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Sharp HealthCare
San Diego, California

Occupational Therapist I - Per Diem - San Diego County Float

Occupational Therapist Above average in Occupational TherapyNo callPer Diem

Listed compensation

$50.72-$73.31/hr

Listing transparency3 of 6 stated

Ask the employer about the work setting, nights and shift pattern and benefits.

Employment & setting
Per Diem
Call expectations
No call
Weekends
Includes weekends
Posted 1 day ago · Verified live

Job Description

Hours

  • Shift Start Time:
  • Variable

Shift End Time

Variable

AWS Hours Requirement

8/40 - 8 Hour Shift

Additional Shift Information

  • Weekend Requirements:
  • As Needed

On-Call Required

No

Hourly Pay Range (Minimum - Midpoint - Maximum)

$50.720 - $65.450 - $73.310

The stated pay scale reflects the range that Sharp reasonably expects to pay for this position. The actual pay rate and pay grade for this position will be dependent on a variety of factors, including an applicant’s years of experience, unique skills and abilities, education, alignment with similar internal candidates, marketplace factors, other requirements for the position, and employer business practices.

What You Will Do

Evaluates, plans, directs and administers occupational therapy modalities of treatment as prescribed by a licensed physician. Assists patients in reaching their maximum performance and level of functioning, while learning to live within the limits of their capabilities. Participates in operational aspects of the department, maintains performance improvement activities within the department, and participates in CQI activities.

Required Qualifications

  • California Occupational Therapist license - CA Board of Occupational Therapy -REQUIRED
  • AHA Basic Life Support for Healthcare Professional (AHA BLS Healthcare) - American Heart Association -REQUIRED

Preferred Qualifications

Other: Graduate of an approved school of Occupational Therapy or graduate of accredited college or university with a certificate in Occupational Therapy.

Experience in all aspects of occupational therapy.

Other Qualification Requirements

CCS Paneling is required for Therapists functioning in a CCS-designated NICU. Paneling is required within 6 months of hire. CCS paneled staff will review and supervise services provided by non-paneled personnel as required by licensure and CCS guidelines in NICU.

Essential Functions

Department development

  • Actively participates in departmental goals and the advancement of department initiatives.
  • Collaborates with leadership in clinical and operational projects.
  • Participates in departmental activities, such as CQI, staff meetings, and chart review.
  • Participates in committees and system wide activities when requested as departmental representative.
  • Documentation
  • Documentation is completed in a timely, complete, legible, concise and accurate manner.

Documentation follows Sharp HealthCare guidelines, professional guidelines, and meets third-party payor and regulatory requirements.

Maintains records pertinent to departmental operations.

Completes all documentation elements as appropriate (Interdisciplinary Plan of Care, Education record, billing, discharge plan, and others).

  • Operational efficiency
  • Communicates patient care and departmental issues.
  • Accepts changes and demonstrates flexibility when asked regarding work schedules and assignments.
  • Completes additional assignments in a timely manner
  • Offers suggestions for resolving operational issues within the department.
  • Provides unit specific information to students, floats, and travelers/registry personnel.
  • Maintains departmental cleanliness and safety.

Sets priorities and adjusts to unscheduled situations. Takes initiative in using time effectively.

  • Completes all regulatory requirements.
  • Meets productivity standards established by department leadership.
  • Participates in UR/QA chart review and activities.
  • Patient care

Evaluates and treats patients within the scope of care in a manner that is cost-effective and appropriate to the patient's diagnosis, age and culture.

Assesses patient pain that interferes with optimal level of function or participation in treatment; and provides intervention.

Performs an appropriate assessment on all patients as related to the therapy requested and provides and reassesses as per policy.

Evaluates patient outcomes and effectiveness of patient care measures, reporting to management or physician any significant changes and/or abnormal findings.

Utilizes interdisciplinary team conference to communicate pertinent patient-related problems. When necessary, initiates discussion with other team members to provide more comprehensive care and/or to problem-solve.

