CAREERS CAMPAIGN FEATURE
‘ She and I chatted about what occupational therapy was and how to apply and I was very sure this was what I wanted to do with the rest of my life ,’ she remembers . ‘ My Mum was a nurse , so I had an idea about life on hospital wards and so on . I was really inspired about the people oriented and practical role of an occupational therapist and the diversity and holistic approach that this profession offered .’
She adds : ‘ Occupational therapy has really been highlighted during this pandemic , which has been an encouragement , and so now is the time to build on that exposure and educate and inform as many people as possible about our profession and how , as a profession , we can impact many people in all areas of physical and mental health .
‘ We can hep reduce costs in areas of hospital stays and keeping people out of hospital by identifying risks and implementing preventative strategies in homes , schools and offices .’
Sarah encourages people to ‘ offer you time and expertise to school heads , colleges and parents ’. She says : ‘ I have recently moved and have written to all the secondary schools in my new area offering to make a video about my career as an occupational therapist – or to speak in person if possible – about the career of occupational therapy and how training can take place .’
On the importance of having inspirational people within the profession she adds that she has met many : ‘ The head of the occupational therapy school in Oxford [ first ] instilled confidence in me , at the age when I was not confident about my skills or academic abilities .
‘ My first occupational therapist lead in the Lake District , who interviewed me and offered me a dream rotation post [ was an inspiration ], and in the Midlands , where I worked with an adult community team of three occupational therapists who were experienced and taught me so much .
‘ Finally , the senior occupational therapists in paediatrics , who pushed and encouraged me to go out of my comfort zone . When working in teams , physiotherapists , speech therapists , students and assistants have all inspired me along the way .’
To anyone about to embark on a career in occupational therapy as a student , she would say ‘ don ’ t limit yourself ’. She concludes : ‘ Keep your areas of occupational therapy options open for as long as you can , and don ’ t specialise too quickly . There are so many opportunities , take them as they come along . Allow one area of work to build you and shape you to become a better and more rounded occupational therapist .’
If you love your job , share the love Ruth Crowley , a senior occupational therapist and regional communications lead for the RCOT London Region , has been involved in delivering careers talks as she is ‘ passionate about occupational therapy and feel it ’ s a career many do not yet know about ’. In fact , she exclaims , ‘ I didn ’ t know about it and my father was a careers officer .’
Wanting to raise the profile of occupational therapy as a career and to give people an opportunity to consider the information provided – and as ex-career promotion lead for the RCOT London Region and an ex-recruitment consultant – Ruth says she feels ‘ very happy in this role ’.
Following her presentation , Ruth says she had ‘ excellent feedback ’ from the school , stating the students had been far more engaged than with other talks . ‘ Their career event organiser even stated that they now feel like considering this as a future career , as they knew nothing about it before and now had excellent information .’
Ruth was inspired to become an occupational therapist ‘ midlife ’ and says that , although she had a well-paid job , she ‘ wanted something more meaningful ’.
‘ I knew I could advocate with others and the more I read about occupational therapy the more it resonated ; creative problem solving , people skills , good administration , enquiring mind , like of science and biology , opportunity to work in many settings ,’ she reflects .
On RCOT ’ s # ChooseOT campaign , and the next steps to inspire future occupational therapists , she has the following advice on how to reach out to schools and inspire their students .
‘ If you love your job and wish to share the love , “ Inspiring the Future ” takes the organising out of your hands and matches contacts up to give talks . If you wanted something more personal , you could contact your local school or college , who will all do some type of careers day .
‘ I ’ ve done simple question and answer sessions , powerpoint presentations and joint presentations at formal careers evenings .’
When it comes to individual occupational therapists who have been an inspiration to Ruth during her own professional journey so far , she says ‘[ there have been ] many who I ’ ve met in different areas who have such amazing skills and great empathy and connection with their patients .
‘ I love and respect people ’ s passion – it ’ s what makes them memorable . Jennifer Creek and Sue Parkinson , although academic , are very approachable and have a great sense of humour . Wendy Sherwood , my ex-personal tutor , is taking the Model of Creative Ability forward . Also , some students I ’ ve met , due to their energy and willingness to embrace placements and their learning .’
With the benefit of hindsight , the advice she would give her younger self about to embark on a career in occupational therapy as a student is : ‘ Do it before you did .’
‘ I trained at 40 and was self-employed in a non healthcare role , which was so challenging and I had no money as I was on an hourly rate ,’ she expands . ‘ I wish I had trained earlier and also wish I had done less specialist placements and taken a rotational role as my first band five role .’
OTnews February 2021 43