Apprentice Occupational Therapist

We are looking for an Apprentice Occupational Therapist to join us at University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust (UHBW).

Over 4 years you will work towards gaining a BSc (Hons) Occupational Therapy from University West of England (UWE) using remote academic & work-based learning. You will undertaking the day-to-day role of a Therapy technician at UHBW. You will be fully supported to develop your skills over the duration of the apprenticeship. Following successful graduation, you will be able to register with the UK statutory regulator (Health Care Professions Council, HCPC) as an Occupational Therapist.

On the job training will be provided by the Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy teams to enable you to meet the main duties of a Therapy Technician. These duties are to help the OTs and Physiotherapists to support the delivery of effective treatment and rehabilitation plans to enable patients to recover from illness and injury and be safely discharged from hospital.

You will contribute to a 6/7 day service working one weekend in four. You will also contribute to a Bank Holiday service working up to two Bank Holidays per year.

This is an exciting career route into the profession of Occupational Therapy but there is a strict criteria to join this journey:
1. You must have and be able to provide Level 2 certificates for English and maths (GCSE grade C/4 or above).
2. Evidence of recent* successful level 3 (A Level equivalent) study (* last 3 years).
3. If applicant has a previous degree but no recent study– this will be considered on a case-by-case basis
4. You will need to meet the interview criteria for both UHBW and UWE. The university course starts September 2023.
5. Due to the dedication & time required to undertake the role of an apprentice, this job is not suitable to part time hours and requires a working week of 37.5 hours. Employment at UHBW will start prior to September 2023, once recruitment is fully completed.
6. You will need to be organised and be prepared to study in your own time, but you will be allocated 1 day a week for university or self-directed study.

University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust (UHBW) is one of the largest acute Trusts in the country, bringing together a combined workforce of over 13,000 staff and over 100 different clinical services across 10 different sites, serving a core population of more than 500,000 people across South West England. UHBW has been rated by the CQC as ‘Good’ overall and our staff are proud to deliver excellent care to the people of Bristol, Weston and beyond. As a forward-thinking multi-award winning Trust and a digital exemplar committed to improving patient care, our world-leading research and innovations are having a positive local and global impact. Our hospitals are spread across Bristol and Weston, join us and you can enjoy the very best of both worlds; city living within a stone’s throw of the countryside or beside the seaside, both with easy access to all that the South West has to offer. UHBW is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. As an equal opportunities employer actively working towards a diverse workforce we aim to recruit and retain a workforce which represents the rich diversity of the local population at all levels and are committed to designing our services around the needs of individual patients and those around them. Anonymous information will be used from your application in order to ensure we’re meeting our pledge.

Still believe this is the role for you, have the commitment & drive to learn and earn while you start your career in Occupational Therapy? Then what is stopping you submitting your application form!

Application forms will be shortlisted against the person specification.

For a more detailed job description and main responsibilities, please refer to the job description document attached to this vacancy.