Lymphedema Therapist

• Comprehends and interprets medical prescriptions and medical history for physical or occupational therapy, with a specialized focus on lymphedema diagnoses. Applies accepted principles, methods, and procedures of measurement, prediction, and evaluation tests and measures, to assess patient's strengths and limitations and assists patient to achieve objective short and long term goals. Administers tests, measures, objective, and functional assessment requiring certified lymphedema skilled competencies. Applies and demonstrates knowledge of side effects, and complications related to lymphedema diagnoses and other related co‐morbidities. Create plan of care according to evaluation results.

• Administers patient specific occupational or physical therapy treatment, including but not limited to Complete Decongestive Therapy including multilayer bandaging, manual lymph drainage, and compression garment section and application. Modifies treatment plans as needed based on complex problem solving, patient specific need, and use of existing evidence based information.

• Maintains accurate records of each patient's treatment, assessment findings, and progress according to defined service delivery standards. Maintains all necessary records required to meet criteria established by reimbursement and regulatory agencies.

• Provide patient and/or caregiver education and training for home management program, with skillful reassessment and adjustments as needed for chronic condition management.

• Provide appropriate home exercise plans and recommendations for modifications for functional abilities.

• Advocacy and care coordination for patients to facilitate accessibility to services and resources and promote health equity of the lymphedema population. Must professionally communicate complex information to internal and external stakeholders, providers and leadership to serve advice or guidance on application of knowledge

• Serves as a UHS subject expert with advanced knowledge of lymphedema and complete decongestive therapy and is able to serve as an educator and advocate for the population.

• Establishes and maintains effective working relationships with patients, families/caregivers, providers, staff, and others involved in multi‐disciplinary care of patients to ensure effective long term management of lymphedema related issues.

• Collaborative efforts with vendors to achieve compression garment coverage or financial funding resources

• Professional participation and collaboration in internal lymphedema clinic assignments and projects; including program quality improvement and performance improvement.

• Integration of broad theoretical knowledge of rehabilitation and the specialized field of lymphedema and the interrelationships within the domain of health care delivery

• Formulation and execution of individualized patient care and public health efforts

• Professional participation and collaboration in multi‐disciplinary assignments and projects throughout the UHS system related to swelling, compression, and preventative care for at‐risk populations.

• Innovative problem solving with consideration to multi‐stakeholder perspectives and future implications on UHS system and community.

Minimum Required

• Graduate of an accredited school of occupational or physical therapy, receiving applicable degree or certificate in occupational or physical therapy course of study, with Bachelor's or Master's degree or equivalent

• Possession of a NYS license or eligibility to be licensed as an occupational or physical therapist

• CPR certification within first three months of employment

• Certification in Lymphedema Therapy and Complete Decongestive Therapy to be completed within first 3 months of hire

Preferred

• Master's or Doctorate Degree

• Previous clinical experience in lymphedema therapy

• Previous clinical experience in hospital‐based inpatient services and/or outpatient therapy services

• National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) certified

• Lymphology Association of Northern America (LANA) certification

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Work Environment

• ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS: Work is performed in a department which consists of several clinical rooms and offices, and sometimes requires working in close quarters with other employees. These rooms are all air conditioned as well as heated. Work may also be performed in patient rooms throughout the hospitals or at an offsite location, as determined by contractual services.
• PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT: As needed, gloves, mask, gown, other personal protective equipment, as per blood and body fluid and isolation precautions. Off‐site locations may require safety goggles, ear plugs, hard hat, steel‐toed shoes, or other personal protective equipment required by the off‐site location.

Age of Patients Served

• All Age Groups

HIPAA Roles‐Based Access to Patient Information

• All ‐ Access to patient information, including restricted information ‐ Level 4