Assistant Physiotherapist

Role Overview

Assistant Physiotherapist at American Hospital Dubai. The role provides physiotherapy services under the direct supervision of Senior Physical Therapists, operating within the scope of a Physiotherapy Assistant to deliver patient care according to established treatment plans prescribed by Consultants or Physicians and agreed upon by patients or their relatives.

Role Purpose

Deliver physiotherapy services to patients following clinical care plans and departmental standards, assist with clinical procedures across the medical team, and maintain quality, safety, and compliance in all physiotherapy interventions.

Key Responsibilities

Quality and Compliance

• Understand and uphold the hospital's mission, vision, and customer service standards in accordance with patient care processes, clinical standards, and physiotherapy practices.
• Communicate departmental chain of command structure for reporting patient-related incidents, complaints, and concerns.
• Demonstrate full compliance and competence with American Hospital Dubai and Physical Therapy Department clinical policy and procedures, including patient and equipment safety and infection prevention and control.
• Perform assigned clinical and technical tasks independently with confidence, task prioritization, and critical thinking aligned with hospital and departmental policy.
• Assist with clinical procedures performed by Physicians, Physical Therapists, Occupational Therapists, Nurses, and other medical staff.

Patient Assessment

• Perform initial, comprehensive, and follow-up assessments and re-assessments in accordance with American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) clinical standards and guidelines.
• Conduct Cognitive Score Assessments using Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS).
• Execute cardio-respiratory assessments of patient vital signs including heart rate (HR), blood pressure (BP), respiratory rate (RR), and oxygen saturation (SpO2).
• Perform musculoskeletal assessments including range of motion (ROM) and manual muscle testing (MMT).
• Assess pain levels using Visual Analog Scale (VAS) or Faces, Legs, Activity, Cry, Consolability (FLACC) scale.
• Conduct integumentary assessments including swelling and bruising evaluation.
• Evaluate risk for falls.
• Establish patient care goals, care plans, and care outcomes.
• Provide patient education on physiotherapy care and outcomes.

Treatment Delivery

• Provide appropriate physiotherapy services and modalities as clinically indicated based on patient diagnosis and presenting symptoms.
• Apply physiotherapy modalities according to patient care plans, observing correct treatment frequency, time duration, device settings, intensity, and frequency.
• Select and apply appropriate supportive and assistive devices and equipment to prevent harm to patients and equipment damage.
• Select and execute appropriate measurement procedures and tools to assess clinical status, including joint ROM tests, manual muscle tests, functional tests, and coordination tests before, during, and after each treatment.
• Deliver physiotherapy services equivalent to twenty-six (26) sessions or Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes, with each session limited to 15 minutes, including the following modalities:
• Patient Initial Assessment and Re-assessment
• Cryotherapy/Heat Therapy
• Manual Therapy
• Massage Therapy
• Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS)
• Therapeutic Exercises
• Ultrasound Therapy
• Interferential Therapy
• Mechanical Traction Therapy
• Electrical Current Therapy
• Gait Training Therapy
• Lymphatic Edema Therapy

Patient and Stakeholder Education

• Provide physiotherapy clinical and technical education to patients, patient relatives, and other medical staff as required.

Quality Improvement and Reporting

• Monitor and perform department Quality Measures requirements and participate in Quality Improvement activities and departmental projects.
• Report all patient care-related incidents and customer service complaints to improve patient care services.
• Assist the department in initiation and review of clinical policy and procedures as required.

Equipment and Inventory Management

• Ensure full compliance with safety requirements of physiotherapy medical equipment.
• Perform functional and calibration checks on medical equipment.
• Report all equipment requiring repair to the Biomedical Engineer and process and complete required repairs.
• Maintain availability of physiotherapy medical equipment for patient utilization.
• Perform daily and monthly inventory of equipment and ensure proper placement and storage in designated areas.
• Maintain full compliance with safety and availability of physiotherapy medical supplies.
• Minimize medical supply losses and report to Materials Management Department all supply replacements, expiry, and loss requirements.

Departmental Collaboration

• Participate in department staff meetings, unit projects, and implement and evaluate creative approaches to meeting goals.
• Serve as a clinical resource to patients, patient relatives, caregivers, Junior Physical Therapists, Occupational Therapists, Nursing, and other medical staff as required.
• Perform additional duties and tasks as assigned by Senior Physical Therapist or Physical Therapist.

Qualifications & Experience

Education

• Diploma in Physiotherapy/Physical Therapy, OR
• Bachelor's Degree of Science in Physiotherapy, OR
• Bachelor of Science in Physical Therapy

Licensure

• Current license of practice in country of origin or country point of hire and/or Dubai Health Authority (DHA), United Arab Emirates

Professional Experience

• Minimum of two (2) years post-certification experience as a Junior Physiotherapist/Physical Therapist

Communication Skills

• Excellent English verbal and written communication skills