band 7 occupational therapist personal statement

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Nhs band 7 supporting information example.

When applying for a job, you will be asked to provide supporting information that essentially offers evidence to back up your application. This is particularly common in sectors like healthcare, education, and civil service, although it can appear in other sectors as well. If you’re aiming for a “Band 7” level role in the NHS, for instance, this means you’re looking at a senior clinical or managerial role, so the expectations for your supporting information are very high.

In this guide, we will breakdown the key advice on how to write a strong supporting information statement for all BAND 7 roles:

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Understand the Job Description and Person Specification

This is CRUCIAL!  

• Carefully go through the job description and the person specification .  
• Understand what the job involves and what the employer is looking for in a candidate.  
• Make a list of essential and desirable criteria for the role.

You can then use this information to TAILOR your application form to MATCH their REQUIREMENTS perfectly!

Structure Your Information

This next tip may sound simple, but many candidates use big blocky paragraphs. Instead…

• Create a structured statement that is easy to read.  
• Use headings, bullet points, and paragraphs effectively.  
• Make sure that you cover all the areas that are requested in the job application form or guidelines.

Match Experience to Criteria

• For each of the criteria listed in the person specification, explain how your experience and skills make you a good fit for this job.  
• Use real-world examples and be as specific as possible.

If one of the criteria is “Ability to lead a team,” you might write:

“In my previous role as Unit Manager at XYZ Hospital, I led a team of 20 healthcare professionals. I conducted monthly one-to-ones, initiated a team training program, and successfully increased team productivity by 25% over one year.”

Use the STAR Technique

When describing your achievements and experience, you can use the STAR technique:

• S ituation: Describe the situation.
• T ask: Explain the task you had to accomplish.
• A ction: Describe the action you took.
• R esult: Talk about the results of your action.

“In 2021, our department (Situation) was faced with a high rate of patient readmissions (Task). I analysed patient records and found a pattern related to post-discharge instructions. I initiated a new protocol for post-discharge care (Action). This resulted in a 20% decrease in readmissions over six months (Result).”

Professional Tone and Language

• Maintain a professional tone throughout. Use clear, precise language.  
• Avoid jargon unless it is industry-specific and relevant to the role.
• Once you’ve written the supporting information, read through it multiple times.  
• Check for grammatical errors, ensure it makes sense, and ask a friend or colleague to review it.
• Admin and note taking is critical to NHS roles – don’t make any errors!

Keep it Concise

• Stick to the word limit, if provided. Make every word count; be concise but comprehensive.
• Remember, your supporting information should complement your CV or resume, not duplicate it.  
• It should provide additional information and specific examples that show why you are the best candidate for the job.

Joshua Brown

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Occupational Therapy Personal Statement Examples

Related resources

How to write a personal statement.

Find out more

Allied Health Professional Careers

Complete Personal Statement Guide for Pre-OT Occupational Therapy School Programs

Introduction.

This detailed guide will provide you with tips, do’s, don’ts, examples, and other helpful things along the way to write your personal statement for OT school.

You may be thinking:

• Where do I even start with writing a personal statement?
• Maybe I can look for some more examples online.
• My story does not seem as exciting as these examples.
• These examples don’t really relate to me.
• I don’t like the writing style or “feeling” that these examples give me.
• How do I even go about this?

Or maybe you didn’t have any of these thoughts and you are just looking for some extra tips to polish up your personal statement before you send it to the world. This guide will still help!

While this guide was written with Pre-OT’s for occupational therapy personal statements in mind, it of course can apply to other professions such as physical therapy, speech therapy, PA, RN, even undergraduate programs.

I am not part of any admissions committee or affiliated with them in any way. However, as a graduate of an occupational therapy program, I also read and edited many other personal statements for friends and family. This guide is not a guarantee that you will get accepted or a guarantee that you will produce the best personal statement. This is just my opinion and unfortunately, the writing is all up to you!

