Physical Therapist, Injury Prevention & Ergonomics Coordinator
University of Utah HealthOverview
As a patient-focused organization, University of Utah Health exists to enhance the health and well-being of people through patient care, research and education. Success in this mission requires a culture of collaboration, excellence, leadership, and respect. University of Utah Health seeks staff that are committed to the values of compassion, collaboration, innovation, responsibility, integrity, quality and trust that are integral to our mission. EO/AA
The Physical Therapist, Injury Prevention & Ergonomics Coordinator is responsible for the system-wide development, implementation, coordination, training, and continuous improvement of employee injury prevention programs across University of Utah Health.This role focuses on safety-sensitive environments and is accountable for advancing safe patient handling, material handling, ergonomic practices, and related injury reduction initiatives. The position partners across hospitals, clinics, and ambulatory sites to standardize best practices, influence cultural change, and reduce employee injury rates through data-driven interventions and operational collaboration.The role serves as the subject matter expert for ergonomic and injury prevention practices and leads cross-functional initiatives aligned with the organization’s mission, vision, values, and strategic priorities.
Corporate Overview: University of Utah Health is an integrated academic healthcare system with five hospitals including a level 1 trauma center, eleven community health centers, over 1,600 providers, and a health plan serving over 200,000 members. University of Utah Health is nationally ranked and recognized for our academic research, quality standards and overall patient experience. In addition to our clinical delivery system, we have a School of Medicine, School of Dentistry, College of Nursing, College of Pharmacy, and College of Health providing education and training for over 1,250 providers annually. We have over 2 million patient visits annually and research grants exceeding $350 million. University of Utah Hospitals and Clinics represents our clinical operations for the larger health system.
Responsibilities
- Develops and leads system-wide injury prevention and ergonomic programs aligned with organizational safety priorities.
- Establishes standardized tools, templates, workflows, and best practices across departments and service lines.
- Leads cross-functional teams to drive measurable improvements in safety performance, efficiency, and effectiveness.
- Ensures alignment with regulatory standards and organizational safety policies.
- Conducts observations and ergonomic assessments in safety-sensitive areas to identify workflow risks and injury trends.
- Evaluates equipment use and environmental factors to recommend improvements in patient handling, material handling, and staff movement practices.
- Collaborates with leadership and operational stakeholders to assess, select, and implement ergonomic and assistive equipment solutions.
- Data Analytics & Continuous Improvement
- Tracks, trends, and analyzes employee injury data to identify patterns, risk areas, and intervention opportunities.
- Develops reporting tools and dashboards to monitor outcomes and demonstrate program effectiveness.
- Partners in policy development, data collection methodologies, and compliance reporting.
- Applies quality improvement methodologies to modify programs based on measurable results.
- Delivers education and training programs to staff, safety leaders, and executive leadership.
- Influences cultural transformation toward proactive injury prevention and safety ownership.
- Coaches department leaders on implementation of ergonomic best practices.
- Serves as system champion and subject matter expert for injury prevention initiatives.
- Supports multiple departments across assigned network locations.
- Travels to hospitals, community clinics, and ambulatory sites as required.
- Performs other duties as assigned.
Knowledge / Skills / Abilities
- Demonstrated ability to engage clinical and operational leaders in safety improvement initiatives.
- Strong verbal, written, and presentation skills, including ability to present to executive audiences.
- Ability to lead cross-functional teams and influence without direct authority.
- Strong analytical capability; comfortable interpreting injury data and translating findings into action.
- Exceptional interpersonal and coaching skills.
- Skilled in conflict resolution and group facilitation.
- Ability to manage multiple concurrent projects in a fast-paced healthcare environment.
- Flexibility to travel within the University of Utah Health network.
- Availability for occasional training outside standard business hours.
Qualifications
Qualifications
Required
- Experience in ergonomics, safety, injury prevention, or safe patient handling programs.
- Experience managing programs, initiatives, or projects across multiple departments
Licenses Required
- Current license to practice as a Physical Therapist in the State of Utah, or obtain one within 90 days of hire under the Physical Therapy Compact if switching residency to State of Utah. Must maintain current Physical Therapy Compact (multi-state) license if residency is not being changed to Utah.
Qualifications (Preferred)
Preferred
- Ergonomics certification
Working Conditions and Physical Demands
Employee must be able to meet the following requirements with or without an accommodation.
- This position involves intermediate working conditions in a healthcare setting that may exert up to 50 pounds and may consistently require lifting, carrying, pushing, pulling, or otherwise moving patients or objects, such as medical equipment, while providing patient care. Workers in this position may be exposed to infectious diseases and may be required to function around prisoners or behavioral health patients.