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Ernest Health
Rancho Mirage, California

Occupational Therapist Full Time - Student Loan Assistance Program

Occupational TherapistFull-Time

Listed compensation

$49.46-$59.11/hr

The week · per this posting · weekdays assumed

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

Posted 1h ago · Verified live

Job Description

Occupational Therapist - Full Time - Rancho Mirage, California

Student Loan Contribution Payment Program available!

Join our world-class team of driven, passionate healthcare professionals who are focused on service excellence and providing top quality care!

At Rehabilitation Hospital of Southern California, we strive to attract, retain, develop, and empower our employees, supporting them in their professional growth with career advancement opportunities and a path to success within our organization.

We have a great full time opportunity for an Occupational Therapist in California.

Rehabilitation Hospital of Southern California, located in Rancho Mirage, CA, is a premier inpatient rehab facility serving patients throughout the Coachella Valley and Southern California region. We provide intensive rehabilitative care for individuals recovering from strokes, brain and spinal cord injuries, orthopedic surgeries, and other serious conditions.

Our experienced rehabilitation team delivers comprehensive therapies – from advanced physical and occupational therapy to specialized neurological rehabilitation – all in a warm, supportive environment. The hospital features state-of-the-art equipment and individualized care plans to help patients reach their recovery goals.

Accredited by The Joint Commission, the Rehabilitation Hospital of Southern California is committed to exceptional patient outcomes and compassionate care.

As a participating hospital of Ernest Health, we offer robust recognition, wellness, and retention programs. These programs focus to enhance the employees’ work experience, recognize, and celebrate achievements.

We also encourage employees to share their work experience through “My Ernest Journey” and through our Engagement Survey, where our approach is “You Spoke, We Listened”. These platforms provide additional avenues for employees to give feedback about their work experience and share what is important to them.

Our hospital offers comprehensive benefits, designed to support your health and financial well-being.

Benefits

  • PPO and High Deductible Medical Plan options
  • Flexible and Health Saving account options available
  • Dental and Vision coverage
  • 401K with employer matching
  • Life insurance
  • Short-and-long term disability
  • Competitive compensation

Wellness & Work Life Balance

Employee Assistance Program

  • Wellness Program with quarterly wellness challenges with participation incentives.
  • Earned Time Off - Start accruing vacation time on start date.

Professional Growth

  • Clinical Career Ladder bonus program
  • Therapy Preceptor bonus program

What You Bring

A passion for patient care, a team player, motivating and collaborating therapist to assist patients to reach the best outcome.

  • Graduate Degree from an accredited program in Occupational Therapy.
  • Current State Occupational Therapist License.
  • Current CPR

Qualifications

Required Skills

  • Current, valid, and active licensure as an Occupational Therapist in the state of employment required.
  • Current BLS certification from an approved vendor required.
  • One year of experience in the care of patients in rehabilitation hospital setting preferred.

Additional Qualifications/Skills

  • Knowledge of clinical operations and procedures.
  • Demonstrates an understanding of treatment costs and financial support as they relate to quality and efficiency.
  • Demonstrates competency in the provision of care according to established standards
  • Demonstrates appropriate application of age specific standards, policies and procedures and guidelines in caring for pediatric, adolescent, adult, and geriatric patients
  • Demonstrates general computer skills including: data entry, word processing, email, and record management.
  • Leadership skills in delegating, organizing, and educating coworkers and staff.
  • Effective organizational and time management skills.
  • Effective written and verbal communication skills.
  • Ability to maintain proper levels of confidentiality.
  • Ability to work closely and professionally with others.
  • Ability to maintain quality, safety, and/or infection control standards.

Responsibilities

Uses specialized knowledge and training in occupational therapy medical services as well as independent judgment and discretion to develop and provide occupational therapy medical services to patients that help them improve basic motor functions and reasoning abilities, as well as compensate for permanent loss of function by teaching them to perform tasks in their daily living and working environments.

These patients may have conditions that are mentally, physically, developmentally, or emotionally disabling.

Independently examines patient's medical history, evaluates their physical abilities, determines their potential to respond to therapy, and develops treatment plans and then implements those treatment plans with full responsibility for preparation of related documentation and patient and other medical provider communication.

Also uses specialized occupational therapy training and knowledge as well as independent discretion and judgment to assist patients in selecting appropriate adaptive equipment and assistive devices. Integrates the hospital’s mission and “Guiding Principles” into daily practice.

Posted Total Compensation

The wage range for this role takes into account the wide range of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions including, but not limited to, skill sets, experience, education and training, licensure and certifications, and other business and organizational needs.

It’s not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the top of the range for their role and compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each case. A reasonable estimate of the current range is $

Minimum Salary

USD $49.46/Hr.

Maximum Salary

USD $59.11/Hr.

Qualifications

Education
Master's degree (postgraduate degree)

Key Skills

Treatment planningAdaptive equipment selectionClinical documentationSafety standardsCollaborationMotor function assessment

Occupational Therapist Career Context

In California, the Occupational Therapy weighted monthly median benchmark on WeekdayDoc is ~$117k (839 salary observations; 2,153 listings), vs ~$97k nationally (5,886 salary observations; 27,166 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 California is 110.7 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)), so the posted ~$113k midpoint carries the purchasing power of roughly $102k 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
Listed pay$103k–$123kOccupational Therapy median $124k (middle half $108k–$135k)70 comparable listings, Oct 2026
California vs national$117k median in California$97k nationally (+21%)839 state / 5,886 national salary observations
Cost-of-living adjusted pay~$102k in purchasing powerCalifornia index 110.7 (US = 100)BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)
Occupational Therapy listings in California926 active9,207 nationallylive on WeekdayDoc, Oct 2026
Work settingon-sitepeers: 2% remote · 42% no call · 52% no weekends50 benchmarked listings
Sign-on & loan repaymentloan repaymentCalifornia Occupational Therapist listings: 14% state a sign-on bonus (median $5k) · 5% offer loan repayment982 active listings, Oct 2026
Occupational Therapy pay trend+3.3% vs prior quarter—through Sep 2026
Sources: WeekdayDoc live listing index, BEA Regional Price Parities (2024); as of Oct 2026. Same values as the Weekday Verdict and Market Insights on this page.

Top Occupational Therapist Jobs

33 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution

33 jobs · 20 employers
10
<$100k
12
$100k-120k
5
$120k-140k
2
$140k
4
$160k+

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks

30 jobs · 20 employers
401k / retirement match
93% this job
CME allowance
43%
Sign-on bonus
33%
Loan repayment
13% this job
PSLF eligible
7%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

#1

Occupational Hand Therapist II, Ambulatory

Sutter Health · Yuba City, California

$122k-$171k
#2

Occupational Therapist (OT)

Pivot Home Health · Pueblo, Colorado

$50k-$170k
#3

Occupational Therapist (OT) - Home Health

$50k-$170k
#4

Occupational Therapist (Home Health)

$130k-$160k
+ 31 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

median 4.8this job 1.5
Below most Occupational Therapy listings for work-life

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 9,189 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

Ernest Health logo

About Ernest Health

Hospitals and Health Care
Mesquite, Texas
501-1,000 employees

Benefits & Perks

Student Loan Contribution Payment Program
PPO and High Deductible Medical Plan options
Flexible and Health Saving account options
Dental and Vision coverage
401K with employer matching
Life insurance
Short-and-long term disability
Employee Assistance Program

Living in Rancho Mirage

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$835k
Typical market rent
$4,556/mo
Residents’ average commute
25 min
Metro price indexU.S. average = 100
106.4
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 · Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA metro prices. Housing figures are city-level.

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