Fortunately, you already have the hard part done – building your education, experiences, personal character, and goals!

Not quite there yet, that’s okay too – this guide will give you a preview of how to prepare to write your personal statement.

The Process

The process of writing a personal statement may involve something like:

Reflecting, getting something typed on the screen, getting writer’s block, getting distracted, taking a break, editing it, reflecting, typing some ideas, deleting those ideas, repeat, have it proofread, reading it out loud, reflecting, make more edits, and you’re done! While this sounds like a lot, it’s doable.

Set-up and Preparation

Start Early

When you feel like you are ready to write your personal statement, start writing! Don’t wait until the last minute to write. Personal statements require editing, giving it some time for your mind to clear to re-read, having it proofread by someone else, and making more edits.

Install Grammarly

We use Grammarly as a browser extension for its spellcheck and grammar check. It is really good at catching mistakes as you go and the free version is all you really need to get some basic editing done. This allows you to focus on the writing and not the spelling. Software like Grammarly also helps if you especially have a hard time with writing in general. While it can suggest edits for errors, it is up to you to write the content.  AI is not quite there yet, but we are close!

Cheating & plagiarizing

I just have to say it. Don’t cheat or plagiarize. Don’t hire someone to write for you. I hear stories of students cheating here or there, so it must still be happening. Grad school is not the time to jeopardize all the hard work you put in.

Have a back-up system for your document

It would be a huge set-back to lose all your hard work. These days, you can easily use the cloud such as Dropbox or Google Drive/Docs for storing your files. This goes for your personal statement document as well as your graduate school application files such as notes, deadlines, resumes, etc. All it takes is a coffee spilled on your laptop for you to lose all your hard work (it happened to my classmate in OT school). Better yet, back up all your data that is important to you. Lectures, recordings, assignments.

Write in a place you feel productive

It doesn’t have to be a quiet library. It just has to be what works. If it’s a coffee shop, then go there. Write in a place you associate with positive work (but also don’t get distracted too easily, e.g. a cat cafe) – like to your favorite study area.

It’s okay if it doesn’t seem perfect or even good at first

After all, you are writing something like this probably for the first time, with a unique set of experiences for a specific intention of impressing the OT’s admissions panel. It can be difficult for artists to create art or music, or write a book in one session. So don’t stress it!

