Occupational Therapy News OTNews March 2020 | Página 46

AWARDS
Funding support for learning,
development and research
activities
Elaine Mc Mahon
Vanessa Abrahamson
Dr James Gavin
Sarah McGinley
Victoria Carruthers
46 OTnews March 2020
The RCOT annual awards support funding for learning, development and
research activities, and here we talk to some of the winners of the 2020
round about how they will be putting the funding to good use for a variety
of projects aimed at enhancing the profile of occupational therapy in the UK
and around the world
T
he Royal College of Occupational
Therapists’ annual awards supports
funding for learning, development and
research activities. It offers the opportunity
for members to add to their portfolio in one or more
of the four Pillars of Practice: Professional Practice;
Facilitation of Learning; Leadership; and Evidence,
Research and Development.
Here we talk to some of the recipients of the
2020 round in more detail, to find out how the
award will benefit themselves, the profession,
and, of course, ultimately people who access
occupational therapy services.
This year, Elaine Mc Mahon and Vanessa
Abrahamson both received funding from the
Pearson Award, which provides support for an
individual professional or student member towards
an activity that forms part of their education,
research or continuing professional development.
Elaine, who works as a neonatal occupational
therapist, told OTnews that the funding will allow
her to present a poster on her work at the Neonatal
Association of Neonatal Therapists’ conference
in the US next month, while Vanessa’s award will
enable her to further her understanding of realist
evaluation approaches.
Elaine says: ‘I am passionate about the role of
neonatal occupational therapy. It is a dynamic role,
working solely within a larger multidisciplinary team.
It is important to maintain our unique identify, while
supporting the development of working together as
a whole team.
‘It is a privilege to be able to begin intervention
from the earliest opportunity. The impact that we
as occupational therapists have on infants, families
and staff participation and function in the short
and longer term can be profound and this is very
motivating and rewarding.
‘This opportunity will provide insight into new
ways of continuing to support our infants, families
and colleagues to provide evidence-based best
practice, best developmental care, progress
family integrated care along with enhancing the
longer term outcomes of our infant, families by
continuing this through front he unit to our neuro-
developmental follow up programme.’
Vanessa will complete a five-day course she
has already self-funded part of, which will cover
the philosophical background to the realist
evaluation approach, interviewing techniques and
conceptualising complex interventions.
She has recently taken over as the research and
development lead for the RCOT Specialist Section
– Neurological Practice, and intends to share
her learning with other occupational therapists
interested in research.
‘I supervise and teach post-graduate students,
including occupational therapists on the Integrated
Clinical Academic (ICA) programme funded by
Health Education England, so it will be useful in this
role,’ she explains.
‘The national realist evaluation that I am currently
working on will be used to inform service delivery
for children and young people with possible
autism, and this should have direct impact on the
experience of children and their families.’
The Innovation Award, which was open to all
members and aims to support an innovative or
developmental project activity likely to have an
impact on people accessing services and the
profession, went to Dr James Gavin.
‘As an early career researcher in musculoskeletal
physiology and non-registered occupational
therapist, the main driver for me applying [for the
award] was the flexibility of its scope… as it was my
intention to run a programme of patient and public