Black History Month
Black History Month
Feature
My story , my heritage , my career journey
Jennie Alexander shares something of her journey into occupational therapy as a second career , with some inspirational words of advice for anyone told they can ’ t do something .
Jennie Alexander
A s we celebrate the Windrush generation , I thought this would be a good opportunity to tell you my story from the perspective of a UK-born OT of Caribbean heritage .
My father was born in Grenada , which is a beautiful , lush volcanic island in the Caribbean . He applied to come to England to work , as it was being advertised in Grenada that England had a shortage of workers because of the Second World War .
As Queen Elizabeth was the Monarch of Grenada at the time ( it was under British rule ), my father felt it was his duty to book his passage on one of the ships that were sailing to England and come to help the ‘ Mother Country ’, as did many of the people who travelled to England at that time .
As a child , education was important and I was taught to work hard , as my parents felt that as a Black person , I would have more obstacles to go through than the average person .
I did have some negative experiences , especially from some of the teachers at my ( previously grammar ) comprehensive school in West London . I was told that I would not be able to go to university and was also given work experience that had nothing to do with my career choices , unlike my other classmates .
I was lucky enough to prove those teachers wrong and after gaining distinctions in hairdressing , which was my first career , I studied OT at Brunel University as a mature student and qualified in 2007 .
It may seem like my two careers were miles apart , but in fact being a hairdresser really helped , as it gave me a personal insight into all sorts of people from different backgrounds and their narratives .
People often told me their feelings , hopes , dreams and worries . Hairdressing also taught me the value of taking time to look after ourselves and how having a bit of pampering can lift a person ’ s mood .
My first job after qualifying was in a managerial role for a charity , working with adults with disabilities . This role included responsibility for arranging all aspects of holidays , both in the UK and abroad , managing staff and enabling people to live meaningful lives , doing the things they wanted to without barriers . I also ran weekly relaxation sessions .
As an OT I then worked in an acute orthopaedics hospital for 14 years , both on the surgical wards and in pain management rehabilitation . While working there , I met many staff , especially nurses from the Windrush generation . These hardworking and often calm people showed me that there is a lot to gain from using my observational skills , staying calm and taking action when needed .
Since reaching the stage where I needed to have more autonomy over the way I work , I decided to leave the NHS and become an independent OT .
I now choose the days I want to work and the type of work I want to do . Some of the work I take on , now that I have the choice , includes :
• Associate work , where I carry out OT assessments in the client ’ s home and often also do the follow up treatment sessions .
• Occupational therapy assessments and reports for people who are applying for disability benefits .
• Staff training on work stress and how to reduce it .
• Management training workshops on reducing work stress for their employees .
• Communication and team building training for the workplace .
• Workshops on getting better sleep .
• Mentoring and supervision .
• Training lead for the RCOT SS – IP ’ s Practice Start Up and Succeed ( SUAS ) course and an NEC committee member .
My final word for all of you OTs and students out there who have been told you can ’ t do something is , just go ahead anyway , find the thing you love , get the training and follow your own path . It may take a lot of planning and time , but in the long term you may be surprised where it takes you .
Words JENNIE ALEXANDER , OT and Trainer
October 2023 OTnews 17