• Re-research the profession, job description, duties, etc. BLS.gov is my favorite go-to for profession research. We have a video on it here .
• Follow the personal statement prompt and instructions. Read it several times to make sure. If there is a word limit, don’t go over. Double-check before you submit.
• Pay attention to the file format that is requested from the programs. Word doc? PDF? Make sure your file actually opens after you upload it and is not corrupt, if possible. If you are uploading to a central application like OTCAS, make sure you meet those guidelines.
• Write in the same tense and person throughout (“I”, first-person is fine).
• Write in an order that makes sense and flows to the reader, e.g. chronologically.
• Write with a purpose. Each sentence should be there for a reason and not be filler. Exclude extra information or too specific of information that doesn’t contribute to your story.
• Example: Nowadays, I want to be an occupational therapist first and foremost because I want to help people and really make a difference in each of their lives.
• Better example: My goal is to become an occupational therapist who makes a difference in people’s lives.
• Warning : I wouldn’t you use this specific example in your personal statement because it’s probably been overused. Try to be creative by saying how you want to “help” people in  other ways .
• Be honest, try to copy an example’s voice, do not write over-the-top or fabricate the story.
• Be politically correct and culturally sensitive.
• My personal statement didn’t have big GRE words or fancy syntax. It told a great story that was (in my opinion) to the point, compelling, persuasive, and driven.
• Describe your values and goals while highlighting your strengths.
• In my opinion, it is best to talk about college, work, and other achievements and experiences in your “adulthood”.
• Even traveling experience (shows cultural awareness) as an adult is more noteworthy than say winning a basketball game in high school (less relevant to OT)
• Tip: think about when you first were motivated to become an OT and start from there, not earlier.
• Don’t use cliches or minimize them as much you can. Readers see this a lot and it does not make a big impact on their impression of you.
• Don’t use slang/informal speech, e.g. “sticking with it” -> perseverance.
• Don’t make jokes and be careful if you decide to use humor (what may be funny to you may not be to the reader). It’s safe to leave humor out and just get to the point.
• Avoid being sarcastic.
• Pay attention to your use of OT – it can be occupational therapy or occupational therapist, but personally, I get confused when people use “OT” interchangeably.
• In my final submitted personal statement, I only abbreviated “MSOT” and “EMT” and did not “OT” once.
• Example: I got accepted to shadow at [facility] and was observing observed patients do their rehab exercises.
• Pay attention to these verbs in sentences that run longer. Consider shortening them to make it less tiring to read, avoiding avoid run-on sentences. (see what I did there?)
• Don’t abbreviate or hyphenate too often or incorrectly . If you do it one way, be sure you are at least consistent throughout. e.g. evidence-based, not evidenced based.
• O ccupational therapist is capitalized like this correctly.
• However, an Occupational Therapist is not correct if capitalized like this.
• This is the correct capitalization for an occupational therapist.
• The same goes for the field of occupational therapy.
• O ccupational therapy is capitalized correctly in this sentence.
• Abbreviations are always capitalized, e.g. OT.
• Don’t write anything negative about anyone, organization, place, etc .
• Don’t write in a negative tone, be a “Debbie Downer”
• “OTs make a lot of money.”
• “I will be the best occupational therapist because…”
• “I am the best candidate because”
• “Since I am… , therefore”
• “Unlike others”, or
• “Other professions” talking down, avoid talking about other professions in general. No one profession is better than another, the same applies to OT. Think about why OT over other professions leading to your decision to become one).
• Think about how someone in another profession, say a PT would feel after reading your personal statement. They should not feel offended after reading your personal statement, but instead think, “wow, such and such would make a great OT.” Not that OT is better than PT, that kind of thing.
• When I become an occupational therapist. If I become an occupational therapist.
• Don’t repeat yourself, you only need to say something once in its context. Of course, the bigger message can be repeated, e.g. intro and conclusion. Just don’t sound repetitive.
• Don’t use the same phrases (especially close to each other), try using different words. That doesn’t mean you should just look up words in a thesaurus. Really think about what’s the point you are trying to make.
• Don’t use profanity.
• In everyday speech we say things like, “that’s crazy”. Someone with a mental illness who really is crazy could be offended. I had a teacher whose pet-peeve was people who said things were crazy . Remove crazy from your personal statement.
• “He probably was abused since he was in a recovery program/”
• I would avoid using “ normal” too. “Occupational therapists help patients get back to their normal.” This implies the patient was abnormal before. Better words: recover, improve, rehabilitate, strengthen, adapt, overcome, etc.
• Other labels: retarded, slow, crippled, mental, insane
• You can include a facility name, e.g. Standford hospital – as long as you don’t talk about it in a negative context.
• “Standford hospital treats a lot of poor patients.” Standford hospital is a valuable asset to the community for the underserved.
• Don’t include anything that can be seen as a weakness, e.g. low GPA, took a semester off, DUI, unexplained career changes.
• This is your chance to “say” what you want to say and include your story that is not apparent in the other pre-requisites. All the other candidates likely have high GPAs and had to take the same pre-requisite courses, but they did not shadow at your facility with your patient , so here’s your chance to distinguish yourself.
• What experience may be unique to you ?
• For example, I included my experience of being an EMT to make myself stand out.
• This could backfire and show your lack of research into how broad OT can be. Don’t forget about mental health too! OT’s study to be  generalists , not specialists.
• While it’s okay to want to work with a specific population as a goal, don’t accidentally make it sound like you think OT’s only do one thing. Hope this one makes sense.

