Occupational Therapist - Rotational Position

New Zealand Government; Dunedin; Hybrid; NZD 79,000 - 91,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Kiwisaver

On-site employee gym

Job summary

Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora in Dunedin is offering a Graduate Rotational Programme for Occupational Therapists. You will participate in six-month rotations across acute care, rehabilitation, and community services at Dunedin and Wakari Hospital sites, building clinical skills and professional growth.

As a new or recent graduate, you will work with experienced OT teams, engaging in assessment and treatment across a diverse patient population while meeting weekend on-call requirements.

Qualifications

• Graduate Occupational Therapist with NZ qualification encouraged to apply.
• Willing to participate in weekend on-call roster.
• Strong communication and teamwork skills.

Responsibilities

• Provide assessment and treatment to patients across rotations in acute care, rehabilitation and community services.
• Rotate through six-month placements at Dunedin Hospital and Wakari Hospital.
• Contribute to patient-centred care in multidisciplinary teams.

Job description

Occupational Therapist - Rotational Position Dunedin

Salary Band: 79,014 - 90,843 p.a for fulltime + Kiwisaver + on-site employee gym

New or Recent Graduate Occupational Therapists encouraged to apply Permanent, Full time (1.0 FTE), 40 hours per week

About the role

Kick-start your Occupational Therapy career with our Graduate Rotational Programme at Dunedin Hospital! We have an exciting opportunity for a new or recent New Zealand Occupational Therapy graduate to join our supportive and dynamic rotational programme. Gain valuable experience across the full patient journey through six-month rotations in acute care, rehabilitation and community services, working across both Dunedin and Wakari Hospital sites. You'll develop your clinical skills in a wide range of specialties, including internal medicine, stroke, orthopaedics, oncology, older persons' health, and community occupational therapy. Working alongside experienced Occupational Therapists and multidisciplinary health professionals, you'll provide assessment and treatment to a diverse patient population in both individual and group settings. This structured programme is designed to build confidence, broaden experience and support your professional growth in a collaborative learning environment. Rotations occur every February and August, offering ongoing variety and development opportunities. Please note, participation in a weekend on-call roster is a requirement of this role.

About you

We're looking for passionate, motivated and adaptable Occupational Therapy graduates who are eager to grow their clinical knowledge and skills across a diverse range of practice areas within Health New Zealand Southern. If you're excited by new challenges and open to working across different rotations and hospital sites, we'd love to hear from you. You'll be a collaborative team player with excellent communication and interpersonal skills, a positive attitude and a genuine commitment to ongoing learning. We value proactive learners who take ownership of their professional development and are keen to contribute to high-quality, patient-centred care. This role offers the opportunity to build confidence and expertise across a variety of settings, including acute medical and respiratory services, rehabilitation and intensive, critical and high-dependency care. You'll work alongside experienced multidisciplinary teams while progressively developing the skills to practice autonomously. Success in this programme requires flexibility, resilience, strong organisational skills and the ability to thrive in a dynamic and evolving healthcare environment. Please provide as part of your application: A CV and a cover letter including why Dunedin Hospital is the right place for you. Please include your final year Clinical Supervisor as one of your referees and confirm your permission for us to contact each of your referees.

Working at Health New Zealand

Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora is dedicated to ensuring excellent healthcare for the people of New Zealand. We embrace a workforce that is diverse and inclusive so that we are better positioned to understand and service our community.

We welcome applications from our diverse Māori, Pacific, disabled, and rainbow communities.

All applications must be submitted through our online careers' portal by Sunday 27 September 2026.

If you have any questions about the role, please contact: [e-mail]