Apprenticeship training course

Occupational therapist (level 6)

Occupational therapists work with people of all ages and can look at all aspects of daily life in your home, school or workplace.

• Qualification level: 6 ; Equivalent to degree.
• Typical duration: 48 months
• Apprenticeship category: Health and science
• Maximum funding: £24,000 ; Maximum amount government will fund ; for apprenticeship training.
• Skills:
  Skills an apprentice will learn

  • Identify the limits of own practice and when to seek advice or refer to another professional or service.
  • Recognise the need to manage own workload and resources safely and effectively, including managing the emotional burden that comes with working in a pressured environment.
  • Keep own skills and knowledge up to date.
  • Maintain high standards of personal and professional conduct.
  • Engage in safeguarding processes where necessary.
  • Promote and protect the service user’s interests at all times.
  • Respect and uphold the rights, dignity, values, and autonomy of service users, including own role in the assessment, diagnostic, treatment and/or therapeutic process.
  • Maintain high standards of care in all circumstances.
  • Exercise a duty of care.
  • Obtain valid consent, which is voluntary and informed, has due regard to capacity, is proportionate to the circumstances and is appropriately documented.
  • Apply legislation, policies and guidance relevant to own profession and scope of practice.
  • Recognise the power imbalance which comes with being a health care professional, and ensure it is not abused for personal gain.
  • Identify own anxiety and stress and recognise the potential impact on own practice.
  • Develop and adopt clear strategies for physical and mental self-care and self-awareness, to maintain a high standard of professional effectiveness and a safe working environment.
  • Recognise that they are personally responsible for, and must be able to, justify their decisions and actions.
  • Use own skills, knowledge and experience, and the information available, to make informed decisions and / or take action where necessary.
  • Make reasoned decisions to initiate, continue, modify or cease treatment or the use of techniques or procedures, and record the decisions and reasoning appropriately.
  • Make and receive appropriate referrals, where necessary.
  • Exercise personal initiative.
  • Demonstrate a logical and systematic approach to problem solving.
  • Use research, reasoning and problem solving skills when determining appropriate actions.
  • Respond appropriately to the needs of all different groups and individuals in practice, recognising this can be affected by difference of any kind including, but not limited to, protected characteristics, intersectional experiences and cultural differences.
  • Recognise the potential impact of own values, beliefs and personal biases, which may be unconscious, on practice and take personal action to ensure all service users and carers are treated appropriately with respect and dignity.
  • Make and support reasonable adjustments in owns and others’ practice.
  • Actively challenge barriers to inclusion, supporting the implementation of change wherever possible.
  • Adhere to the professional duty of confidentiality.
  • Respond in a timely manner to situations where it is necessary to share information to safeguard service users, carers and/or the wider public and recognise situations where it is necessary to share information to safeguard service users, carers and/or the wider public.
  • Use effective and appropriate verbal and non-verbal skills to communicate with service users, carers, colleagues and others.
  • Communicate in English to the required standard for the profession.
  • Work with service users and/or own carers to facilitate the service user’s preferred role in decision-making, and provide service users and carers with the information they may need where appropriate.
  • Modify own means of communication to address the individual communication needs and preferences of service users and carers, and remove any barriers to communication where possible.
  • Use information, communication and digital technologies appropriate to own practice.
  • Actively listen to a service user’s occupational narrative and analyse the content in order to plan for the future.
  • Keep full, clear and accurate records in accordance with applicable legislation, protocols and guidelines.
  • Manage records and all other information in accordance with applicable legislation, protocols and guidelines.
  • Use digital record keeping tools, where required.
  • Work in partnership with service users, carers, colleagues and others.
  • Contribute effectively to work undertaken as part of a multi-disciplinary team.
  • Identify anxiety and stress in service users, carers and colleagues, adapting own practice and providing support where appropriate.
  • Identify own leadership qualities, behaviours and approaches, taking into account the importance of equality, diversity and inclusion.
  • Demonstrate leadership behaviours appropriate to own practice.
  • Act as a role model for others.
  • Promote and engage in the learning of others.
  • Ensure intervention reviews are informed by changes in service user’s circumstances.
  • Recognise the involvement of public, private and voluntary sector providers in the delivery of health, care and other services which affect occupational performance.