Question’s to address or reflect on

Reflect. Write. Take a break. Repeat.

• What is your experience with other backgrounds and cultures in your pre-OT journey?
• How did you realize that OT was for you? Why not PT? (Reflect, but don’t answer this directly.)
• What or who were the influence(s) or influencers?
• This is a rich opportunity to mention your specific OT shadowing experience at the stage in which you want to be an OT.
• I would include at least 1 example from this, 2 is better, but not too much either.
• Not just becoming an OT (graduating) but afterwards. e.g. 1 year post-grad, 5 years, where you see yourself 10 years out.
• What challenges did you overcome in your pre-requisite pre-OT journey?
• What sets you apart from other applicants? Why should I not pick person A or person B over you?
• Tip: research the school’s website for their mission statement, OT program background, etc. to get familiar with the specifics. If you can include and relate to some of this, even better!
• “My motivation to help others and my passion for occupational therapy will guide me to be successful in the [program].” or

Since [school] strives to “[OT program mission statement]”, I firmly believe that [school] will help me reach my goals of becoming a successful occupational therapist.

Recommendations

• Talk about why you want to be an OT, but not just to “help” people. How? Which population/community/background? Conditions? Why? Tip: three major categories of OT are: mental health, pediatrics, and adults/older adults. Nurses help people too. How is OT different for you?
• Hint: occupations ! meaningful, client-centered.
• Check out the OTDUDE Podcast and other podcasts for ideas; Episode 1: What is OT
• Reflection tip: other professions may be based on the medical model or helping people become healthy, but OT is different because…
• Check out AOTA.org for some phrasing of the profession to inspire you.
• If you are comfortable, use OT related terminology or phrases, but don’t go overboard, e.g. occupation, intervention, treatment, activities of daily living, evidence-based, collaborative, interdisciplinary, client-centered, holistic, functional. Plain English is fine, you don’t have to sound like a journal article.
• As mentioned, highlight why you would be a valuable candidate (fit) to their program. Think about not only your experience but your character and quality traits . Examples: creativity, leadership, patient, resourceful, reliability? Teamwork and communication?
• Show indirectly through your stories or experiences why you will be successful in the program and not “drop-out”. Perseverance.
• Psychologically, readers tend to remember the beginnings and end more than the middle.
• How will being an OT help you achieve your goals, career? Not just short-term, but think bigger. While this sounds cliche – OT is not just a job, it will become your life. A person’s job (and career) is a large part of their identity.
• The reader should feel like they read about a person they would want to meet in the program and in real life, someone who can contribute something to the cohort, school, faculty, alumni – long term relationship. You will not only graduate as a student but a colleague in the field of occupational therapy to the faculty.

Here is a template I created to get you started. This is of course not a magic template that works for everyone or neither was it created by any OT entity for students. Copy & paste this into your favorite word processing program and write away.

Paragraph 1

Sentence 1: Attention-grabbing sentence. Hook into your story.

Supporting sentences: Support the above story with specifics.

Concluding sentence: “Thesis statement” stating why you chose (or) may be a successful OT.

Body Paragraphs (2, 3, 4, 5, etc.)

Opening sentence: As a , I [did this, and that] at [place or company or school]

Supporting sentences: strengthen your narrative in the opening sentence. These sentences should not deviate from the opening sentence topic or story, otherwise start a new paragraph. Should answer a [ Question’s to address or reflect on] section (see above).

Concluding sentence(s): wrap everything in this story up, optionally include a transition sentence.

Concluding Paragraph

Opening sentence: restate why you will be a successful OT.

Supporting sentences: start wrapping things up. Big picture. If applying to a specific program, consider answering why this program (e.g. does its mission statement appeal to you?).

