Job overview

This is an exciting opportunity for a psychology graduate to join the Department of Psychological Services at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.  In our latest survey 95% of DPS staff report feeling valued and cared for and that their role makes a difference.

The role involves supporting qualified psychological practitioners in providing clinical services for patients in the Inpatient and Acute Care Pathways Service. This post will provide you with an opportunity for a range of experiences working with patients and multi-disciplinary teams under the supervision of a qualified clinician. Other available experiences may include research and/or service development, data management and joint working.

As a department, we recognise that diversity of workforce extends our skills, experiences, and ideas, thereby adding value and creativity to our services.  The department has an active Equality, Diversity and Inclusion group and welcome applications from candidates from all backgrounds. We particularly encourage applications from people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, those with disabilities and the LGBTQ+ community.

Please see the attachment “Department overview” for more details about working with us.

Main duties of the job

The Assistant Psychologist (AP) plays a key role in the screening of hospital inpatients to understand their psychological care needs in relation to their health and treatment. This involves meeting patients at the bedside to conduct brief assessments using clinical interview and standardised measures. The AP will also support the patient’s care team to better understand and meet their psychological needs, achieved through close working relationships with qualified psychologists and multi-disciplinary teams.

The successful candidate will be highly motivated, have excellent interpersonal and written communication skills, the ability to organise themselves working both under their own initiative and the supervision of a qualified psychologist and ideally, an interest in working in an inpatient health setting. Graduates with experience within a clinical psychology or physical health setting are particularly encouraged to apply. In your application, please demonstrate how you meet the person specification. It is essential that candidates have a minimum of an Honours degree in Psychology and can demonstrate their eligibility for Graduate Basis for Registration with the British Psychological Society.

Working for our organisation

You will be working for an organisation which values and respects all of its staff and the community it serves. The Trust is a leader in the NHS and research sectors and provides excellent benefits for its staff. This includes commitments to professional development but also many policies to support employees in balancing their personal and professional lives.

As a member of the department, you would be part of a substantial, experienced, and enthusiastic team; We offer excellent support for Assistant Psychologists, including a regular Assistant Psychologists Group to encourage professional development and networking.  There are strong links with the University of Sheffield Clinical Psychology Unit.  Individual weekly supervision will be provided and continuing professional development is strongly supported as appropriate to the terms of contract.

We are committed to supporting our staff and have a well-supported Staff Engagement and Wellbeing Group. The attached document outlines our department strategy.