STUDENT EDUCATION FEATURE media , as we recognise the importance of raising the profile of occupational therapy and the value of meaningful occupation as a way to engage and inspire people .
There was a visualisation exercise , which encouraged people to set individual , meaningful goals for the next year , and we hoped that people would leave the event feeling inspired to move forward , despite the limitations of the pandemic . Finally , there was an opportunity for students to discuss any concerns and share their experiences and advice .
All these activities were aimed at bringing occupational therapy students together to recognise what they have in common and that there is support out there .
Feedback from the attendees after the event told us that people felt connected , inspired , and that they had enjoyed interacting with so many people who shared their interest in occupational therapy .
Following the very positive feedback about the first event , we wasted no time in getting a follow up event planned . This time our team had grown larger , with more staff and students taking a role in planning and presenting the event during last November ’ s Occupational Therapy Week .
For this event , the discussions were based around the theme of # ChooseOT , with questions set to the group around why they chose to study occupational therapy and what might the future of occupational therapy look like .
There was a chance to meet other occupational therapy students in small breakout groups , which gave participants the chance to meet and discuss questions related to our profession and get to know each other in the process .
There was also discussion around the current impact of COVID-19 on the experience of studying occupational therapy , and students were able to share some of their anxieties with each other and feel reassured that others felt the same .
This event highlighted that , despite Occupational Therapy Week being very different in 2020 , we can still adapt and utilise what we have to help us stay connected .
Being able to socialise and network with people at any time is great , but doing so during a time when we are all apart from our classmates , families , friends and more , is fantastic .
We are keen to build on the momentum of these initial events by involving students and staff from other universities around Scotland to keep this initiative going .
We have learned how much we have in common and the power of connecting with other occupational therapy students has helped us to feel supported and inspired in our journeys to becoming occupational therapists .
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Working online allows us to connect with others globally , but the distance and time differences add to the challenges of feeling part of the occupational therapy community and we feel that these events helped to address this sense of isolation .
We would like to encourage anyone who is interested in getting involved to get in touch at otogetherscotland @ gmail . com and students studying occupational therapy in Scotland to join the
Facebook group ‘ Scottish occupational therapy students ’.
Jennie Webster and Jennifer Donnelly , year one MSc students at Glasgow
Caledonian University , and Laura Hall , lecturer in occupational therapy at Glasgow Caledonian University . Follow on Twitter : @ jwebot @ Jenni _ Donnelly @ laurahallOT
© Natalia Shabasheva via Getty Images
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