Occupational Therapy News OTnews February 2019_Joomag | Page 55

PROFESSIONAL RESOURCES
RCOT announces Fellowship and
Merit Awards
NETWORKING
Calling all doctoral occupational
therapists
Enrolling on a doctoral programme is an exciting time in your
career, but it can also be daunting and overwhelming at times.
Occupational therapists embarking on a research career
are often experts in their field, bringing with them years of
clinical experience and knowledge. The transition from being
that experienced clinician to a novice researcher can be
difficult, triggering feelings of self-doubt, isolation and a sense
of being a fraud – a phenomenon common amongst PhD
students known as ‘imposter syndrome’.
With this in mind, a peer network has been set up on
Facebook for occupational therapists in the UK currently
studying for a doctorate. The ‘Occupational Therapy
Doctorate Network’ page offers a forum for occupational
therapy PhD students to connect, share and support each
other.
The network is a great place to interact with other
occupational therapists who can relate to some of the issues
faced with conducting a PhD and also to celebrate the
successes along the way.
Support with conducting research is provided through
links to funding streams, training events and other web-based
resources. As well as posting comments to the Facebook
page, members are invited to attend regular virtual coffee
events where they can enjoy an informal catch up and share
their experiences with one another.
The group has been running for just over a year now and
currently has around 50 members. New members are always
very welcome, but are restricted to people already enrolled on
and studying a doctorate within the UK.
To find us search for ‘Occupational Therapy Doctoral
Network’ in Facebook and click the ‘join group’ icon. The
group is a closed Facebook group, meaning that only other
members of the group are able to see your comments. For
those people who prefer not to join the Facebook group,
there is also an email newsletter that you can sign up for.
To register your interest in the newsletter send a request to:
[e-mail].
Ruth da Silva, PhD student, occupational therapist, email:
[e-mail], Twitter: @ruthiedasilva, and
Miriam Noonan, PhD student, occupational therapist, email:
[e-mail], Twitter: @mirnoonanOT
The Fellowship Awards are the highest honours that RCOT
can bestow on its members in recognition of the outstanding
contribution they have made to the occupational therapy
profession during their career.
This year, a Fellowship has been awarded to: Shelagh
Morris OBE, who has recently retired from the post of deputy
chief allied health professions officer, NHS England; Dr Jenny
Preston MBE, consultant occupational therapist, clinical lead
neurological rehabilitation, NHS Ayrshire and Arran; Dr Kate
Radford, Associate Professor in Rehabilitation Research (long-
term conditions), University of Nottingham; Suzanne Rastrick,
chief allied health professions officer, NHS England; and Hazel
Winning, allied health professions lead officer, Department of
Health, Northern Ireland.
The Merit Awards, introduced in 2008, are given to RCOT
members who have been recognised by their peers in the
occupational therapy community for excellence in their sphere
of work. The 2019 recipients are: Anita Cooper, clinical lead
– therapies and rehabilitation medicine, United Lincolnshire
Hospitals NHS Trust; and Linda Gibson, senior occupational
therapist, Edinburgh Community Rehabilitation and Support
Services.
RCOT
Supplier Directory
Now available on the RCOT
website.
Identify products and services
that will help you meet the
needs of your service users
wherever you are.
Bookmark the Supplier Directory for quick
and easy access.
www.rcot.co.uk/supplier-directory
Royal College of Occupational Therapists
The professional body for occupational therapy staff
The Royal College of Occupational Therapists
is a registered charity in England and Wales
(No.275119) and in Scotland (No.SCO39573).
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