What we do here changes the world. UTHealth Houston is Texas' resource for healthcare education, innovation, scientific discovery, and excellence in patient care. That's where you come in.

Once you join us you won't want to leave. It's because we reward our team for the excellent service they provide. Our total rewards package includes the benefits you'd expect from a top healthcare organization (benefits, insurance, etc.), plus:

• 100% paid medical premiums for our full-time employees
• Generous time off (holidays, preventative leave day, both vacation and sick time - all of which equates to around 37-38 days per year)
• The longer you stay, the more vacation you'll accrue!
• Longevity Pay (Monthly payments after two years of service)
• Build your future with our awesome retirement/pension plan!

We take care of our employees! As a world-renowned institution, our employees' wellbeing is important to us. We offer work/life services such as...

• Free financial and legal counseling
• Free mental health counseling services
• Gym membership discounts and access to wellness programs
• Other employee discounts including entertainment, car rentals, cell phones, etc.
• Resources for child and elder care
• Plus many more!

Join a growing team! With the opening of Dunn Behavioral Sciences Center/HCPC at UTHealth Houston, we will soon have the largest academic psychiatric hospital in the country, serving the region with an 500+ bed facility. Our dedicated health care employees will have the opportunity to be exposed to a variety of mental health specialties and cutting-edge research. With exposure to a variety of specialties such as Acute, Subacute, and Intensive Outpatient, Continuum of Care, Mood Disorders, ECT, Early Onset Treatment, Adult General Psychiatry, Competency Restoration, Child and Adolescent, Juvenile Justice, Geriatric Psychiatry, Treatment Mall and Unit-Based Programming.

This dedicated team will work in an integrated campus to bring world class resources to the community. Apply today to be a part of this committed team serving the mental health needs of the area.

Position Summary:

Provides lead role in treatment centered interventions through structured therapeutic recreation.

Location: Dunn Behavioral Sciences Center/HCPC at UTHealth Houston

Dept.: BSC Programming

Status: Full-Time

FLSA: Exempt

Position Key Accountabilities:

Essential Functions

• Develops current evidenced based therapeutic recreation, physical wellness, self-expressive arts, leisure education, and alternative therapeutic activity programming for age specific inpatient and specialized mental health treatment.
• Leads the Recreational Therapy (RT) team in the implementation of recreation activities for patients. Identifies, distributes and balances employee workloads based on priorities, consideration of the difficulty and requirements of assignments, and other relevant factors.
• Assigns Recreational Therapy staff to designated unit programs.
• Responsible for creating and executing work schedules for each Recreational Therapist.
• Collaborates with Director of Programming or designee to determine Recreational Therapy 's specific operational, financial, and other needs to carry out patient centered therapeutic activities.
• Monitors and analyzes patient related productivity levels of the RT staff through direct clinical supervision, and peer review of chart audits.
• Assists in providing patient groups, treatment planning and coverage to ensure appropriate staffing levels for continuous RT programming during the week, weekends, and holidays.
• Utilizes electronic medical record systems for patient documentation and patient documentation reviews.
• Monitors and coordinates patient-care by collaborating with other direct care leaders and disciplines.
• Monitor staff's adherence to time and attendance, and all other UTHealth, HCPC and Programming department policies and procedures.
• Conducts competency bi-annual reviews through direct observation and monthly chart audits to ensure Recreation Therapy, Programming Department, and UTHCPC standards of practice are in compliance.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Certification/Skills:

• Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist (CTRS) by National Council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification (NCTRC) required

Minimum Education:
Bachelor's Degree in Therapeutic Recreation or degree with emphasis in therapeutic recreation required.
Minimum Experience:
3 years of experience in behavioral health setting required.
Physical Requirements:
Exerts up to 50 pounds of force occasionally and/or up to 20 pounds frequently and/or up to 10 pounds constantly to move objects.
Security Sensitive:
This position is a security-sensitive position pursuant to Texas Education Code §51.215 and Texas Government Code §411.094. To the extent that a position requires the holder to research, work on, or have access to critical infrastructure as defined in Texas Business and Commerce Code §117.001(2), the ability to maintain the security or integrity of the infrastructure is a minimum qualification to be hired for and to continue to be employed in that position. Personnel in such positions, and similarly situated state contractors, will be routinely reviewed to determine whether things such as criminal history or continuous connections to the government or political apparatus of a foreign adversary might prevent the applicant, employee, or contractor from being able to maintain the security or integrity of the infrastructure. A foreign adversary is a nation listed in 15 C.F.R. §791.4.
Residency Requirement:

Employees must permanently reside and work in the State of Texas.