STUDENT EDUCATION FEATURE
RESOURCES
Vine G (2020) The importance of the online community.
Available at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YaRmMaig04
Georgia Vine
I wanted to undertake this placement to raise
awareness about the power of online communities
for connecting with service users and other occupational
therapists internationally.
We explored many ways that I could demonstrate all the
competencies required by RCOT and the Health and Care
Professions Council (HCPC) virtually.
A big part of my placement was producing weekly blogs to
reach out and connect a range of communities. I researched,
planned and delivered a range of blogs about the power of being
online and explored this from both a service user and healthcare
professional’s perspective, for me to capture the bigger picture.
I also discussed maintaining online safety and considered how to
be a professional online. I did find that being an online professional
and a disabled activist can be a contradiction, so therefore I have
been working on managing my online profile to make sure that even
my disabled activist work meets professional guidelines.
I hosted an #OTalk to reflect on the transition from a service
user to a healthcare professional. This was an opportunity to
explore the roots of lived experiences and find out what the
positives and negatives are from disclosing past experiences,
whether this be from yourself or a family member.
The responses from this were positive and I found that disclosing
can enhance the therapeutic relationship, if this is done correctly, in
the right place, at the right time.
Occupational therapists from around the globe connected with
us, and we discussed telehealth care. I was also invited to write
guest blogs for #LookhearAustralia.
During my placement I became the digital production director
and global student ambassador for OT Without Borders – an
independent, global movement providing occupational therapy
where they are needed most.
Back in the UK, we held Zoom meetings with occupational
therapy staff and students at Northampton University to share what
we had done.
I also created a webinar, using YouTube, to present to SHOUT
(Sheffield Hallam Occupational Therapy University Team) and DOTS
(Derby Occupational Therapy Society), as the pandemic prevented
me from presenting my placement in person.
OT Without Borders. (2020) Meet our global team.:
http://otwithoutborders.com/team---ot-without-borders
Vine G (2020) Guest post: How corona lockdown is
affecting me – an OT student with #NotSoTerriblePalsy.
Available at: https://lookhearaustralia.com.au/coronavirus-guest-post-how-corona-lockdown-is-effecting-me/
Vine G (2020) 24 March 2020 – Experiences of
the journey from a service user to a professional.
#OTalk. (March 17 2020). Available at: https://otalk.
co.uk/2020/03/17/otalk-april-21st-april-experiences-ofthe-journey-from-a-service-user-to-a-professional/
This enabled me to spread the word and raise awareness
about the impact of online communities. The webinar explains
how important the online community is to me and other disabled
people.
Lastly, we took part in a podcast with @ot_chill, which was
another opportunity for us to the publicise the importance of
online communities and for other occupational therapists to gain
an understanding of my placement.
Having the podcast at the end of the placement worked well,
as it enabled me to link everything that I had done together and
make sense of what I had achieved on this placement.
This placement has been a massive learning experience for
both of us. When I am on placement I am often quite reserved,
as I find it hard to grasp the concept that I am on the journey to
becoming the professional and am no longer the service user.
However, because I have had so much freedom on this
placement, it has been fantastic for my confidence, as I do believe
that I can be the occupational therapist I want to be, using my
disability as an asset when appropriate.
Reference
McKinstry C, Iacono T, Kenny A, Hannon J and Knight K (2020) Applying
a digital literacy framework and mapping tool to an occupational
therapy curriculum, Australian Occupational Therapy Journal, 67(3):
210-217. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1111/1440-1630.12644
[2020, Feb 25,].
Georgia Vine, second year student, BSc(hons) Occupational
Therapy at Sheffield Hallam University, and Margaret Spencer,
consultant occupational therapist specialising in occupational
therapy professional supervision and senior lecturer at Sheffield
Hallam University. Follow: @GeorgiaVineOT, visit: www.
notsoterriblepalsy.com or email: georgia@notsoterriblepalsy.
com. Follow: @margaretot360, visit: www.ot360.co.uk or email:
[email protected]
OTnews July 2020 43