Performs all aspects of patient care in an environment that optimizes patient safety and reduces the likelihood of medical/health care errors.

Formulates a teaching plan based upon identified learning needs and evaluates effectiveness of learning; family is included in teaching as appropriate.

  • Demonstrates knowledge and safe use of modalities, equipment and therapeutic procedures.
  • Coordinates and directs patient care to ensure patients' needs are met and hospital policy is followed.
  • Completes development plan and performance is satisfactory.
  • Participates in weekly team meetings and discharge meetings.

Completes development of discharge plans and goals that provide for the continuation of the patient's well-being while on service and upon completion of service.

Collaborates with Case Manager for referrals/transition of therapy needs with the local CCS Medical Therapy Program/Units for infants being discharged.

Participates in interdisciplinary rounds, staffing and/or patient conferences as required at the various levels of care. If functioning in NICU, therapist will participate in weekly interdisciplinary rounds.

For CCS Paneled Therapists only: The therapist makes recommendations for appropriate outpatient services. With a physician order the therapist may assist with the referral to outpatient therapy for those patients going to CCS Medical Therapy Units or other facilities for treatment.

Sharp HealthCare is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, status as a protected veteran, among other things, or status as a qualified individual with disability or any other protected class

Key Responsibilities

The Occupational Therapist evaluates, plans, and administers therapy modalities to assist patients in reaching their maximum functional performance. They also participate in departmental operational activities, including quality improvement, documentation, and interdisciplinary team collaboration.

Requirements

Candidates must hold a California Occupational Therapist license and AHA Basic Life Support certification. Experience in all aspects of occupational therapy is preferred, and CCS paneling is required for those working in the NICU.

Qualifications

Education
Professional certificate or licensure
Experience
2+ years of experience

Key Skills

Patient AssessmentTreatment PlanningClinical DocumentationInterdisciplinary CollaborationDischarge PlanningRegulatory ComplianceNICU CareTherapeutic ModalitiesSafety ProtocolsPatient EducationClinical Efficiency

Occupational Therapist Career Context

Of the 40 active Occupational Therapy listings this role was benchmarked against, 8% are remote, 40% have no call, 63% require no weekends.

In California, the Occupational Therapy weighted monthly median benchmark on WeekdayDoc is ~$115k (220 salary observations; 341 listings), vs ~$96k nationally (1,589 salary observations; 4,406 listings). Monthly aggregates cover 2026-01-01 through 2026-09-01; 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 ~$129k midpoint carries the purchasing power of roughly $117k in an average-cost state. 63.6% of California clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

Occupational Therapy pay on WeekdayDoc is up 5.3% vs. the prior quarter (through Aug 2026).

Work-Life Balance Analysis

WeekdayDoc's proprietary algorithm rates Occupational Therapist I - Per Diem - San Diego County Float at Sharp HealthCare a 6.4 out of 10 for work-life balance — classified as good. This places the position in the Above average in Occupational Therapy — ranked against 8,803 active Occupational Therapy listings on WeekdayDoc. Contributing factors include no on-call duties.

Top Occupational Therapist Jobs

40 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution26 jobs

8
<$125k
11
$125k-140k
4
$140k-155k
2
$160k
1
$172k

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks30 jobs

401k / retirement match
73%
CME allowance
63%
Sign-on bonus
13%
Relocation assistance
13%
Loan repayment
7%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

#1

Home Care Occupational Therapist- Per Diem (Western Nassau County)Per Diem

US Physical Therapy · Garden City, New York

$70-$90/hr
#2

Occupational Therapist II, InpatientPer Diem

Sutter Health · Tracy, California

$58.71-$82.19/hr
#3

Occupational Therapist- Home Health- Saint Cloud

$75-$80/hr
#4

Occupational Therapist, Part Time, Days

$46-$75.04/hr
+ 38 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

6.4/ 10
Listing-based score

Above average in Occupational Therapy

A signal to investigate—not a guarantee about the workplace.

  • No call
  • Includes weekends