Laura Murray , Alice Brady and Rachel Parslow share their lived experience of working in a generic role and maintaining continuing professional development for HCPC registration .
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The opportunities of working in a generic role
Laura Murray , Alice Brady and Rachel Parslow share their lived experience of working in a generic role and maintaining continuing professional development for HCPC registration .
T here are increasing numbers of occupational therapists moving out of traditional roles and into generic posts and specialist or emerging areas . For those transitioning into generic roles , there is limited information , publications and reassurance online , specifically around how to maintain Health and Care Professions Council ( HCPC ) registration and keeping hold of established core occupational therapy skills .
This can be a reason for hesitancy around pursuing generic roles and a cause of anxiety and uncertainty .
Occupational therapists proving their value within generic roles can be an opportunity to promote the profession , develop the reputation and opinion of the profession , and contribute to the multidisciplinary team , bringing the occupational therapy perspective to a service user ’ s assessment and intervention .
Establishing a network and evidencing development
There are a number of occupational therapists in generic roles in Bedfordshire with the East London NHS Foundation Trust ( ELFT ) and as a result a generic role network has been established , which meets quarterly .
This network was born following one of the generic role occupational therapists , now in a management post , being called up for audit , which highlighted similar anxieties for other occupational therapists within the trust around evidencing development for HCPC .
It has been invaluable to discuss creative ways we can , and do , align ourselves to HCPC ’ s standards , evidencing our professional development despite not working as an occupational therapist .
These meetings have bought to light multiple ways to evidence development . The first has been to attend relevant occupational therapy meetings within the trust . The ELFT occupational therapy team has been clear that we are welcome at all its events and meetings .
We are invited to the monthly forums and business meetings , as well as social and CPD events . We are also kept informed of any developments and news within the occupational therapy service , as we have remained on the email group .
These contacts allow us to keep abreast of developments within the occupational therapy service , and changes within the profession in the trust .
We each receive professional supervision provided by a head occupational therapist within the trust , every six weeks , to support us to keep an occupational therapy focus on our input and interventions . My supervision record has the HCPC audit headings on it , so that each supervision record will hopefully document evidence suggestions .
Plans are also in the pipeline to present to the occupational therapy service around generic roles and answer any queries that arise .
Another example of professional development is around training in the new skills required for the generic roles . There are also opportunities to support with technological developments that will develop services within the NHS , for example the mobile RIO app .
Another opportunity is to offer time to the occupational therapy students to explain our role and the specific areas we work in .
We also offer specific training and presentations to the occupational therapy team on our roles and areas of work ; keeping those connections
50 OTnews July 2023