Final sentence: end strong stating that you want to be an OT. Mention because it is in your long-term goals.  Consider ending everything with the words “occupational therapist” (identity), e.g. “…be a successful occupational therapist” OR “occupational therapy”, e.g. “… to pursue a career in occupational therapy”.

Here are some examples. All identifying information and some facts were fabricated for example sake.

After graduation, I did a lot of soul searching in terms of the career I wanted to pursue. Did I want to appease my parents and pursue [career]? Should we expand [business name] and take it to the next level? I knew I wanted a career that could help people in my day-to-day, but none of those paths fulfilled that desire. After my [family member] injured her arm and was unable to return to work or help out around the house, I saw her frustration and loss of dignity. Our family took a significant financial toll. When my [family member] finally saw an occupational therapist, I motivated her to do the exercises from her care plan and she eventually regained upper arm function. My [family member’s] perseverance inspired me to become an occupational therapist to help people develop, recover, and improve the skills needed for daily living, working, and leading active lifestyles .

• This excerpt, although really did happen, sounds cliche with phrases like soul searching, take it to the next level.
• While the reflection part and figuring out what to do may seem important, it can be shortened to and still get the message across.
• Using the family member is a good example especially since it related to a story with an occupational therapist.
• The last two sentences highlight that I know what OT is (and why I want to become one) but can be cleaned up.

I was inspired by a personal experience with an occupational therapist when my [family member] suffered a rotator cuff tear and was unable to perform her activities of daily living . My [family member] became discouraged and did not do the recommended home exercises , but I saw the value in them and helped my [family member] complete them daily to recover. I learned the value of occupational therapy and how important it is to take a holistic approach by involving caregivers .

• Mentioning ADL’s shows I know what OT’s do.
• Shows my direct involvement with OT intervention.
• Shows my understanding of OT’s holistic approach.
• Words like “value” are strong. The word caregiver is often used in OT documentation.

I was hired as a EMT at [employer] in [city] for a small business that reminded me of our own [business name]. My role as a EMT at [employer] involved caring and treating for the sick and injured that involved tasks such as CPR or patient comfort and advocacy. As an EMT I again found that I was a valuable asset to the company having known how to speak some Spanish. Patients and staff members challenged me and tested my patience. My contact with patients out in the field was a unique experience that exposed me to the reality of what a healthcare profession involved. Due to the physical demands of the job and the high stress environment, many EMTs “burned out” and quit. I admit that I have thought about quitting, but I found the interactions with my patients far more rewarding and continued to work close to two years as an EMT. Working closely with these patients taught me to be sensitive to each person and their unique experiences. As an EMT, I developed my critical thinking skills to adapt the environment to my patients in order to safely transfer care, as well as educate patients on how to minimize hazards and prevent further injuries. Hearing my patients personally thank me for my care and education reassured me that I was pursuing the right career in helping patients resume their activities of daily living and accomplish their own goals.

• How would you improve this example?
• Lots of specifics can be taken out like employer name, city.
• Role as EMT is well-known, better to include more significant things such as experience, outcome, or relevance to OT.
• Being bilingual is nice, but more for a resume than a personal statement as it does not add to the story.
• Leave out specific thought process of thinking about quitting (weaknesses). Perseverance was also already shared in a previous example – talk about another quality instead, e.g. stress management, working with diverse population, fast-paced environment, patient education as an EMT and how it translates to OT.
• Reflect on how one story can share multiple strengths you have not mentioned so far in previous examples.
• The example does not translate or relate back to OT in a clear manner, but alludes to the qualities of one. This can be written to be more obvious because EMT and OT have very similar qualities that are needed to be good practitioners.

As an EMT, I developed my critical thinking skills with my patients in order to safely transfer care and educate patients on how to prevent further injuries. Hearing my patients personally thank me for my care and education reassures me that I am pursuing the right career by helping patients resume their activities of daily living and accomplish their own goals .

Much shorter, to the point, and use of effective words that highlight what OT’s also do – educate, doing it safely, prevention of disease and injury, and meeting client’s goals.

