Wound Care Physical Therapist

General Summary:

The Wound Care Physical Therapist provides specialized outpatient physical therapy evaluation and longitudinal wound management for patients with chronic, complex, and nonhealing wounds.

Working as an integral member of the multidisciplinary Wound Care team, the Wound Care Physical Therapist evaluates wounds and the functional, musculoskeletal, neurological, vascular, integumentary, mobility, pressure, and edema-related factors that may contribute to impaired healing.

The Physical Therapist develops and implements individualized physical therapy plans of care and provides wound-care interventions within the scope of physical therapy practice, professional competency, state law.

The Wound Care Physical Therapist works collaboratively with Wound Care physicians and advanced practice providers, Primary Care, Podiatry, Vascular Services, Urgent Care, Home Health, rehabilitation services, Case Management, and other specialists to promote wound healing, preserve mobility and function, prevent recurrence, and reduce avoidable emergency department visits and hospitalizations.

This position may serve as a clinical resource to nursing, rehabilitation, providers, and other members of the interdisciplinary team regarding wound management, pressure reduction, positioning, mobility, edema management, compression, and prevention strategies.

Supervisory Responsibilities

General Requirements:

This position has no supervisory responsibilities.

All duties performed will be done accurately and in a timely manner.

• Maintains an active, unrestricted Texas Physical Therapist license and all required professional competencies.
• Maintains clinical competency in wound assessment and wound-management interventions performed as part of the position.
• Practices within the individual's demonstrated education, training, experience, and competency.
• Maintains the highest standards of customer service and professional communication.
• Exercises tact and courtesy when interacting with patients, caregivers, providers, visitors, and coworkers.
• Participates in continuing education, competency validation, quality-improvement activities, and wound-care program development.
• Works collaboratively across specialties and communicates clear, timely recommendations and plans to referring clinicians and care teams.
• Performs other duties as assigned within the scope of physical therapy practice and demonstrated competency.
• Other duties as assigned.

Essential Job Responsibilities

Wound and Patient Evaluation

• Perform and document comprehensive physical therapy examinations and evaluations for patients referred for wound-management services.
• Obtain and review relevant wound history, duration, previous treatments, functional status, mobility, comorbidities, medications, prior procedures, and factors affecting wound healing.
• Evaluate and manage patients with wounds appropriate for physical therapy wound-management services, including diabetic foot ulcers, venous leg ulcers, pressure injuries, postoperative wounds, traumatic wounds, edema-associated wounds, and other chronic or complex wounds.
• Perform comprehensive wound and periwound assessment including location, dimensions, depth, tissue characteristics, drainage, odor, wound edges, undermining/tunneling, periwound condition, pain, edema, and progression toward healing.
• Utilize appropriate standardized wound classification and staging systems.
• Assess factors contributing to delayed healing, including mobility limitations, pressure, shear, positioning, edema, neuropathy, musculoskeletal impairment, functional limitations, adherence, and environmental barriers.
• Assess lower-extremity circulation and recognize findings requiring additional vascular evaluation.
• Review relevant laboratory, imaging, vascular, and diagnostic information available in the medical record as it relates to physical therapy wound management.
• Identify findings outside the scope of physical therapy management and communicate promptly with the appropriate physician, advanced practice provider, or other healthcare professional.

Wound Management and Treatment

• Within the Physical Therapist's licensure, demonstrated competency, organizational policies, and applicable state law:
• Develop and implement an individualized physical therapy wound-management plan of care with measurable treatment goals.
• Perform wound cleansing and wound-bed preparation.
• Perform appropriate debridement techniques, including conservative sharp debridement when clinically indicated and when competency has been demonstrated.
• Select and apply appropriate wound dressings and topical wound-management products consistent with the established plan of care.
• Assess and manage the periwound environment and at-risk skin.
• Apply and manage compression therapy when clinically appropriate.
• Evaluate and implement edema-management strategies.
• Implement pressure redistribution and offloading interventions.
• Apply and manage negative pressure wound therapy when appropriate and within established protocols and competency.
• Utilize appropriate physical therapy adjunctive wound-healing technologies when indicated and within demonstrated competency.
• Integrate therapeutic exercise, mobility training, gait training, transfer training, positioning, strengthening, balance, and functional rehabilitation when impaired mobility or function contributes to wound development or delayed healing.
• Establish realistic wound-healing and functional goals and modify the plan of care based on objective response to treatment.
• Perform periodic reexamination and reevaluation and document wound progression, functional improvement, treatment response, and changes to the plan of care.

