Laura Karls
Rockton,IL
Summary
Occupational Therapist with comprehensive experience in both outpatient and inpatient environments. Expert in conducting evaluations, providing tailored interventions, and mentoring students and new therapists. Proficient in orthopedic rehabilitation, clinical reasoning, and direct patient care, bringing dedication and professionalism to enhance patient outcomes and team collaboration. Organized and dependable candidate successful at managing multiple priorities with a positive attitude. Willingness to take on added responsibilities to meet team goals. Hardworking and passionate occupational therapist with strong organizational skills eager to move into an education and clinical coordinator role to help the team achieve company goals.
Overview
16
16
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Occupational Therapist
UW Northern Illinois
10.2008 - Current
- Experience in both outpatient and inpatient environments through comprehensive training.
- Conduct thorough evaluations to assess patient needs, functional limitations, and potential for improvement.
- Provide interventions and treatments to improve patient abilities to perform daily activities, manage symptoms and prevent injury.
- Document patient progress accurately and efficiently, ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements.
- Improve patient outcomes by implementing individualized treatment plans and monitoring progress.
- Manage the organization of graduate/doctoral student clinicals in both inpatient and outpatient settings across several universities.
- Mentor occupational therapy students during clinical rotations, fostering professional growth and development.
- Assist in supervising and mentoring new occupational therapists to enhance their skills and promote continuous professional advancement.
- Consistently recognized as a role model during annual reviews.
- Participate as a Superuser and attended front office team meetings to enhance responsibility.
- Participate in continuing education opportunities to stay current with industry trends and best practices in occupational therapy.
- Selected for Mentoring for Success training.
- Developed and educated staff on a new breast cancer inpatient program.
Occupational Therapist
OrthoIllinois
04.2008 - 10.2017
- Improved patient satisfaction by customizing therapy interventions to align with individual preferences and goals.
- Documented patient progress accurately and efficiently, ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements.
- Provided interventions and treatments to improve patient abilities to perform daily activities, manage symptoms and prevent injury.
- Worked closely with surgical team to ensure optimal patient outcomes.
- Led clinical instruction for 2-3 graduate-level occupational therapy students annually.
- Developed partnerships with five additional universities to enhance the student program.
- Managed the onboarding process for all newly hired occupational therapists.
- Assisted with development of student education materials to be successful in an outpatient orthopedic facility.
- Exclusively selected to receive in-depth instruction on how to fit, educate, and operate the cutting-edge i-limb – an advanced myo-electric prosthesis designed for upper limbs.
- Participated in professional development seminars and workshops, staying abreast of advancements in occupational therapy.
Education
Master of Science - Occupational Therapy
Concordia University
Mequon, WI05.2002
Bachelor of Science - Biology
Concordia University
Mequon, WI05.2000
Skills
- Staff education and training
- Self Motivation
- Teamwork and Collaboration
- Multitasking Abilities
- Clinical reasoning
- Reliability
- Professionalism
Certification
- Certified Hand Therapist since 2007
- AOTA credentialed clinical instructor
- ASTYM certification
- CPR, AED and first aid certified
Timeline
Occupational Therapist
UW Northern Illinois
10.2008 - Current
Occupational Therapist
OrthoIllinois
04.2008 - 10.2017
Master of Science - Occupational Therapy
Concordia University
Bachelor of Science - Biology
Concordia University
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