FAQ and Self-Doubt

Addressing negative self-talk and negative beliefs about yourself.

“This is my 100th time applying…”

Maybe it will be your 101st that you get in. You see this all the time with graduates taking the board exam who fail X number of times. Don’t give up!

“I was never good at writing.”

Writing takes practice. I never liked writing in grade school. Now I enjoy writing about OT. So use your resources, e.g. spell-check, someone to proof-read, reading other examples. You CAN do it.

“My experience is not that special.”

Not everyone did CPR on their patient, observed a miraculous rehab recovery, etc. It’s what you make of the moments, how you interpret it, become inspired by it, how it changes you, and make you want to be an OT. It’s all from YOUR perspective. You can take 2 people who watch the same movie. One person could be moved by it and the other not be interested, right?

“The more I read this, the more I feel like it is not good enough.”

Take a break, put it down, and come back to it. Have someone else read it and get their opinion. Sometimes, we get stuck in our own thoughts and they can trick us and lead us down a negative path of thinking.

“I have the opposite problem, I have too much to write about and not enough room.”

You can probably take our your younger experiences. Leave the “resume” stuff out. Try to pick the most “OT” related or healthcare moments. If you do not have these examples to draw from, choose ones that fit the characteristics of a good OT. Each example should not be a repeated theme of another and highlight something profound.

“Now I am not so sure what OT’s do anymore, after writing all this.”

Go on BLS.gov for OT’s, listen to OT podcasts (to become inspired), watch some YouTubers on OT.

“I am having doubts about OT vs. (other profession)”

Avoid reading forums, facebook groups, Reddit for OT. These are often skewed towards OTs who may be burned out (which could happen for any other profession on social media). Dig deep into why you wanted to be an OT in the first place! If still in doubt, maybe you should observe some more, talk to some more OT’s and listen to some OT podcasts (because they are positive about the profession usually). I would avoid YouTube as many who are burned out could make videos.

“No one can proofread my personal statement.”

Try writing workshops, a school or public library, or similar resources. A simple google search could help and you won’t necessarily need to pay. Avoid suspicious websites and  uploading  your work to avoid others from plagiarizing you. Use people or resources that you trust.

“This is my 100th draft, it’s not perfect yet”

Deadlines will often help with this. Don’t let them catch you off guard. Consider going back and making an outline and seeing if you covered everything you want to talk about. A timer may help. Get the approval of at least 2 readers to give you support for how awesome your personal statement is.

“I don’t know where to start in writing”

That’s okay, start writing about a story or experience you have in mind and build around it. Start in the middle as intros and conclusions can be very difficult to begin writing.

• Read some other examples online, but don’t stress about it. If possible, have someone who may have been accepted to a graduate program send you theirs. You can use it as a template or for inspiration to the types of stores, tone, conclusion paragraph used, etc.
• Set a timer (e.g. Pomodoro method) so you won’t stress out and remind yourself to take breaks, move-on, just get something out and fix it later. Exact grammar, spelling, and other “writing” can be fixed later – focus on content.
• Get into a habit of writing, set a schedule …or do it randomly, no-schedule (whatever works for you ). Maybe it’s writing every other day in the morning, after a nap, after playing video games, after a meal, after walking your dog, or whatever sets you up for success.
• Have at least 2 people read (and edit) your personal statement. Don’t take it personally and not all suggestions are necessarily correct.
• In the earlier stages of writing, if deciding between two stories or segments in your writing, consider having two drafts and see which one your proof-readers prefer.
• Read your personal statement out loud, spaced out, e.g. 1 week later (when it is no longer fresh and you forgot some of what you wrote). Make edits as needed.
• Candidates come from all walks of life, have different personalities (e.g. type-A vs. B), extroverted vs. introverted, outspoken vs. quiet – so some of these tips (or your editor suggestions) may not appeal to you or seem unnatural, etc. This can be your strength. Follow your gut. It’s not like OT schools are only looking for outspoken, extroverted candidates. It’s how you use those qualities to better the world with OT. This is what makes you unique, special, and distinguished. Highlight those features!
• Take care of yourself – eat well, exercise, manage your stress, breathe.

