Physical Therapist - Pediatrics

Role Overview

Physical Therapist - Pediatrics at American Hospital Dubai, providing direct patient care and specialized respiratory physiotherapy services to pediatric patients aged 0–18 years.

Role Purpose

Deliver comprehensive physiotherapy assessment, care planning, and treatment to pediatric inpatients and outpatients with complex respiratory conditions, with particular expertise in non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis, Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia (PCD), neuromuscular disorders, and ventilation management. Provide clinical leadership, supervision, and advisory support across the pediatric physiotherapy service.

Key Responsibilities

Patient Assessment & Care Planning

• Conduct patient assessment and reassessment to establish physiotherapy goals and individualized care plans.
• Provide direct patient care using a range of therapeutic techniques with or without assistive medical devices and equipment.

Respiratory Management

• Oversee management of inpatients with respiratory conditions requiring physiotherapy aged 0–18 years.
• Handle respiratory management of patients with non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis, Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia (PCD), Neuromuscular conditions (including Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA)), Tracheostomies, long-term ventilation, non-invasive ventilation (NIV), and other respiratory diseases.
• Act as a highly specialist source of expertise in respiratory management of patients with non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis, Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia (PCD), Neuromuscular conditions (including Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA)), Tracheostomies, long-term ventilation, NIV, and other respiratory diseases.

Clinical Services & Specialist Clinics

• Provide a highly specialist role in respiratory clinics, including non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis clinics and Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia (PCD) clinics.
• Handle the outpatient caseload.

Collaboration & Liaison

• Provide an advisory and liaison service to patients, families, caregivers, physiotherapy colleagues, and other healthcare professionals.
• Work closely with the Pediatric Pulmonologist, Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) Respiratory therapists, and the pediatric physiotherapy team.
• Assist as a clinical resource to patients, patients' relatives, caregivers, junior Physiotherapists, Occupational Therapists, Nursing staff, Speech Pathologists, and other medical staff.

Supervision & Coverage

• Provide supervision to junior physiotherapists and staff nurses.
• Provide cross-cover to wards, Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) as per service needs, including late shifts, weekend working, and on-call duties.

Safety, Compliance & Equipment Management

• Maintain full compliance with safety requirements of physiotherapy medical equipment.
• Perform functional and calibration checks on equipment.
• Ensure all medical equipment requiring repair is reported to the Biomedical Engineer and follow up on completion of repairs.
• Maintain the availability of physiotherapy medical equipment for patient utilization.
• Perform daily and monthly inventory of equipment and ensure equipment is properly placed and stored in designated areas.
• Maintain full compliance with the safety and availability of physiotherapy medical supplies.
• Minimize medical supplies losses and report to the Materials Management Department all supply replacements, expiry, and loss requirements.
• Demonstrate full compliance and competence with AHO and PTO clinical policy and procedure, including patient and equipment safety and infection prevention and control required to provide patient care.

Incident Reporting & Quality Improvement

• Demonstrate full compliance and ability to follow proper communication processes and the chain of command structure in reporting patient-related incidents, complaints, and other issues of concern.
• Maintain full compliance in properly reporting all patient care-related incidents and customer service complaints to improve patient care services.
• Participate in department staff meetings and unit projects.
• Implement and evaluate creative approaches to meeting goals.

General Duties

• Perform additional duties and tasks as specified and assigned.

Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor's Degree of Science in Physiotherapy and/or Bachelor of Science in Physical Therapy.
• Current license of practice in country of origin or country point of hire and/or Dubai Health Authority (DHA), United Arab Emirates.
• Minimum of two (2) years of experience post-certification as a Junior Physiotherapist/Physical Therapist.

Skills & Competencies

• Ability to speak and write in English fluently.