What are Occupational Therapy value based interview questions?
Values based interviewing and values based recruitment are at the vanguard of the way the NHS is changing.
If you don’t believe me here is what Ian Cummings – chief executive of Health Education England has to say on the matter –
“If people can’t demonstrate the right values and behaviours, they should not get jobs in our NHS. It is as simple as that.”
The legacy of institutional and individual failure and neglect that has led to scandals such as that uncovered in Mid Staffordshire and outlined in the Francis report are driving a new way of recruiting people within our organisations. Values based interviewing and recruitment aims to get the right people into the NHS. This means not just the people with the right skills in the right numbers but more importantly the people with the right values, attitudes and beliefs to deliver outstanding care for patients.
You may be asked about how you would respond in a particular situation and the level and nature of a your response would be expected to vary depending on the level of post that you are applying for. For example a standard question about how you respond to stressful situations might contain detail about an individual clinical case experienced on placement for a new band 5 rotational post. For a band 6 Occupational Therapy post the focus might be expected to shift towards dealing with multiple demands, a heavy case-load and staff performance.
So why should Occupational Therapists revel in values based interview questions?
Well first off we pride ourselves on our reflective natures and models. If we as a profession are not able to consider how our own particular values and attitudes contribute to successful outcomes for patients then I pity our colleagues in other professions.
Secondly the key focus of values based interviewing is to keep the patient at the centre of the action. Not the finances and not the targets. Both are important and ultimately contribute to how much we can do for our whole population of patients. As Occupational Therapists we routinely take responsibility for the outcomes with individual patients and put them central to the decision making in their care. SO we should be able to consider how we ensure that they get the best experience possible.
Lastly at myOTcareer, we are developing a range of teaching and training resources that will position OTs perfectly for dealing with values based interview questions, and provide the framework with which you can ensure a clear and comprehensive answer to any questions that come your way.