More about OT placements

Working patterns

Most Teams work in a hybrid pattern between home/office when not out on visits. 

Your office base will either be:

Your hours of work, including study leave, will be agreed by mutual agreement with your practice educator. In general, working hours are sometime between 8:30AM and 5:30PM. We currently only work Monday to Friday. Full-time is 37 hours per week.

Dress code

You will be expected to wear smart comfortable clothing with closed-toe shoes. You do not need to wear uniform.

Professional standards and ethics, including Code of Conduct

You will be expected to uphold a professional and positive attitude. Your behaviour will fully align to the RCOT professional standards and ethics.  

We have a culture of compassionate leadership. This means you will have a high level of support, but also an appropriate level of challenge. 

You will be expected to undertake independent research under the direction of your practice educator. This may include:

  • organising shadowing experiences
  • setting up learning and development opportunities

We have a zero-tolerance approach to bullying or harassment. We are committed to being anti-racist and anti-discriminatory practitioners. We are also committed to reducing our carbon use. 

If you have any concerns or issues whilst on placement or identify behaviours that do not align to our core values, we encourage you to discuss this with your practice educator in the first instance. We also have a team to support you to ensure your placement is a success and to listen to any concerns you may have.

Library and resources

North Somerset Council does not have a specific health care library. Books can be ordered into the main public library (Town Hall) which is co-located with some placements. 

You will benefit from access to membership with Research in Practice for the duration of your placement. There is a wealth of information, briefings, reflective tools and reports included with our membership.

Work experience/shadowing

If you are thinking about applying to study occupational therapy at university, it is a good idea to spend time shadowing therapists in action. 

We can offer a very small number of work experiences opportunities each year, including our children’s social care team. We usually offer one or two days. Ideally, you need to be over 16 and very serious about a career in social care.

Please get in touch via email if you want to know more about a career in occupational therapy. We are very happy to talk to you about our amazing profession.

Recommended pre-placement reading

Helpful reading and links to relevant legislation: