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UCSF
San Francisco, California

Occupational Therapist, Per Diem

Occupational TherapistIncludes callIncludes weekendsPer Diem

Compensation

Pay not listed

The week · per this posting

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

Posted 3mo ago

Job Description

We’re excited to offer a $5,000 sign-on bonus for qualified Per Diem Occupational Therapists with acute care experience joining our inpatient team at Saint Francis and St. Mary’s Hospitals within the Rehabilitation Services Department.

This is an inpatient position within Saint Francis/St. Mary’s Hospitals Rehabilitation Services Department.

The Per Diem Occupational Therapist reports to the Clinical Supervisor and provides both direct and indirect patient care services. The Per Diem Occupational Therapist works primarily with adult and geriatric patients from diverse socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds. The Per Diem Occupational Therapist with specific pediatric competencies and clinical experience may also work with infants, children, and/or adolescents.

Under general direction and upon receipt of written referrals from licensed, approved providers, the Per Diem Occupational Therapist plans and administers a full range of occupational therapy services for patients with a variety of physical and cognitive impairments and disabilities. Services include patient evaluations using various physical, cognitive, and visual/perceptual tests and measurements, establishment of therapeutic intervention goals and development of therapeutic intervention programs, and implementation of therapeutic intervention plans utilizing occupational therapy techniques.

The Per Diem Occupational Therapist maintains all applicable patient records related to the delivery of patient care services.

While performing job duties, the Per Diem Occupational Therapist may also supervise support personnel including Rehabilitation Aides, as well as Occupational Therapist students and clinical fellows.

As a member of the clinical care team, the Per Diem Occupational Therapist also participates in compliance, quality, safety, and process improvement initiatives in the department and the hospital.

The Per Diem Therapist minimum work requirement is two (2) weekend day shifts per month, and one (1) major and one (1) minor Winter UC Holiday (i. e., Thanksgiving/Day After, Dec 24/25, Dec 31/Jan 1).

Key Responsibilities

The Per Diem Occupational Therapist provides direct and indirect patient care services, primarily working with adult and geriatric patients. Responsibilities include patient evaluations, establishing therapeutic goals, and implementing intervention plans.

Requirements

Candidates must have a Master's degree in Occupational Therapy and at least one year of licensed practice experience. Effective communication skills and the ability to recognize signs of distress are also required.

Qualifications

Education
Master's degree (postgraduate degree)
Experience
2+ years of experience

Key Skills

Problem SolvingTime ManagementInterpersonal SkillsPatient EvaluationPhysical ImpairmentsDocumentationTeam CollaborationFlexibilityBLS Certification

Occupational Therapist Career Context

In California, the Occupational Therapy weighted monthly median benchmark on WeekdayDoc is ~$117k (924 salary observations; 2,017 listings), vs ~$97k nationally (6,587 salary observations; 25,232 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)). 63.6% of California clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

Of the 50 active Occupational Therapy listings this role was benchmarked against, 8% are remote, 24% have no call, 60% require no weekends.

Occupational Therapy pay on WeekdayDoc is up 1.5% vs. the prior quarter (through Sep 2026).

Top contract/1099 Occupational Therapist Jobs

50 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution50 jobs · 37 employers

20
<$125k
13
$125k-145k
10
$145k-165k
5
$165k-185k
2
$185k+

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks39 jobs · 37 employers

401k / retirement match
92%
CME allowance
62%
Sign-on bonus
36% this job
Relocation assistance
18%
Loan repayment
15% this job

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

#1

Occupational Therapist III EX

UCSF · Oakland, California

$67.06-$90.53/hr
#2

Occupational Therapist

Ironside Human Resources · Fairfield, California

$75-$90/hr
#3

Occupational Therapist II, Inpatient Acute Rehabilitation

$61.91-$86.67/hr
#4

Occupational Therapist II EX

$64.05-$86.19/hr
+ 48 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 9,285 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

  • Includes call
  • Includes weekends

Living in San Francisco

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$1.74M
Typical market rent
$4,682/mo
Residents’ average commute
30 min
State income tax
Up to 13.3%
Sources & methodology

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

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