Occupational Therapy News OTnews February 2019_Joomag | Page 20

FEATURE LEADERSHIP
Developing future
healthcare leaders
A
fter a competitive application process,
a small group of occupational therapy
students were selected into a cohort of just
150 nursing, midwifery and allied health
professions (AHP) students from across the UK for the
Council of Deans Student Leadership Programme.
The programme is designed to develop leadership
skills and potential in future healthcare professionals,
through training, networking and mentoring.
Here they share their experiences of what the
programme involved, what they gained, their thoughts on
leadership in occupational therapy and why they would
recommend other students to grasp similar opportunities
for development.
Elissa Peake, pre-registration MSc student at Sheffield
Hallam University, applied for the Student Leadership
Programme as an opportunity to enhance her leadership
potential.
‘With the current Sustainability and Transformation
Partnership strategies being rolled out across the country,
there is a focus on enhanced primary care, simplified
emergency and urgent care, effective and efficient
preventative and planned care and reduced cost of
services,’ she notes.
‘Occupational therapy is uniquely placed as a
preventative and reabling service. I foresaw that
developing skills in leadership would put me at the
forefront of a profession that is working in new and
innovative ways.’
Getting started
The programme began with a packed two days of
workshops, scenario building and reflective exercises.
‘Any fears among the diverse group of students were
soon quelled,’ says Kate Hardy, final year occupational
therapy student at the University of Essex.
‘We launched straight into collaborative presentations
and heard from several passionate speakers about their
own inspirational leadership journeys, demonstrating
their own strength and resilience and
encouraging us that we too could achieve
great things.
‘A number of themes emerged,
including authenticity,
determination, courage,
20 OTnews February 2019
A group of occupational
therapy students reflect on the
experience of being selected for
the Council of Deans Student
Leadership Programme
resilience and self-care; without making time for
ourselves, we can’t possibly care for others.
‘We were encouraged to see ourselves as leaders,
whatever our level or position. By embracing our unique
qualities, personalities and adapting our style to each
situation, we can become leaders by our behaviour rather
than just the post we hold.
‘We also considered how to take positive risks in order
to rise to challenges, to be brave and ask “Why?” in order
to create opportunities and change, rather than accepting
the status quo, using this courage to empower our
services users to make informed decisions.’
Kate adds: ’We were actively encouraged to keep a
reflective journal, to be proud of our daily achievements,
regardless how small, and to chart our progress long
term.
‘Alongside this, the opportunity to network with
students and speakers permitted us to develop our
understanding of other professions for multidisciplinary
working, to promote occupational therapy, and created
connections that may be useful in the future.’
Mentorship
Throughout the programme, participants were paired
with a mentor – a person already established in their
career who could help them to identify personal
skills and ways to develop as a future leader.
For Sarah Cottington, BSc
occupational therapy final
year student at University
of Brighton, her mentor
helped her to consider her
skills for her next steps in
development.
‘My mentor and I
focused on the
resources