Occupational Therapy News OTnews January 2019 | Page 12

NEWS
Occupational therapy student wins at Council of Deans awards
Two student occupational therapists have won at the
Council of Deans Student Leadership Programme
Awards.
The awards are the culmination of a two-year
leadership programme of residential conferences,
networking events, mentoring and online activity for 150
students.
Nichole Yam, who is completing an MSc in
occupational therapy at Leeds Beckett University, won
the Outstanding Commitment to Student Affairs category
after being nominated by two people for co-founding an
occupational therapy society at the university.
Jaspreet Singh Uppal, Nichole Yam, Rob Molloy and Jo Whiting with RCOT assistant director of
As the first chair of the society, Nichole worked as
education and research Jo Watson (centre)
part of a new student committee to develop learning
opportunities beyond the academic schedule, set up new social
#150Leaders AHP category after being nominated by two lecturers
gatherings such as walks and an OT winter ball, develop networking
and Nichole.
events to bring different year groups together, and build more
Rob worked with one lecturer to improve how staff gave feedback
multidisciplinary sessions with other faculties. That has seen
agreements for different cohorts to attend each other’s workshops,
study days and guest speaker lectures, building links between
different future professionals.
‘The society has been a starting point for a lot of us and has
helped to strengthen our occupational therapy identity at the
university,’ says Nichole.
‘On a broader level, it’s an opportunity to show to ourselves that
we’re doing something we’re really passionate about. It’s not just
about studying or doing an assignment for the sake of an academic
pass, but we’re doing this because we love it.’
Nichole says that when she first signed up for the leadership
programme she wasn’t sure what it would involve. ‘But I got to meet
other students who are enthusiastic about projects and leadership,’
she says, ‘and I’ve met all these other amazing leaders and being
inspired by them.
‘I have learnt that anybody can be a leader and it starts from
anyone, anywhere. It’s really important to know that, especially if you
are a student.’
Nichole will soon be starting a rotational post at Barts Health NHS
Trust in London.
Rob Molloy recently completed his pre-registration masters
in occupational therapy at Brunel University, and won the Top
to students for written work, with the results shared at a teaching
symposium day with 60 lecturers from the university, helping share
the improvements beyond the occupational therapy faculty. The
results are also available online at: www.bit.ly/2F5JtaC.
He was also nominated for helping run a wheelchair basketball
club for children in the community, his role as the student officer for
the RCOT Specialist Section – Children, Young People and Families,
and for volunteer work in orphanages in China.
Speaking about the programme, Rob said: ‘I thought it was
fantastic. It was well-organised and gave good opportunities to
connect with other students across the country. It was good to
network with other students, including from other professions you
wouldn’t normally meet, to work with and be inspired by the things
they are doing.’
Rob is now starting a job at the Hillingdon Child Development
Centre in London.
Two occupational therapy students and their mentors were also
nominated in the mentoring partnership category: Jaspreet Singh
at Derby University and his mentor Janet, and Jo Whiting at the
University of Essex and her mentor Robin Lansman.
The Council of Deans launched a report on fostering student
leadership as part of the programme, available at:
www.bit.ly/2R1imUK.
Occupational therapists role in early intervention in schools promoted in
Northern Ireland
RCOT has met with Angela Kane, head of pupil support
at Northern Ireland’s Department of Education, following the
publication of the Getting My Life Back report.
Discussions focused on the need for occupational therapists
to move into early intervention and prevention, and specialist
occupational therapist Catherine Wells spoke about working in a
mainstream school.
12 OTnews January 2019
Catherine said: ‘Working with pupils, I can see how well
[occupational therapy] works. It is so forward-thinking and
we’re so solution-focused instead of problem-focused; the
routines to support mental health and wellbeing that we teach
young people stay with them throughout their lives’.
National versions of the Getting My Life Back reports are
available at www.cotimprovinglives.com.