Prevention and Functional Management

• Identify patients at risk for wound development or recurrence.
• Develop pressure-injury prevention, positioning, mobility, offloading, skin-protection, and edema-management strategies.
• Address gait, mobility, strength, balance, transfer ability, range of motion, and other functional impairments that increase wound risk or interfere with healing.
• Recommend appropriate durable medical equipment, support surfaces, mobility devices, positioning equipment, and pressure-redistribution devices within the Physical Therapist's scope of practice.
• Educate patients and caregivers regarding skin inspection, pressure relief, mobility, positioning, edema control, offloading, recurrence prevention, and adherence to the treatment plan.

Interdisciplinary Care and Referral

• Collaborate closely with Wound Care physicians and advanced practice providers regarding patients requiring medical evaluation or interventions outside the Physical Therapist's scope of practice.
• Coordinate care with Primary Care, Urgent Care, Podiatry, Vascular Services, Home Health, nursing, rehabilitation, Case Management, nutrition services, and other specialties as clinically indicated.
• Recognize findings requiring medical or specialty evaluation, including suspected infection, ischemia, osteomyelitis, acute vascular compromise, significant deterioration, atypical wounds, or other conditions requiring additional diagnostic or medical management.
• Recommend or facilitate timely consultation with appropriate specialists.
• Communicate clinically significant changes promptly to the responsible medical provider.
• Participate in transitions of care following hospitalization, surgery, skilled nursing, or Home Health services.
• Collaborate with Home Health and other care settings to promote continuity of the wound-management plan.

Documentation and Quality

• Document wound measurements, characteristics, photographs when appropriate, interventions, procedures, patient tolerance, progress, functional status, education, and changes to the physical therapy plan of care.
• Document medical necessity and objective progression toward wound-healing and functional goals.
• Participate in wound-care quality improvement, outcome tracking, utilization review, and clinical pathway development.
• Apply evidence-based wound-management principles and clinical guidelines.
• Assist with development and implementation of wound-care protocols, clinical pathways, staff education, and competency programs.

Education and Training

Education

• Graduate of a CAPTE-accredited Physical Therapy program.
• Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT), Master's degree, or Bachelor's degree in Physical Therapy from an accredited program.

Licensure

• Current, unrestricted license to practice Physical Therapy in the State of Texas.
• Current BLS certification.

Experience

• Minimum of two (2) years of clinical experience providing wound care.
• Wound care certification is preferred but not required.
• Relevant wound-care continuing education and demonstrated clinical competency will be considered in conjunction with professional experience.

Other Requirements

• Computer Skills: Skilled in use of computer/EMR systems.
• Knowledge of Word processing software, spreadsheet software, Internet, and database software.

Work Environment

Clinic environment. Exposure to communicable diseases, bodily fluids, toxic substances, ionizing radiation, medicinal preparations, and other conditions common to a clinic environment.

Mental / Physical Requirements

• Requires manual dexterity, sitting, standing, stooping, reaching, kneeling, crouching, bending, walking, lifting up to 40 lbs. without assistance.
• Close vision and ability to adjust focus.
• Must be able to work efficiently under pressure.

Additional Information

Gonzaba Medical Group is seeking team members who contribute as A-Players, demonstrate a strong work ethic, are committed to the culture and our core values.

Other Duties As Assigned

The above job description is not intended to be an all-inclusive list of duties and standards of the position. Team members will follow any other instructions, and perform any other related duties, as assigned by their supervisor. Responsibilities, knowledge, skills, abilities, and work environments may change as needs evolve.