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Stanford Health Care
Palo Alto, California

Occupational Therapist (OT)

Occupational TherapistNo weekendsFull-Time

Listed compensation

$57.53-$76.22/hr

The week · per this posting · weekdays assumed

Ask the employer about the work setting, call expectations, nights and shift pattern and time off.

Posted 39m ago · Verified live

Job Description

If you're ready to be part of our legacy of hope and innovation, we encourage you to take the first step and explore our current job openings. Your best is waiting to be discovered.

Day - 08 Hour (United States of America)

Acute Inpatient Occupational Therapist

Changing the Future of the Inpatient Acute Care Setting: The Inpatient Acute Occupational Therapy department serves patient populations including: General Medicine, Neurology, Cardiothoracic, Emergency Department, Orthopedics, Trauma, Neurosurgery, ICUs, Transplants including heart, lung, liver, kidney and abdominal, Oncology and much more. We are certified in Joint, Stroke, and VADs.

Inpatient Acute Occupational Therapy team members serve on the front lines with opportunities to:

Collaborate with top providers from around the world to ensure the highest quality of care

Work with a highly skilled group of therapists with expertise in a variety of patient populations who thrive on educating and mentoring others

Specialized Mentorship and Services OT Offered Here Include

  • Vision
  • VAD
  • Custom Splinting
  • Pain
  • Mental Health
  • Vestibular
  • Utilize innovative equipment to maximize safety for the therapists and patients while impacting patients’ progress and quality of life

Be Part of a Tight Knit Team: Our units are tight knit, collaborative and supportive as they provide top tier care for patients. The Inpatient Acute Occupational Therapy department in particular allows staff to have mentoring, opportunities to work with skilled interdisciplinary teams to provide best practice, and access to substantial continuing education funds and days to feel supported in and outside of their role.

Opportunities to Grow: Allied Health professionals in our Inpatient Acute Occupational Therapy department have access to:

  • OT Clinical Specialists’ support for mentorship, education and skill enhancement
  • Frequent in-services, case studies, and journal clubs for continued learning
  • Both department and hospital-wide councils in addition to special projects to maximize quality of care and process improvement
  • Clinical Ladder Structure
  • Future leadership opportunities

This is a Stanford Health Care job.

A Brief Overview

The Occupational Therapist II is an experienced therapist who is fully competent with all essential functional and job duties of an Occupational Therapist I, but also has expertise and experience in evaluating and developing treatment plans for more complex patients and for a wide variety of ages and diagnoses, utilizing advanced skills and techniques to solve patient care needs in an accurate and efficient manner.

The Occupational Therapist II takes an active role in multi-disciplinary care team discussions, recommending the most appropriate treatment plan for the needs of the patient.

The Therapist II serves as a clinical advisor to less experienced therapists by consulting on complex clinical presentations, reviewing treatment plans and collaborating to develop and implement complex Occupational Therapy care plans.

Supervises patient care responsibilities of Occupational Therapy interns, Occupational Therapy Assistants and duties of Rehabilitation Aide. Functions as a Clinical Instructor in the Occupational Therapy student program.

Contributes to program development, performance improvement, development of departmental policies and procedures, and other specialized programs. Completes required classes and in-service programs, which support work as Occupational Therapists, as needed.

Locations

Stanford Health Care

What You Will Do

Must meet and be proficient in performing all of the essential functions of Occupational Therapist I with a more complex patient population as well as the following:

Participates in clinical teaching, including the clinical instruction of occupational therapy interns/students, residents, and other staff.

  • Prepares and presents an in-service (at least one annually).
  • Provides input regarding the educational needs of the staff and serves as a resource in meeting those needs.
  • With the support of the manager, may initiate clinical research within area of clinical expertise.
  • Provides mentoring to others when appropriate and serves as a role model/resource/teacher/mentor to less experienced occupational therapists.
  • Leads patient care conferences, communicating with and teaching other care providers.

Identifies departmental performance improvement issues and participates in performance improvement activities, e. g. chart reviews, revision of documentation forms, workflow studies, etc.

Contributes to the development of departmental policies and procedures.

Identifies needs for equipment repair or upgrade to maintain quality of care; makes recommendations for selection and purchase of specific equipment and supplies.

Education Qualifications

Graduate of an approved Occupational Therapy curriculum with either a Bachelor's, Master's or Doctorate degree

Experience Qualifications

Two (2) years clinical practice as an Occupational Therapist

  • Required Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
  • Knowledge and adherence to Code of Ethics and performance standards specific to the clinician's professional organization
  • Knowledge of available equipment and vendors used in assigned area
  • Knowledge of basic business aspects of position, such as utilization management, charging practices and regulatory practice compliance;
  • Knowledge of evaluation and treatment methodologies as applied to routine patient care
  • Knowledge of legal issues affecting the clinical practice
  • Knowledge of pathologies and injuries which result in physical impairments
  • Knowledge of principles, methods, equipment and theory of the practice of clinical specialty

Ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, clearly, concisely and effectively with patients, families, co-workers, visitors, supervisors and other health professionals

Ability to develop and document clearly and accurately treatment goals that are realistic, measurable, appropriate, functionally based and that include patient/family input

  • Ability to develop, implement and adapt treatment programs
  • Ability to evaluate patients and interpret clinical data and make clinical judgments in clinically complex situations
  • Ability to develop, implement and adapt treatment programs to changing clinical status

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

Ability to utilize sound clinical reasoning to determine appropriate patient interventions; demonstrates good safety awareness, judgment and problem analysis and resolution

  • Ability to establish and maintain effective relationships with others
  • Ability to clinically supervise, train and evaluate students/interns
  • Ability to apply advanced clinical skills in treating difficult and complex cases
  • Licenses and Certifications
  • OTR - Reg Occup Therapist. and
  • BLS - Basic Life Support.

