Feature
RCOT career conversations : Your career river
Hannah Spencer explains how RCOT is working to challenge the barriers to career development and progression experienced by people historically underrepresented in occupational therapy .
A ll members of our occupational therapy workforce , irrespective of background and / or characteristics , should feel valued , respected and supported to develop their talents to the full .
One of RCOT ’ s strategic aims is to ‘ Lift Up ’ every occupational therapist to be the best they can be throughout their career . We recognise the need to ensure that occupational therapists from groups that have previously been unrepresented in our workforce are supported to develop their careers ; to improve inclusive engagement and the support offered to increase representation across all levels and scopes of practice .
We want to challenge the barriers to career development and progression that can be and have been experienced by those historically underrepresented in our profession and to acknowledge that career progression and development aren ’ t always linear or hierarchical ; that everyone ’ s narrative within the profession will be different .
Ultimately , how can we support every member of our workforce to be the best they can be throughout their career and carve out their own career pathway ?
Optimising contribution from the occupational therapy community , we formed project advisory groups to inform , influence and drive this work . Through project group discussions across workstreams , we ’ ve heard that what can often be helpful in terms of career progression and development is to see possibilities , routes , pathways , representation and to hear narratives .
Group members reflected that it is especially good to see and hear how others have overcome challenges , particularly around underrepresentation , inclusive engagement and equity , diversity and belonging .
Similarly , discussions reiterated need for creative approaches to resources that need to be accessible , applicable and consider the ongoing time pressures that already impact on busy professionals .
In response to this , using the Kawa Model of occupational therapy and the analogy career journey as a river , as a lens for career conversations , a series of 22 podcasts has been recorded and will be go live this month .
30 OTnews April 2023