Apprentice Occupational Therapist

Job overview

An exciting opportunity has become available for an Apprentice Occupational Therapist (OT) to join Whittington Health NHS Trust. This is a development role over three or four years where you will work towards successful completion of a BSc (Hons) degree in Occupational Therapy (OT) at an associated Higher Education Institution with recognition by the Health Care Professions Council (HCPC) as an Occupational Therapist.

You will develop and maintain knowledge, skills and competencies related to the role of an Occupational Therapist through your apprenticeship within the service as well as through completion of the Occupational Therapy Apprenticeship training programme. This includes working within acute and community settings, and delivery of direct person-centred care. For the duration of the apprenticeship, you will work as a fully integrated member within one of the Hospital / Community Therapy Teams. Initially you will undertake job competencies required of a Therapy Assistant determined by the speciality work area. As you progress through each module and level of the degree training programme you will be mapped against your evolving capability and experience of providing Occupational Therapy care. The scope of your working role will expand to reflect that you are working at the expected level of an Apprentice Occupational Therapist demonstrating your learning and skill acquisition accordingly.

Main duties of the job

Please see the Job Description and the Persons Specification for further details about the job role. If you are unable to access the PDF, the details
of the job description can also be found in the 'Detailed Job Description and Main responsibilities' section.

Working for our organisation

Whittington Health serves a richly diverse population and works hard to ensure that all our services are fair and equally accessible to everyone.
Nowhere is this more obvious than in the way we look after our staff. We aim to employ a workforce which is as representative as possible of this
population, so we are open to the value of differences in age, disability, gender, marital status, pregnancy and maternity, race, sexual orientation,
and religion or belief. The Trust believes that as a public sector organisation we have an obligation to have recruitment, training, promotion and other formal employment policies and procedures that are sensitive to these differences. We think that by doing so, we are better able to treat our patients as well as being a better place to work.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

General Clinical Duties

To learn and undertake, under supervision, all required professional techniques outlined in the apprenticeship program. To support and assist the HCPC professionals in required day-to-day service. To comply with Trust policies for Infection Control, ensuring safe treatment of all patients and to reduce the risk of hospital acquired infection. To adhere to the current radiation legislation and working safely within the Health and Safety, COSHH, Fire, Infection Control and Manual Handling Regulations. To ensure the safe handling of equipment. To adhere to all departmental policies, be able to comment and reflect on their relevance to current working practice. To be flexible in respect to working arrangements, to ensure both the needs of the service and to fulfil the university apprenticeship requirements.

Education & Training

Full commitment to the Apprenticeship Program Expectation of extensive workplace learning and practice. To attend external tutorials and lectures as outlined in the University program, inclusive of occasional University attendance as required. Attendance on online video conferencing tutorials and lectures Attendance to Trust located tutorials as directed. Weekly catch-up meetings with your allocated workplace mentor / Practice Educator Ability to undertake self-directed learning with a pro-active approach. An expectation of additional course related studies out of allocated scheduled employment hours. Submission of assignments within the allocated time period as directed. To undertake clinically based assessments as outlined in the University program, meeting the required competency

Communication and Working Relationship Skills

Communicate effectively across a wide range of channels and with a wide range of individuals, the public, health and social care professionals, maintaining the focus of communication on delivering and improving health and care services. Demonstrate inter-personal skills that promote clarity, compassion, empathy, respect, and trust. Demonstrate a variety of communication skills where there are barriers to understanding, e.g. learning disabilities or language. Work within clearly defined accountability frameworks and boundaries of limitation to provide the best possible care in collaboration with colleagues, patients, and their Carers. Actively participate in meetings related to own clinical area and relevant patients. Role model the apprentice role. Communicate effectively with colleagues providing clear verbal, digital or written information and instructions when sharing information, delegating, or handing over responsibility for care. Keep accurate, legible, and contemporaneous records of patient care.

Communication Analytical and Judgemental Skills

Develop and improve practical and theoretical knowledge, competence and skills throughout the apprentice role and maintain all evidence required. Work in accordance with the outlined standards from the University. Assesses patient’s health, safety and wellbeing while undertaking personal care, deciding whether to refer to other staff as appropriate. Ensure that only those activities for which competence has been achieved are undertaken without supervision and that recognition is given to the impact and consequences of practising outside capability.

