Occupational Therapist at Te Whatu Ora - Health New Zealand Waitaha Canterbury -
Fixed term, full time parental leave cover through to 30th May 2026Provide Occupational Therapy assessment and therapeutic interventions to service users and improve the health and wellbeing of the Canterbury community!Based at Christchurch CampusHealth New Zealand | Te Whatu Orais firmly grounded in the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and is dedicatedto serving all New Zealanders.
Through integration and collaboration, we're building a health system underpinned by partnership, equity,sustainability, whānau- centred care, and excellence.About the RoleWe have an exciting opportunity to join the supportive Occupational Therapy team at Christchurch Hospital.
Occupationaltherapists work across multiple clinical areas at Christchurch Hospitalincluding:Trauma,Orthopaedics, General Medicine, Surgery, Neurology, Acute Stroke, Respiratory,Cardiology, Paediatrics, ICU, ED, Burns & Plastics, Oncology, Hand Therapy,Home Visit team.
Thesepositions are ward based and where you will be working will depend on yourcurrent skills and the overall needs of those who access our service.It- s likely you will be working with people in Generalmedicine, Orthopaedics, Surgical, & Trauma areas.
However, you will get manydifferent opportunities to develop your clinical skills including experience inassessment of head injury and stroke.
In this role, you will be responsible for:Working to provide comprehensive inter-disciplinary and specific occupational therapy based assessments, patient centred goal setting, therapeutic interventions, and education to whānau and friends and IDT colleaguesWorking with patients from diverse social and cultural backgrounds and working collaboratively with whānau, the wider multidisciplinary team to ensure the best outcomesDelegation of clinical tasks to Allied Health AssistantsIdentifying service needs and contributing towards quality improvement initiativesBeing involved in patient-centred discharge planningMentoring and supervision of other colleagues within the wider Occupational Therapy serviceAs part of the team you will also contribute to the weekend roster on a regular basisAbout YouYou will have a passion and desire to work in acute care within a team environment, and want to grow and develop professionally as an occupational therapist.You can expect to be well supported in your role.
You will receive mentoring, supervision and professional development so that you can grow as an occupational therapist and progress in your career.Your skills will include:Sound clinical assessment and problem solving skillsThe ability to work autonomously and collaboratively, to develop positive interpersonal relationships, and work flexibly within the inter-disciplinary team, with a team player attitudeExcellent communication and interpersonal skillsStrong clinical reasoning skills and use of evidence informed practiceEffective time management, organisational and prioritisation skillsExperience with discharge planningThe willingness to engage in quality improvement mahiClinical experience working within the acutehospital environment would be an advantageA willingness to learn and to share your learningA positive attitude and enthusiasm for this area of workRegistration with the NZ Occupational Therapy Board and current Annual Practicing Certificate (or eligibility to obtain)Competency with te ao Māori, tikanga, and te reoMāori or a commitment to starting your journey and taking ownership of yourlearning and growth Workingfor Health New ZealandHealthNew Zealand | Te Whatu Ora is 'the weaving of wellnesses'.
We're dedicated toensuring excellent healthcare for the people of Aotearoa/New Zealand.TheEquity Work Programme at Health NZ focuses on helping everyone in the healthsystem think about equity when they do their work.
It also promotes thecultural change needed for the whole system to reach equity in health outcomes.Our people are at the heart ofeverything we do.
Health New Zealand are committed to being good employers andhonouring our equal employment opportunity obligations.Weparticularly welcome applications from our diverse Māori, Pacific, disabled,and rainbow communities.Howto ApplyToview the position description and/or apply for the role please click
- applynow.
- All applications must be submitted through our onlinecareers portal before 11:59pm on 29th June 2025.
If you have any questions aboutthe role, please contact Alex Jay at Alexandra.jay@tewhatuora.govt.nz or Clinical Manager Bronwyn Suzana on 0274 330 950 orBrownyn.suzana@cdhb.health.nz Pleasenote, we will be reviewing applications as received and may proceed with therecruitment process before the closing date of this advert.