Thank you for reading this long guide. I wish you the best in your journey to becoming an occupational therapist (or whatever career). See you all in the field!

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“I want to work in the NHS within this Band 7 position because the level of responsibility that comes with the role is something I will not only feel comfortable with, but I will also be able to carry out my duties to an exceptional standard. The NHS is an outstanding organization that contains some pretty amazing people. To get the most out of those people, it requires managers and leaders who are both inspiring and motivating. Over the years, I have been working extremely hard to not only deliver the values and the mission of the NHS consistently, but I have also been working on my own self-development to ensure I can match the expectations of this Band 7 role.”

SUGGESTED ANSWER

“I was attending an inter-departmental meeting to discuss NHS Trust policy and the strategic vision moving forward. During the meeting discussions, I felt we were starting to veer away from the core Trust values, primarily because everyone had different priorities and agendas. I stopped the meeting and reminded everyone that, although we all come from different departments, we all should be working towards one mission, and that in order to achieve that, we needed to focus discussions on the Trust’s core mission of “We are here for you.” Following my contribution everyone agreed it was important to get discussions and plans back in line with what were all meant to be focusing on – the core NHS Trust values.”

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NHS (National Health Service) Band 7 Job Description

All NHS Band 7 roles are senior in nature and they require an ability to demonstrate a number of core competencies that are relevant to the role. Band 7 jobs within the NHS include: Nursing roles, Midwifery roles, Team Leader, Ward Manager, Sonographer, Clinical Embryologist, Cardiac Physiologist, Occupational Therapist, Project Manager’s, Scientists, Practitioners and Physiotherapists. The typical competencies required within these roles include:

• Communication Skills;
• Leadership;
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• Health, Safety and Security;
• Equality and Diversity;
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In addition to the above core competencies, you will also be required to manage, lead and inspire a team of people; work hard to ensure the highest standards of patient care are met at all times; be able to utilise and analyse important data and information, adhere to all NHS operational procedures, codes of conduct and working practices; demonstrate effective performance management practices; understand and work towards achieving the NHS Trust’s values and mission; and finally, maintain confidentiality at all times within your role.

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4 TIPS FOR PASSING YOUR BAND 7 NHS INTERVIEW

TIP #1 – The BAND 7 NHS Interview is undoubtedly one of the toughest to pass – this senior-level interview will be based on a series of competencies, and on that basis, we advise that you read the assessable competencies for your particular role prior to attending the interview.

TIP #2 – During our research, we identified the following competencies as being the most important for all Band 7 NHS interviews: communication skills; leadership; developing self and others (personal and people development); health, safety, and security; equality and diversity; decision making and problem-solving; quality care and teamwork. Prior to attending the Band 7 NHS interview, we recommend you think of specific examples you have been in where you have demonstrated each and every one of these important competencies.

TIP #3 – When responding to the competency-based interview questions, make good use of the STAR interview technique for structuring your answers. Those candidates who use the STAR method will demonstrate to the panel they have the necessary skills, qualities, experience and evidence to perform the role to the required standards.

TIP #4 – In addition to the standard behavioural/competency-based interview questions, we also recommend you prepare for the standard motivational-type interview questions, such as why you want to work for the NHS, what you can bring to the role, where you see yourself in five or ten years’ time, and also what you strengths and weaknesses are.

To help you pass your BAND 7 NHS INTERVIEW, we have put together 21 brilliant interview questions and answers which can be downloaded directly on this page! Make sure you get your copy of the guide to ensure you’re better prepared than the competition!

