My journey to becoming an occupational therapist
Yakoba Banks talks about the challenges and discrimination she has faced as a Black woman when starting out on her occupational therapy training , before reflecting on what diversity brings to the profession
Yakoba Banks
When I commenced my training to become an occupational therapist , I did not envisage the challenges I would face as a
Black woman . Before university , I attended an access to higher education programme , where staff continuously assumed I was planning to study nursing at the university , like most of my Black classmates . I heard comments like : ‘ Why do you want to go into a white middle class profession ?’ And ‘ You should apply to mental health nursing as a plan B ’.
I was told that I might struggle with anatomy content , as a lot of it is science – that person not knowing that I had studied anatomy as part of my first degree . Subsequently , this person was surprised when I excelled in my anatomy assessments ; they did not hide their surprise and went on to advise me that I should apply for less academic courses , as occupational therapy training contains psychological theories that I may struggle with .
Assuring that person that I would be great as an occupational therapist , because I have studied a diploma in psychology and counselling , the interaction ended with them telling me that I would never become an occupational therapist .
Two years after I qualified , I saw the person again and I told them that I was now an occupational therapist . They responded by saying that I would struggle to get promoted as a Black occupational therapist , and they knew this because they had been a physiotherapist for many years .
This relentless discouragement confirmed my belief that I would be better off practising in London .
22 OTnews August 2021