Planning and Organisational Skills

Demonstrate effective time management skills to efficiently manage workload, recognising and responding to changing priorities throughout the working day or duty.  Demonstrate a flexible approach to working and offer support to other colleagues who are experiencing difficulties in managing workload as appropriate. Ability to organise and prioritise own workload against clinical need.

Level 4 - Job Plan and clinical competencies

To recognise fundamental professional behaviours and understand the implications of these behaviours through practical application. To reflect on their own occupational and professional identity as a foundation for their future practice, applying learning to their own work environment. To become independent, evidence informed, life-long learners. To understand the principles underpinning research and evidence-informed practice in the context of occupational therapy. To recognise OT practice models underpinning the profession’s unique occupational perspective within their work role. To deliver occupation-centred assessment, planning, intervention and evaluation, applying these aspects to their own working practice. The practical application of anatomy, physiology and psychology and apprentices will apply the theory to everyday life and occupations. To focus upon aspects of axial skeleton, lower limb, physiological systems as well as motivation, learning and attachment theories and activity and movement analysis. To explore concepts of well-being, disability, disease and illness, health inequality and inequity and relate these to their own working practice.

Level 5 - Job Plan and clinical competencies

To develop therapeutic skills, professional identity and the therapeutic use of self to enable apprentices to work with individuals, groups and communities across all sectors of health, social care and contemporary contexts. To broaden their understanding and application of a range of professional skills and reasoning in order to enhance person centred practice. To focus on practical application of anatomy physiology and psychology and apprentices will apply the theory to everyday life and occupations. To focus on the upper limb, physiological systems, the nervous system, sensory integration as well as the development of personality, memory and visual perception. To develop inter-professional capabilities of communication, role clarification, decision making and team working enabling them to practice and promote healthy conversations about lifestyle. To understand the unique contribution occupational therapists, make in the maintenance and/or restoration of health and well-being of service users.

Level 6 -Job Plan and clinical competencies

To reflect on their own strengths, weaknesses and aspirations while considering how their unique personal brand To focus on clinical reasoning, reflective practice and the application of theory into practice. To have an enhanced understanding of the research process (either literature based or empirical) and the potential of informing future practice.

Person specification

Education / Qualifications

Essential criteria

•112 UCAS tariff points (e.g. 3 A Levels at grade BBC or BBB) or: • BTEC Level 3 extended diploma (before 2010 known as BTEC national diploma level 3) DMM or DDM in health – related subject or: •Foundation degree / diploma (or similar), 120 credits or: • International Baccalaureate (26 points) or: • NVQ Level 3 plus one-year relevant work experience or: • Access to Higher Education course in Science, Health, Social Care or similar (60 credits, of which 45 credits will be at Level 3 including minimum 15 credits at distinction grade and 30 at merit grade) English and Maths GCSE (grade A-C or 4-9) or equivalent

Personal Qualities

Essential criteria

Reliable Punctual Team player

Skills & Abilities

Essential criteria

Demonstrate awareness of advocacy for patients Evidence of ability to assess the needs of the patient. Demonstrates professional approach, in demeanour, appearance and time keeping. Problem solving to ensure occupational therapy sessions run to time. Demonstrates an awareness of own limitations. •Ability to use own initiative. Ability to safely use a wide range of manual handling equipment as provided by the Trust. Evidence of participation in teamwork, both uni - and multi-professional Able to plan own workload daily, liaising with other key members of staff. Passed fit through an occupational health assessment to perform full duties of the role.

Knowledge & Experience

Essential criteria

Evidence of work experience / shadowing in Occupational Therapy.

Desirable criteria

Previous experience working as an Occupational Therapy Assistant is desirable.

SAFEGUARDING CHILDREN AND ADULTS

To comply with the Trust’s Safeguarding Children and Adults policies , procedures and protocols. All individual members of staff (paid or unpaid) have a duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults This will require you to:

Ensure you are familiar with and comply with the London Child Protection Procedures and protocols for promoting and safeguarding the welfare of children and young people. Ensure you are familiar and comply with the London Multi Agency Safeguarding Vulnerable Adults Pan London Procedures. Ensure you are familiar and comply with local protocols and systems for information sharing. Know the appropriate contact numbers and required reporting lines. Participate in required training and supervision. Comply with required professional boundaries and codes of conduct

Whittington Health is committed to safeguarding all children and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

---