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Band 7 Senior Occupational Therapist (Team Lead)

University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust

This job is now closed

Job summary

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a full time, permanent, Team Lead Occupational Therapist working with Major Trauma.

The successful applicant will work alongside an existing Band 7 Team Lead to support a team of Occupational Therapists and Assistant staff working across a number of wards.

You will be well supported by a Clinical Specialist OT as well as the Clinical Lead OT and work closely within the Trauma multi-disciplinary team. A Band 7 development programme specifically within therapies is also provided.

You will be required to support the team in managing a caseload of varying conditions requiring a multi skilled approach. An understanding of the cognitive impact to patients as well as seating and positioning skills would be beneficial.

You will work closely with Specialist Rehabilitation teams, with access to a wheelchair clinic and splint clinic for some of the more complex patients.

The successful applicant will be required to provide regular supervision to staff, complete annual appraisals and support with OT undergraduate students.

The post comes with support from our School of Nursing, AHPs and Midwifery. The school offers exciting opportunities for career growth and development, and our focus is on providing a supportive environment as part of continuing professional development. We want you to feel a sense of belonging, community, commitment and support whilst working at UHB.

Main duties of the job

Working alongside an existing team lead, to support a team of Occupational Therapists and Therapy Assistants working across a number of wards.

Excellent organisational and time management skills.

Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Autonomous practitioner with the ability to prioritise and organise own workload.

Ability to work as part of a multi-disciplinary team.

An ability to cope with a range of conditions, some complex, to find solutions and decide on an appropriate course of action.

Experience of working within an Acute NHS setting is required with transferrable skills to the clinical area.

Experience of supervising staff.

We are recognised as one of the leading NHS Foundation Trusts in the UK. Our vision is to Build Healthier Lives, and we recognise that we need incredible staff to do this.

Our commitment to our staff is to create the best place for them to work, and we are dedicated to:

Investing in the health and wellbeing of our staff, including a commitment of offering flexible working where we can;Offer our staff a wide variety of training and development opportunities, to support their personal and career development objectives.

UHB is committed to ensuring that our staff are treated fairly and feel that they belong, by creating a kind and inclusive environment. This is about equity of opportunity; removing all barriers, including discrimination and ensuring each individual member of staff reach their true potential, achieve their ambitions and thrive in their work. This is more than words. We are taking action. Our commitment to an inclusive culture is embedded at all levels of the organisation where every voice is heard, driven by our diverse and active staff networks, and at Board level by the Fairness Taskforce led by our CEO. We nurture a culture which empowers staff to challenge discriminatory behaviours and to enable people to bring their 'whole self' to a kinder, more connected and bold place to work.

Date posted

14 June 2023

Agenda for change

£43,742 to £50,056 a year

Working pattern

Full-time, Flexible working

Reference number

304-1068868GB1

Job locations

Queen Elizabeth Hospital

Mindelsohn Way

West Midlands

Job description

Job responsibilities.

*Please Note : For a specific detailed job description for this vacancy, please see attached Job Description*

Person Specification

Qualifications.

• BSc in OT/ Dip COT
• HCPC registration
• Evidence of CPD including recent post graduate training relevant to clinical speciality.
• Demonstrates comprehensive clinical experience enabling the post holder to manage a caseload of patients with complex needs in this speciality.
• Significant experience of working in an acute hospital setting at band 6 or above within the relevant clinical area.
• Experience of team/service development.
• Experience of supporting and supervision of junior therapists, student therapists and assistants.
• Good understanding of working in an acute Trust.
• Understanding of current legislation and application to Occupational Therapy.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab) .

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab) .

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Employer details

Employer name, employer's website.

https://www.uhb.nhs.uk/jobs.htm (Opens in a new tab)

For questions about the job, contact:

Hiring Manager

Joanne Leek

[email protected]

01213713421

Supporting documents

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University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust's privacy notice (opens in a new tab)

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Ot_band_7_jd_and_ps.pdf.