  • Facilitate group work in order to maximise support, learning and change within groups and communities.
  • Work in appropriate partnership with service users in order to evaluate the effectiveness of occupational therapy intervention.
  • Recognise and evaluate the potential of occupational therapy in new and emerging areas of practice.
  • Engage in evidence-based practice.
  • Gather and use feedback and information, including qualitative and quantitative data, to evaluate the responses of service users to own care.
  • Monitor and systematically evaluate the quality of practice, and maintain an effective quality management and quality assurance process working towards continual improvement.
  • Participate in quality management, including quality control, quality assurance, clinical governance and the use of appropriate outcome measures.
  • Evaluate care plans or intervention plans using recognised and appropriate outcome measures, in conjunction with the service user where possible, and revise the plans as necessary.
  • Demonstrate awareness of the principles and applications of scientific enquiry, including the evaluation of treatment efficacy and the research process.
  • Apply the theoretical concepts underpinning occupational therapy, including concepts of:- anatomy- physiology- pathology- human development- ergonomics- biomechanics- psychology- sociology- occupational science.
  • Apply the theoretical concepts underpinning occupational therapy to inform the understanding of physical, emotional and mental health.
  • Analyse activity and occupation and their relation to and effect on, health, wellbeing and function as part of occupational formulation, diagnosis and therapeutic use of occupation.
  • Demonstrate awareness of physical, attitudinal, social, economic, educational, environmental and work-related policies and services and their effect on people within a diverse society.
  • Recognise the value of the diversity and complexity of human behaviour through the exploration of different physical, psychological, cognitive, environmental, social, emotional and spiritual perspectives.
  • Demonstrate awareness of the origins and development of occupational therapy, including the evolution of the profession towards the current emphasis on autonomy and empowerment of individuals, groups and communities.
  • Support others with the facilitation of teaching and learning including teaching self-management strategies to service users and carers.
  • Change own practice as needed to take account of new developments, technologies and changing contexts.
  • Gather appropriate information.
  • Analyse and critically evaluate the information collected.
  • Select and use appropriate assessment techniques and equipment.
  • Undertake and record a thorough, sensitive, and detailed assessment.
  • Undertake or arrange investigations as appropriate.
  • Conduct appropriate assessment or monitoring procedures, treatment, therapy or other actions safely and effectively.
  • Critically evaluate research and other evidence to inform own practice.
  • Engage service users in research as appropriate.
  • Select and use relevant standardised and non-standardised assessment techniques and observation to gather information about the service user’s functional and occupational abilities, occupational performance and participation, taking account of the cultural and environmental context.
  • Formulate specific and appropriate care or case management plans including the setting of timescales.
  • Select as appropriate, the specific occupations and activities for use as therapeutic media, taking into account the particular needs of service users.
  • Use the scientific theories, concepts, principles and professional frameworks underpinning occupational therapy practice.
  • Demonstrate awareness of the broad range of occupations and activities that can be used in intervention and how these should reflect the individual’s occupational needs and preferences.
  • Select or develop therapeutic media and environments, and adapt these as appropriate to meet service user’s needs, build on their abilities and enhance their occupational performance and participation.
  • Demonstrate awareness of relevant health and safety legislation and comply with all local operational procedures and policies.
  • Work safely, including being able to select appropriate hazard control and risk management, reduction or elimination techniques in a safe manner and in accordance with health and safety legislation.
  • Select appropriate personal protective equipment and use it correctly.
  • Establish safe environments for practice, which appropriately manages risk.
  • Apply appropriate moving and handling techniques.
  • Empower and enable individuals, including service users and colleagues, to play a part in managing own health.
  • Engage in occupational health, including being aware of immunisation requirements.

Full information on Occupational therapist (level 6) is available from the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education.

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Regulated occupation

Occupational therapist (level 6) needs a training provider who is approved by Health and Care Professions Council.

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