<p>A brand-new acute care hospital opening in the Gainesville, Florida area is recruiting a founding Occupational Therapist to join its inpatient rehabilitation team from the ground floor. This is a rare hospital-based opportunity to help build clinical workflows, shape a new program, and treat a diverse acute care population — including neurological, orthopedic, stroke, and cardiac patients — within a fully staffed interdisciplinary environment. The position is full-time and W2, offering schedule consistency and long-term institutional growth that home health and PRN roles simply cannot match.</p>
<h3>Perks and Benefits</h3> <ul> <li>Full-time W2 employment with a stable, consistent schedule</li> <li>Sign-on bonus available (evaluated on a case-by-case basis)</li> <li>Relocation assistance available (evaluated on a case-by-case basis)</li> <li>Ground-floor program entry — opportunity to influence workflows, protocols, and team culture from day one</li> <li>Open to new graduates as well as experienced therapists, making this accessible at multiple career stages</li> </ul>
<h3>Practice Highlights</h3> <ul> <li>Acute care hospital-based setting — no home health, no PRN travel, no split-site assignments</li> <li>Brand-new facility opening in the Gainesville, FL area — joining at launch means direct influence over departmental standards and care pathways</li> <li>Diverse inpatient caseload spanning neurology, orthopedics, stroke recovery, and cardiac rehabilitation</li> <li>Evaluate and treat patients, develop individualized treatment plans, and adjust care based on ongoing progress monitoring</li> <li>Patient and family education integral to the role — supporting discharge readiness and functional independence</li> <li>Collaborative interdisciplinary team structure: daily coordination with physicians, nursing staff, and fellow rehabilitation clinicians</li> <li>Consistent patient volume with predictable scheduling — no fluctuating census-driven instability typical of newer programs</li> </ul>
<h3>Qualifications</h3> <ul> <li>Active Occupational Therapist license in the state of Florida, or eligibility to obtain prior to start</li> <li>Bachelor's degree or higher in Occupational Therapy from an accredited program</li> <li>BLS certification required within 30 days of hire</li> <li>New graduates are welcome; prior acute care or hospital-based experience is preferred but not required</li> </ul>
<h3>About the Community</h3> <p>Gainesville is a vibrant mid-sized city in north-central Florida, home to the University of Florida and its nationally ranked academic medical center — a setting that fosters a strong culture of clinical excellence and continuing education. The city offers an affordable cost of living relative to Florida's coastal markets, a lively arts and dining scene, and year-round outdoor recreation including access to natural springs, state parks, and cycling trails. Gainesville sits roughly 70 miles from both the Gulf Coast and the Atlantic, giving residents easy weekend access to Florida's beaches without the premium price tag of coastal living.</p>