Service development
I was determined to ‘ lean into it ’ this time , living the ethos from a past team and making the most of this rare opportunity . I was fortunate enough to fit with a team where I could easily develop relationships and that initial sense of belonging .”
Service development
Feature
I
qualified in 2017 , after returning to education in my late 20s , but I felt an extreme reluctance to practise , feeling a real lack of competence in my ability as an occupational therapist . It took me a year to work up the courage to apply for my first role .
Since then , I ’ ve held five roles in as many years , moving to a different region of the country all but once . This presented with me many opportunities to take on new roles and familiarise myself with the personal and professional transitions that come with moving home and jobs ( although that doesn ’ t necessarily make it any easier ).
It also gave me the opportunity to refine my practice , implementing all the things I had resolved to do differently in the next role .
I was then fortunate enough to secure a role that allowed me to bring together my experience and knowledge of substance use , communications and occupational therapy , after a detailed service development pitch .
About the role
The role , as a highly specialist occupational therapist , is developing the role of occupational therapy in the long established Aneurin Bevan Specialist Drug and Alcohol Service ( ABSDAS ) in South Wales ; geographically vast , covering five diverse counties , made up of two teams .
The specialist community service focuses on : those experiencing substance use alongside co-occurring mental health conditions ; complex physical health ; alcohol related brain damage ( ARBD ); perinatal substance use ; those requiring inpatient alcohol detoxification ; and shared care arrangements with local GP services .
Thoughts on the first year
While I had always sought out involvement in quality and service improvement , service development was an entirely new prospect for me and provoked equal imagination and anxiety .
I spent the initial weeks mapping services , completing a literature review and shadowing colleagues , with the aim to develop a service in line with the evidence base ( RCOT 2021 ) and prudent healthcare principles ( Welsh Government 2016 ).
Although I always felt a reluctance for networking , I dived in head first and set about engaging with mental health colleagues around the health board before I knew exactly what the service would look like .
Simultaneously , I took this time to network with peers in the field of substance use around the country as I was a lone practitioner in this setting . After enough of us came together , we established
I was determined to ‘ lean into it ’ this time , living the ethos from a past team and making the most of this rare opportunity . I was fortunate enough to fit with a team where I could easily develop relationships and that initial sense of belonging .”
the UK and Ireland Occupational Therapy and Substance Use Network . We have been meeting for nearly a year , with new members continuing to join .
The network continues to provide essential peer support from those with experience of the road ahead of me and gives strength in a shared professional identity . We meet every eight weeks and I always leave feeling inspired and energised , as one might expect , sharing and collaborating with occupational therapists who face the exact same challenges .
I experienced the usual ups and downs that come with any major set of occupational transitions when moving house and employment at the same time . I had to ( and continue to ) practise self-compassion to quell the doubts and negative thoughts and keep my imposter syndrome in its place .
I ’ ve held previous roles where this has run unchecked and restricted my practice , for fear of getting it wrong and looking incompetent . When giving myself a hard time for not achieving enough , as many of us do , I ’ m always left with the question from colleagues about what else had I realistically expected to achieve ? This often helps put things into perspective .
I was determined to ‘ lean into it ’ this time , living the ethos from a past team and making the most of this rare opportunity . I was fortunate enough to fit with a team where I could easily develop relationships and that initial sense of belonging .
Feeling more psychologically safe , I could share more vulnerability with my team , enough to inspire professional growth that has sometimes been missing from previous roles .
My knowledge and understanding of occupational therapy practice and substance use has not stopped evolving from the moment
May 2023 OTnews 39