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Time for a reboot ?
Rachael Harrison shares her return to practice journey .
I
hope the opening sentences do not sound like a lonelyhearts column , as this is my return to practice journey . My name is Rachael Harrison , I am 51 and I qualified as an occupational therapist from Dorset House School of Occupational Therapy in 1992 .
I began my career working full time with adults that had an acquired brain injury , with associated physical , cognitive and behavioural needs . Every day was challenging and the teamwork was amazing . I loved every day and continually learned from our patients , their families and colleagues .
Over time , I progressed to a senior occupational therapist , lead occupational therapist , therapy lead , head of profession , hospital director and service director . I got married , had children and was made redundant after 23 years ’ service . I took a career break , but it lasted longer than intended .
I knew I would return to work as I enjoyed it too much to walk away . The challenge was in figuring out how to return . I referred to the Health and Care Professions Council ( HCPC ) website to find out how many days of updating I had to complete . I reviewed the return to practice pages on
28 OTnews February 2023