These Principles Apply to ALL Employees

SHC Commitment to Providing an Exceptional Patient & Family Experience

Stanford Health Care sets a high standard for delivering value and an exceptional experience for our patients and families. Candidates for employment and existing employees must adopt and execute C-I-CARE standards for all of patients, families and towards each other.

C-I-CARE is the foundation of Stanford’s patient-experience and represents a framework for patient-centered interactions. Simply put, we do what it takes to enable and empower patients and families to focus on health, healing and recovery.

  • You will do this by executing against our three experience pillars, from the patient and family’s perspective:
  • Know Me: Anticipate my needs and status to deliver effective care
  • Show Me the Way: Guide and prompt my actions to arrive at better outcomes and better health
  • Coordinate for Me: Own the complexity of my care through coordination

Equal Opportunity Employer Stanford Health Care (SHC) 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, SHC does not discriminate against any person on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation or gender identity and/or expression, 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.

Base Pay Scale: Generally starting at $57.53 - $76.22 per hour

The salary of the finalist selected for this role will be set based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to, internal equity, experience, education, specialty and training. This pay scale is not a promise of a particular wage.

Key Responsibilities

The Occupational Therapist II evaluates and develops treatment plans for complex patients across various acute care settings while collaborating with interdisciplinary teams. They also serve as a clinical mentor to less experienced staff and students, contributing to program development and departmental policy improvements.

Requirements

Candidates must hold a degree from an approved Occupational Therapy curriculum and possess at least two years of clinical practice experience. Required certifications include OTR (Registered Occupational Therapist) and BLS (Basic Life Support).

Qualifications

Experience
2+ years of experience

Key Skills

Patient evaluationTreatment planningClinical mentorshipVestibular therapyInterdisciplinary collaboration

Occupational Therapist Career Context

In California, the Occupational Therapy weighted monthly median benchmark on WeekdayDoc is ~$116k (757 salary observations; 2,372 listings), vs ~$97k nationally (5,357 salary observations; 29,628 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 ~$139k midpoint carries the purchasing power of roughly $126k 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 score6.0 / 10 · above average in occupational therapyranked against 9,020 Occupational Therapy listingslisting-based score, 0–10
Listed pay$120k–$159kOccupational Therapy median $125k (middle half $115k–$130k)63 comparable listings, Nov 2026
California vs national$116k median in California$97k nationally (+20%)757 state / 5,357 national salary observations
Cost-of-living adjusted pay~$126k in purchasing powerCalifornia index 110.7 (US = 100)BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)
Occupational Therapy listings in California892 active8,955 nationallylive on WeekdayDoc, Nov 2026
Work settingon-sitepeers: 2% remote · 40% no call · 58% no weekends48 benchmarked listings
Sign-on & loan repaymentnot statedCalifornia occupational therapist listings (all specialties): 16% state a sign-on bonus (median $5k) · 5% offer loan repayment941 active listings, Nov 2026
New Occupational Therapy listings3,267 in the last 30 days1,694 the 30 days before (+93%)U.S., first seen on WeekdayDoc, Nov 2026
Occupational Therapy pay trend+2.9% vs prior quarter—through Oct 2026
Stanford Health Caresilver tier, 71/100Top Employers work-life index49 active listings
Sources: WeekdayDoc live listing index (9,020 Occupational Therapy listings), Top Employers work-life index, 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 (OT) at Stanford Health Care a 6.0 out of 10 for work-life balance — classified as good. This places the position in the Above average in Occupational Therapy — ranked against 9,020 active Occupational Therapy listings on WeekdayDoc. Contributing factors include no weekend requirements.

Top Occupational Therapist Jobs

24 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution

24 jobs · 13 employers
2
<$100k
14
$100k-110k
4
$110k-130k
4
$130k+

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks

23 jobs · 13 employers
401k / retirement match
91% this job
CME allowance
39% this job
Sign-on bonus
35%
Loan repayment
4%
PSLF eligible
4%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

#1

Occupational Therapist Marlboro NJ

Healthcare Recruitment Counselors · Marlboro, New Jersey

$140k
#2

Occupational Therapist Matawan NJ

Healthcare Recruitment Counselors · Matawan, New Jersey

$140k
#3

Occupational Therapist - Acute Care

$115k-$135k
#4

PACE Occupational Therapist, Compton Center

$92k-$134k
+ 22 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

median 4.8this job 6.0
Better work-life than 70% of Occupational Therapy listings

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 9,020 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

  • No weekends
Stanford Health Care logo

About Stanford Health Care

Hospitals and Health Care
Palo Alto, California

Benefits & Perks

Health Insurance
Dental
Vision
Substantial continuing education funds
Clinical Ladder Structure
Mentorship
Tuition savings
Retirement plan

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.