical disabilities.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities

  • Responsible for leveraging talent, knowledge, skills, and a strong work ethic to consistently meet and exceed primary Key Performance Indicator (KPI) targets, while maintaining healthy work habits.
  • Performs evaluations appropriate to established procedures. Ensures there is a prescription/order for all evaluations and uses relevant test and standardized measures congruent to best practice.
  • Develops a comprehensive plan of care that is supported by evaluation findings and prognosticate patient outcomes/progress integrating all relevant factors.
  • Manages the occupational therapy care of the patient and coordinates with others to ensure the patient receives the total care they need.
  • Completes all required documentation in an accurate and thorough manner within the expected timeframes.
  • Utilizes treatment intervention and strategies within the scope of practice and supported by established plan of care and integration of evidence-based practice to maximize patient outcomes tailored to specific patient populations.
  • Provides patient education appropriate for patient population and identifies and facilitates patient discharge needs including documentation, communication with care team, and recommendation for follow-up services.
  • Identifies safety concerns regarding patient population and institutes appropriate measures to provide a safe environment, including protection of self and others. Reviews identified risks and benefits of therapy and obtains consent from patient and/or caregiver.
  • Provides individualized, patient-centered care with respect to personal, cultural, spiritual beliefs and preferences; age-related cognitive and psychosocial needs; social support needs; gender, sexual orientation, and economic background.
  • Contributes ideas and suggestions to continuously improve processes, procedures, methods and productivity, and utilizes quality principles for continuous performance improvement.
  • Participates in activities that promote professional identity within the clinical environment, the Cedars-Sinai environment and the community at large.
  • Participates in professional development through clinical education, formal mentoring programs, further development of clinical and professional competencies, involvement in research and scholarly work.
  • Effectively serves as a clinical instructor/mentor in accordance with specific discipline, regulatory and professional context.
  • Participates in continuous learning and professional development and documents evidence.
  • Contributes to conversations and activities that positively impact team dynamics, cohesion, and morale and promotes individual accountability.

Cedars-Sinai is a leader in providing high-quality healthcare encompassing primary care, specialized medicine and research.

Since 1902, Cedars-Sinai has evolved to meet the needs of one of the most diverse regions in the nation, setting standards in quality and innovative patient care, research, teaching and community service. Today, Cedars- Sinai is known for its national leadership in transforming healthcare for the benefit of patients.

Cedars-Sinai impacts the future of healthcare by developing new approaches to treatment and educating tomorrow's health professionals. Additionally, Cedars-Sinai demonstrates a commitment to the community through programs that improve the health of its most vulnerable residents.

Cedars-Sinai is one of the largest nonprofit academic medical centers in the U.S., with 915 licensed beds, 2,993 physicians, 4,700+ nurses and thousands of other healthcare professionals and staff. Choose this if you want to work in a fast-paced environment that offers the highest level of care to people in the Los Angeles that need our care the most.

Key Responsibilities

The Occupational Therapist evaluates and treats patients in a hand therapy clinic, developing comprehensive care plans in collaboration with hand surgeons. They are responsible for maintaining high-quality patient care, accurate documentation, and active participation in clinical education and quality improvement initiatives.

Requirements

Candidates must hold a Bachelor's degree from an accredited Occupational Therapy program and possess a valid California Occupational Therapist license. A minimum of one year of practicing experience and Basic Life Support (BLS) certification are required.

Qualifications

Education
Bachelor degree

Key Skills

Patient evaluationTreatment planningClinical reasoningElectronic health recordsSafety complianceInterdisciplinary coordinationPhysical disabilities interventionClinical instruction

Occupational Therapist Career Context

In California, the Occupational Therapy weighted monthly median benchmark on WeekdayDoc is ~$118k (797 salary observations; 2,326 listings), vs ~$97k nationally (5,562 salary observations; 29,543 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)). 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 score7.2 / 10 · top 10% in hand therapist (ot)ranked against 166 Hand Therapist (OT) listingslisting-based score, 0–10
Listed paynot listedOccupational Therapy median $140k (middle half $104k–$140k)26 comparable listings, Nov 2026
California vs national$118k median in California$97k nationally (+21%)797 state / 5,562 national salary observations
Cost of livingCalifornia index 110.7US average = 100BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)
Occupational Therapy listings in California903 active9,040 nationallylive on WeekdayDoc, Nov 2026
Work settingon-sitepeers: 6% remote · 52% no call · 56% no weekends50 benchmarked listings
Sign-on & loan repaymentnot statedCalifornia occupational therapist listings (all specialties): 17% state a sign-on bonus (median $5k) · 5% offer loan repayment959 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+3.8% vs prior quarter—through Oct 2026
Sources: WeekdayDoc live listing index (166 Hand Therapist (OT) 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 (Per Diem) - Hand Therapy Clinic at Cedars-Sinai a 7.2 out of 10 for work-life balance — classified as very good. This places the position in the top 10% in Hand Therapist (OT) — ranked against 166 active Hand Therapist (OT) listings on WeekdayDoc.

Top contract/1099 Occupational Therapist Jobs

50 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution

30 jobs
6
<$125k
13
$125k-140k
7
$140k-155k
4
$155k-170k

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks

31 jobs
401k / retirement match
87%
CME allowance
61%
Sign-on bonus
23%
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 I - SRN - Per Diem- San Diego County Float

$52.36-$75.69/hr
+ 48 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

median 6.0this job 7.2
Better work-life than 80% of Hand Therapist (OT) listings

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

Living in Los Angeles

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$922k
Typical market rent
$2,772/mo
Residents’ average commute
31 min
Metro price indexU.S. average = 100
113.6
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 · Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro prices. Housing figures are city-level.

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